Press conference on the topic «Memory of documents. History and development of the archival and records management system in the Republic of Belarus»

On July 31, 2024, a press conference was held at the Press House on the topic «Document memory. The history and development of the archival and record keeping system in the Republic of Belarus».

The event was attended by Oleg Leonidovich Warriors, Director of the Archives and Records Management Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, Mikhail Mikhailovich Glushakov, Director of the National Historical Archive of Belarus, Andrey Nikolaevich Gonchar, Director of the Belarusian State Archive of Film and Photographic Documents, Andrey Petrovich Kurakov, Director of the Belarusian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation; Director of the Belarusian State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art Makarenko Elena Aleksandrovna, Director of the Belarusian Scientific Research Institute of Documentation and Archival Affairs Rybakov Andrey Evgenievich, Deputy Director of the National Archive of the Republic of Belarus Kulinok Svyatoslav Valentinovich.

In his opening speech, Oleg Voinov noted that over the 30-year period of the Institute of the Presidency, the archival industry has made a significant step in its development, which has allowed the creation of modern institutions and their formation as historical and educational centers.

With the support of the state, the material and technical base of archival institutions is significantly strengthened.

The 25 units of modern scanning equipment acquired in recent years have significantly increased the volume of digitization of documents of the National Archival Fund.

Active work is underway on the reconstruction of buildings for archives. This year, new archives were inaugurated in Gomel (March 11, 2024) and Vitebsk (July 2, 2024). At the final stage of reconstruction of buildings in Mogilev and Grodno. In total, the constructed facilities will accommodate over 1 million 700 thousand cases. A decision has been made to build a State archive in Minsk.

A lot of work is being carried out by the state archives to fulfill the instructions of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, given on August 5, 2022, in terms of strengthening information and educational work.

Over 350 exhibitions (showcase and virtual) are prepared and presented annually, popular science books and collections of archival documents are published. For the first time, the National Archive of the Republic of Belarus entered the project «Library of the Union State», which allowed the publication of the fundamental illustrated book «Operation Bagration». The partisans of the Belarusian land…».

A landmark event for the Belarusian State Archive of Film and Photographic Documents was the creation of 9 documentaries dedicated to the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders («Liberation», «Operation Bagration», «Partisans»), which became a new area of activity.

The republican action «Archives-School» initiated by the Department of Archives and Records Management remains an effective tool for educational and ideological work among young people. Since 2022, over 2,500 events have been held. Over 35,000 schoolchildren and students visited the archival institutions.

The following websites are being actively filled with digital copies of documents: «Documentary Chronicle of Belarus»; «Partisans of Belarus»; «Belarusian burned villages»; «Official heraldic symbols».

The work of archives on the widespread use of archival documents is a methodical and purposeful process for the formation and maintenance of moral behavior in Belarusian society, the education of citizenship and patriotism, and the prevention of historical falsification.

The heads of the republican archival institutions Andrey Rybakov, Mikhail Glushakov, Andrey Gonchar, Elena Makarenko, Andrey Kurakov and Svyatoslav Kulinok spoke and answered journalists’ questions at the event.