Half of archival collections have no online presence. (OCLC, 2015, 6)

Welcome to this edited collection of articles exploring digital archives! We live in times when all organisations which collect, preserve and provide access to the collective memory of the humankind – frequently called memory institutions – libraries, archives, museums – are expected to provide digital services. There is a range of driving forces in the process of digitisation, digital curation and providing access to the growing digital collections. One is that diverse collections with descriptions based on different principles originating from the library, museum and archival sectors can be treated as if they are the same in the digital space, especially for hybrid digital resources like Europeana (www.europeana.eu/portal/en). In the long term the process of digitisation may have unexpected consequences for the nature of sector-specific collections description. But is the description of material the only way in which memory sectors are different from other sectors? Or does the transition into digital space require other aspects of the professional trade to be redefined?

Living and working within this period of continuing rapid expansion of accessibility to digital content when the reflection could be very problematic due to the lack of sufficient time distance, calls for understanding what the substantial shifts in the professional philosophy, knowledge and practice of digital archives are. This edited collection attempts to explore these uncharted territories. It presents a variety of viewpoints on the archival profession and the drivers of change, and was designed to interest several categories of readers. Archivists will find in the book a breadth of opinions on topics that are changing the archival landscape. Librarians and museum specialists can explore how the digital environment reflects the specific needs of the archival domain, which hopefully will help to strengthen the collaboration and mutual understanding between specialists from these different sectors. Humanities scholars may find useful the discussion of how archival materials enter the territory of digital scholarship. Students can get a generic idea of the range of issues within digital archives. Last but not least, policy makers could explore the relationship between research policies and memory institution policies.