Archival and museum practice for future historians in Polotsk

As part of the republican action «Archives – School» on June 29 and 30, 2026, on the basis of the Zonal State Archive in Polotsk, archival and museum practice was organized for students of the 2nd year of the Faculty of Humanities of the Euphrosynia Polotsk State University, specializing in «History».

The practice began with a meeting of the students with the director of the archive Lazarenok Lyudmila Viktorovna, who welcomed the participants, told about the history of the creation and main directions of the archive’s activities, and also introduced the composition of the institution’s documentary fund. Special attention was paid to the most important tasks of the archive – the collection, preservation and use of documents, because it is here that materials of great importance for studying the history of the region and the country as a whole are carefully stored.

Then the head of the department of use and publication of documents, Marina Mykhaylovna Dychkevich, introduced the students to the work of the reading room, told in detail about the peculiarities of the organization of work with documents, and conducted a tour of the archive for young historians. The participants of the practice were able to see how everyday archival work is organized and get acquainted with the conditions in which historical sources are stored.

Archivist Pavel Mikhaylovich Safronov conducted a practical session for trainees on searching and identifying information in archival documents.

Archival practice helps future historians see the work of archivists from the inside, learn a careful attitude to documentary heritage and realize how important the archival service is in preserving the country’s historical memory.

In the photo: Archival and museum practice in the Zonal State Archive in Polotsk (June 29-30, 2026).