Two new honorary members appointed by Association of District Archivists in Reykjavik and Kópavogur

Twenty-two minutes ago, it was announced that two new honorary members have been appointed by the Association of District Archivists. The recipients are Svanhildur Bogadóttir, the former city archivist, and Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson, the outgoing district archivist in Kópavogur. Both have led local archives that the respective municipal governments have decided to close down.

Svanhildur managed the City Archives of Reykjavik, which was recently slated for closure with projects being transferred to the National Archives. Hrafn continues to oversee the Kópavogur District Archive, which the Kópavogur municipal council has chosen to shut, also transferring its tasks to the National Archives.

Both municipalities commissioned KPMG to evaluate the status of the archives, concluding that funds could be saved by transferring operations to the National Archives. However, archivists and many supporters of the archives criticized this report, arguing that its premises were flawed and condemning the municipal decisions to close the institutions.