Who we are

The European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA) was established in 1994 to promote activities aimed at keeping collections in European archives and libraries accessible over time. Books, documents, photographs, films, tapes and disks are all subject to decay. The digital revolution has introduced new problems of obsolescence of soft- and hardware. In order to keep our documentary heritage available for future generations of users, large-scale programmes must be developed for its preservation.

The ECPA aims to raise public awareness of this issue and to impress the urgency of the situation on policy makers, funding agents, and users. The ECPA acts as a European platform for discussion and cooperation of heritage organizations in areas of preservation and access. The publications of the Commission are widely distributed to institutions throughout Europe. To promote the exchange of knowledge and experience, the ECPA organizes conferences, meetings and workshops.

Contact the ECPA

European Commission on Preservation and Access
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Kloveniersburgwal 29
P.O. Box 19121
NL-1000 GC Amsterdam The Netherlands

T ++31-20-551 08 39 F ++31-20-620 49 41 E ecpa@bureau.knaw.nl