Professional Responsibility
We catalogue content and contextual information that contribute to the cultural, historical, and scholarly value of archival materials.
Verifiability and Accessibility
We strive to ensure that information in our catalogues is verifiable, easily accessible, and straightforward to retrieve.
Critical Use of Standards
We recognize that standards can improve the flow and accessibility of information, but that they may also reflect biases. We therefore maintain a critical approach to all forms of standardization.
We contribute to the research-based development of cataloguing tools and work to make these available to everyone engaged in cataloguing.
Revision of Offensive Content
We review catalogue records and standards containing offensive or discriminatory language or content in consultation with subject specialists, stakeholder groups, and relevant informants.
Addressing Bias
We actively work to counter personal, institutional, and societal biases in cataloguing practices.
Documentation of Identity
We identify and document individuals associated with the creation, subject matter, provenance, or use of archival materials whenever possible.
Diversity and Inclusion
We promote diversity, equality, and inclusion by ensuring that marginalized individuals and groups are visible within our documentation.
Historical Awareness
We seek to preserve historical context in our cataloguing while avoiding the reproduction of racist or discriminatory attitudes.
Language and Culture
We acknowledge that the Norwegianization policies directed toward the Sámi people and national minorities have left traces in the collections, both in what has been preserved and in how it has been documented. Equality of language, culture, and identity between the majority population and minority groups shall form the basis of all cataloguing practices. This principle also applies to our international collections.
Background and Purpose
These principles are based on the Cataloguing Code of Ethics (2021) and the National Museum of Norway's Principles for Ethical Cataloguing (2025), adapted for the documentation of historical materials in the archives of the Special Collections.
The purpose is to ensure inclusive cataloguing and responsible documentation of the collections in support of research, public engagement, and society's collective memory.
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