About the documentation project

person by Kristin Øye Gjerde, Norwegian Petroleum Museum
To ensure that the history of Frigg is not lost with the shut-down of the field, a documentation project has been carried out by the Norwegian Petroleum Museum on behalf of operator Total. The National Archives in Stavanger, the National Library of Norway in Rana and the University of Aberdeen have been important partners in this work, while the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has played a key role by initiating and following up the project.
— The project team for the Frigg Industrial Heritage project: (from left) Harald Tønnesen, Norwegian Petroleum Museum (NPM), Vigdis Bergstad, National Archives in Stavanger (STAS), Jan Tjemsland, NPM, Inger Barstad, Total, Lennart Styve, Netpower, Trude Meland, NPM, Synnøve Hageberg, NPM, Gunleiv Hadland, NPM, Lars Gaustad, National Library of Norway, Kristin Øye Gjerde, NPM, Odd Svendsen, Total, Finn Krogh, NPM, and Svein Terje Piscani Førland, NPM. Inger Nybø from Total, Torkel Thime and Malin Mathiassen from STAS was not present when this photograph was taken. Photo: NPM.
© Norsk Oljemuseum

The project team for the Frigg Industrial Heritage project: (from left) Harald Tønnesen, Norwegian Petroleum Museum (NPM), Vigdis Bergstad, National Archives in Stavanger (STAS), Jan Tjemsland, NPM, Inger Barstad, Total, Lennart Styve, Netpower, Trude Meland, NPM, Synnøve Hageberg, NPM, Gunleiv Hadland, NPM, Lars Gaustad, National Library of Norway, Kristin Øye Gjerde, NPM, Odd Svendsen, Total, Finn Krogh, NPM, and Svein Terje Piscani Førland, NPM. Inger Nybø from Total, Torkel Thime and Malin Mathiassen from STAS was not present when this photograph was taken. Photo: NPM.

This project has represented a major collaboration between many institutions and individuals. It made big demands on the creativity, professional knowledge, endurance and tolerance of those involved. With tongue in cheek, one might say that Frigg, the Norse goddess of love, exerted a benign influence over the process.

When work began, experience had already been acquired from the Ekofisk Industrial Heritage project. But the Frigg version represents in many ways a further development and improvement ? not least in its mode of presentation.

Another particular feature is that Frigg Industrial Heritage has acquired a parallel project in Aberdeen, which is now drawing on the Norwegian experience of documenting the oil industry. Frigg Industrial Heritage on the web is a joint Norwegian-Scottish product, available in both Norwegian and English.

Since large volumes of information are involved, it was important in the initial phase of the project to find sensible ways of limiting the selection. That process was followed by the actual collection work, the digitisation, registration and preservation of archived documents, photographs, films and objects, the conduct of interviews, and so forth.

Frigg Industrial Heritage is a typical ALM project – a collaboration between archive, library and museum.

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum has led the project, has taken care of photographs, films, publications and objects, and has conducted interviews. It has also written the articles for the website which serve as a point of entry for placing the archived material in context.

The way Frigg Industrial Heritage is communicated through the net means that this project can justifiably be called a digital social monument.

The National Archives in Stavanger was responsible for collecting correspondence files. Almost 200 shelf-metres of records from several departments in Total have now been registered and organised in archive boxes.

The National Library of Norway in Rana has ensured that all the digital material is searchable through a common engine on the website. Not only text but also quantities of photographs, films, radio clips, books, scanned magazines, objects and other interesting materials have now been made easily available. The National Library has also ensured that digital radio clips, scanned magazines and films are conserved.

The University of Aberdeen has documented the pipelines and the MCP-01 compression platform which were operated from Scotland. All other activity on the field run from Norway has been documented on the Norwegian side.

Netpower has had the job of creating an appealing and educational presentation of Frigg Industrial Heritage on the web.

Published August 9, 2019   •   Updated May 16, 2023
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