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This research thesis explores the evolving nature of institutional archival acquisitions, emphasizing the economic and symbolic value of archives. Despite it being relatively underexplored and its status as a niche market, the market concerning private archives bear real effects on donor choices and interinstitutional competition, and no less holds the potential for expansion. This study aims to investigate how the market influence public archive institutions' capacity to acquire new archive materials, as well as the economic and cultural resources they possess to compete as go-to repositories and market players. The objective is realized through semi-structured interviews conducted in Sweden and the United Kingdom. The respondent from The National Archives (TNA) of the United Kingdom contributes unique insights through the institution's specific efforts to strengthen the position of archival institutions in the market. E-mail interviews with respondents from several of Sweden's major archival and manuscript institutions also contribute to this dataset. Data collection occurred in September 2023, with on-site interviews at TNA facilitated by Uppsala University's generous support. Results indicate that institutions face consequences regarding access to material, due to new wealthy market stakeholders, an increase in price, and sellers’ opportunism. A proposed paradigm shift calls for revised guidelines to secure the long-term mission of archival institutions, coupled with increased research to understand the evolving forces affecting them. This is a two-year master’s thesis in Archival Science. |
