On September 29, 2023, a meeting of the board of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus was held

On September 29, 2022, a meeting of the board of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter referred to as the Department) was held.

At the meeting of the board the following issues were considered:

1. On the use of budget funds by republican archival institutions in the third quarter of 2023.

2. On the results of work on the distribution of young specialists in republican archival institutions.

3. On the state of ideological work in the state institution “National Historical Archive of Belarus”.

4. On the readiness of state archival institutions for the autumn-winter period of 2023/2024.

5. Personnel issue.

On the first issue of the agenda, the deputy head of the department of office work, formation and preservation of documents A.V. Kochetkova made a report.

The speech noted that in terms of carrying out major and current repairs, purchasing equipment and other fixed assets, which are strategic priorities, the consistency of the task of timely disbursement of funds from the republican budget is noted on the basis of concluded agreements in accordance with budget estimates.

The share of annual funding for republican archival institutions as of the third quarter of 2023 amounted to 58.98%.

Over the period since the beginning of the year, activities have been fully implemented in the National Historical Archive of Belarus in Grodno and the Central Laboratory for Ensuring the Preservation of NAF Documents.

The speakers emphasized that in the third quarter of 2023, the work of republican archival institutions was concentrated in the direction of implementing concluded agreements. Based on the results of public procurement, the main activities are in the implementation stage, work continues to strengthen the material and technical base.

Commenting on the information presented, Director of the Department O.L. Voinov drew attention to the need for high-quality execution of construction and installation work in archival institutions.

The head of the archival industry made a proposal to carry out work related to major repairs according to specially drawn up schedules, according to which the first year is allocated for the preparation of pre-project documentation, the second year is the development of design estimates, the next year is the implementation of construction and installation work.

Co-reports on this issue were made by the director of the National Historical Archive of Belarus M.M. Glushakov and the director of the State Archive of the Vitebsk Region T.M. Svistunova.

Based on the results of the discussion, a decision was made to state archival institutions to ensure full disbursement of funds under the headings of expenses for capital and current repairs, acquisition of equipment and other fixed assets by 12/10/2023, to submit proposals by 11/10/2023 for inclusion in the list of priority measures for the development of material and technical bases for 2024, etc.

On the second issue of the agenda, the deputy head of the department of organizational work, information and use of documents N.T. Buloichik made a report.

The report noted that republican archival institutions recruit young specialists in accordance with the need for labor resources, which is formed in the automated system “Government Order and Reception”.

There are 88 young workers working in the republican archival institutions, which is 19.38% of the total number of workers. 8 people under 31 years of age occupy management positions.

The basis for staffing archives with young personnel is university training. Since 1992, the Faculty of History of the Belarusian State University has been training historians and archivists.

Students of the Faculty of History of BSU annually undergo internships in republican archival institutions. This allows you to select the most promising students and invite them to work in the senior years of the university. For example, in the National Historical Archive, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, students work while studying in their third year.

In 2023, republican archival institutions accepted 28 graduates of higher educational institutions into their ranks.

In August of this year, for the first time in the history of archives, a solemn ceremony of initiation of young archivists into the profession was organized, which took place on the basis of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus.

The Director of the Department, O.L. Voinov, would have expressed the position that in order to secure young specialists in their jobs in state archival institutions, it is necessary to provide them with comprehensive support. This, in particular, provides housing for young people and regularly rewards this category of workers for the high-quality performance of their official duties.

In order to timely identify potential employees for the archival industry, work should be carried out with students starting from the first year of the Faculty of History.

As part of the development of the institution of mentoring in state archival institutions, it is necessary to actively reward employees performing the functions of mentors.

The Director of the Department pointed out the need to pay close attention to the winners of the “Best Archivist” competition of different years, who should have priority rights during personnel changes, as well as other forms of incentives.

The director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus A.K. Demyanukmade a co-report on this issue.

Based on the results of the discussion, it was decided that state archival institutions should ensure broad participation of young specialists in advanced training at the BSU and internships in other state archives, mandatory mentoring of young specialists, and involve young specialists in general archival projects and events (“Archives” – school”, “Young archivist”), expand the participation of young specialists in the competition “Best Archivist of Belarus”, etc.

On the third issue of the agenda, Deputy Director of the National Historical Archive of Belarus I.I. Kovganova made a report.

The speech noted that ideological work in the National Historical Archive of Belarus is organized in accordance with the ideological work plan for 2023.

The archive holds monthly unified information days, and weekly information about events in the country and abroad is provided to archive workers. explanations and assessments of the events taking place are given.

Work has been organized to create the primary organization of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union NGO.

The primary organization consists of 10 (out of 11) employees under the age of 31.

The work of the primary trade union organization has been intensified to increase its number. The number of union members is 96 percent (in September 2022 – 82 percent).

At the same time, it was noted that insufficient work is being done in the archive to ensure that archive employees comply with the Code of Professional Ethics for Employees of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus and to prevent employees from committing illegal actions.

The National Historical Archive of Belarus requires the widest possible involvement of young workers to participate in pilot projects and actions initiated by the Department, strengthening work aimed at developing an understanding among archive workers of the goals of the socio-economic policy of the state and the tasks of the current stage of the country’s development.

The Director of the Department drew attention to the inadequacy of simply implementing the ideological work plan in the National Historical Archive of Belarus. The main criterion for evaluating work within the framework of the direction in the field of ideology is the effectiveness of this type of activity, the practical implementation of the results of the activities carried out according to the plan of ideological work.

Based on the results of the discussion, it was decided to recognize the ideological work carried out in the National Historical Archive of Belarus as insufficient, to point out to the archive the need to take additional measures for the patriotic education of employees, to ensure strict compliance by NIAB employees with the provisions of the Code of Professional Ethics for Employees of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, to prevent employees from committing illegal actions, continue work aimed at enhancing the activities of the primary organization of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union and the primary trade union organization of the archive, not to allow a formal approach to the activities of organizations, when holding uniform information days, organize an invitation to representatives of government bodies, public associations, public opinion leaders, etc. .

At the same time, directors of republican archival institutions were ordered to eliminate formalism when organizing and conducting ideologically oriented events, to ensure the widest possible involvement of young workers in participating in pilot projects and actions initiated by the Department.

On the fourth issue of the agenda, A.V. Kochetkova, Deputy Head of the Department of Records Management, Formation and Security of Documents, made a report.

The speech noted that state archival institutions have ensured adequate preparation for the autumn-winter period of 2023/2024. All state archival institutions promptly received passports of readiness for work in the autumn-winter period of 2023/2024.

State archival institutions carried out the necessary pressure testing, testing, cleaning, inspection, and repair of equipment and tools. The necessary emergency stock of components has been prepared in case of emergencies. Specific organizations have been identified that need to be involved in work to eliminate possible emergency situations and eliminate their consequences.

As of September 1, all possible preventive and repair work to prepare state archival institutions for the autumn-winter season of 2023/2024 has been completed.

During the report, it was noted that when conducting an audit of the efficiency of the state archives of the Grodno region, the main control and analytical department of the Grodno regional executive committee to the Zonal State Archive in Lida proposed to transfer non-core engineering networks to communal ownership.

Summing up, the Director of the Department gave a positive assessment of the activities of state archival institutions in preparation for the autumn-winter period 2023/2024, noting the absence of failures in the implementation of this process.

Based on the results of the discussion, a decision was made to state archival institutions to ensure reliable operation and fire safety of the buildings of state archival institutions in the autumn-winter period 2023/2024, structural divisions for archives and records management of the main departments of justice of the regional executive committees to ensure control over the sustainable functioning of the life support systems of the regional and zonal state archives in the autumn-winter period 2023/2024, the main department of justice of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee to ensure control over the transfer of non-core engineering networks of the Zonal State Archive in Lida to communal ownership, etc.

On the fifth issue of the agenda, the board agreed on the appointment of heads of departments of republican archival institutions to the posts.