Belarusian Research Institute of Records Management and Archival Studies
Historical background
The Belarusian Research Institute of Documentation and Archival Science (BelNIIDAD) is the first research institution in the Republic of Belarus carrying out scientific research and development in the field of document science and archival science.
The Institute dates its activities from December 11, 1991, when in Minsk, on the basis of the Institute of Historical and Political Research of the Communist Party of Belarus (until October 1990 – the Institute of Party History under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus), by order of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian Scientific Research Center for Documentation was created and retroinformation (BelNITSDR).
By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated May 21, 1993, BelNITSDR was renamed the Belarusian Scientific Research Center for Document Management and Archival Affairs (BelNITSDAD), which was intended to emphasize the sectoral focus of the center’s scientific activities.
On January 25, 1994, by order of the Chairman of the Council, in connection with the expansion of areas of research activity, the center was renamed the Belarusian Research Center for Document Management, Archeography and Archival Affairs (BelNITSDAAD).
On January 31, 1996, in order to improve the activities of the center and increase its status, by order of the Chairman of the Committee on Archives and Records Management of the Republic of Belarus, it was transformed into the Belarusian Research Institute of Document Management and Archival Affairs. Since June 20, 2001, the official name of BelNIIDAD is the institution «Belarusian Research Institute of Documentation and Archival Science.»
In October 1999, BelNIIDAD became the base organization of the Archaeographic Commission of the republican government body in the field of archival affairs and records management – the State Committee for Archives and Records Management of the Republic of Belarus (since May 2006 – the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus).
Between 1996 and 2002. BelNIIDAD had a council for the defense of dissertations in the specialty 07.00.09 – historiography, source studies and methods of historical research with the right to accept dissertations for defense in the specialty 05.25.02 – documentary studies, document studies, archival studies. From 2000 to 2013 BelNIIDAD operated a postgraduate school that trained highly qualified scientific personnel in these specialties.
On June 24, 2011, by order of the Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus, at the proposal of BelNIIDAD, a national technical committee for standardization of TC BY 28 «Document Management» was created, with the institute being assigned the functions of maintaining its secretariat.
Since 2012, on the basis of a joint order from the director of BelNIIDAD and the rector of the Belarusian State University, the institute has operated a branch of the department of source studies of the history faculty of BSU.