Context
The Federal Housing Funds of Austria manage historical housing subsidy records dating back to 1921. Although the funds no longer grant new subsidies, they remain highly relevant today because their records are still needed to clarify rent levels under Austrian tenancy law. These records are requested every year by courts, public authorities, property managers, and citizens. Until recently, all information was stored only in paper files. Around 20 000 building files had to be searched manually using old card indexes. This work was time-consuming, location-bound, and depended heavily on the knowledge of a small number of experienced staff. At the same time, the files themselves were increasingly fragile and at risk of damage.
The project was initiated to respond to these challenges. It aims to modernise administrative work, secure valuable historical information for the long term, and ensure that public services remain reliable, efficient, and future-proof in line with digital transformation goals.
Objectives
The main objective of the project is to transform a fully paper-based process into a modern digital service. Around 20 000 historical building files are being digitised, indexed, and made searchable in a secure digital environment. This directly addresses the problem of slow, manual processing and mitigates the risk of irreversible loss of fragile important historical records.
A key goal is to significantly reduce the time and effort needed for enquiries about subsidised properties. By linking addresses, reference numbers, and other metadata in a structured index, staff can quickly verify whether a property received public funding. This reduces duplicative effort and improves service quality.
Another objective is to enable location-independent access to files, making the administration more flexible and resilient. In the long term, the project also aims to offer self-service access to selected information for public institutions and citizens themselves via an online portal. Overall, the project strengthens transparency, efficiency, and sustainability in public administration.
Implementation
The project is implemented through close cooperation between the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, the Federal Chancellery, and the Federal Computing Centre. Scanning and secure digital storage are handled centrally using existing federal infrastructure, ensuring high security and cost efficiency.
The digitisation process follows a clearly defined workflow. Ministry staff prepare files and validate metadata; specialised teams scan and create OCR-ready preservation formats. Records and metadata are then transferred automatically into the Goobi workflow and Goobi viewer systems, which were configured and extended to the specific needs of the project and enable structured management and fast searching of the digital files. Quality is ensured through sampling, documented checks, and continuous process optimisation.
The project is planned over four to five years and financed by the funds’ own resources. Staff from different departments are involved. Progress is monitored through regular steering and coordination meetings, quality checks, and measurable indicators such as the number of digitised files, throughput, and error rates. Training sessions and user guides ensure that employees can use the new system effectively. This structured approach ensures stable implementation and long-term sustainability.