XXII Archival Readings at the Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art

On October 30, 2024, the XXII Archival Readings «Cooperation in Preserving Social Memory» were held at the Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as BGAMLI), dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Law «On Archival Affairs and Records Management in the Republic of Belarus». They were attended by over 30 specialists in the field of archival and museum affairs, scientific and educational institutions such as BelNIIDAD, BGAKFFD, BSU, BNTU, BSUKI, the Institute of History and the Yakub Kolas Institute of Linguistics of the Center for Research of Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the National Art Museum of Belarus, the Literary Museums of Maxim Bogdanovich and Petrus Brovka, the Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Zaslavye», the Lida Historical and Art Museum, the State Archives of the Mogilev Region, the Zonal State Museum in Glubokoe, etc.

Archival readings have been organized annually at BGAMLI since 2002, are an important platform for scientific, theoretical and practical discussion of common achievements and problems and are aimed at further successful development of cooperation between researchers related to archival affairs. In her welcoming speech, the director of the Belarusian State Archives of Literature and Art, Elena Aleksandrovna Makarenko, emphasized the importance of the work of the participants in the readings for the entire Belarusian society and congratulated those present on the anniversary of the adoption of the Law on Archival Affairs and Records Management.

Among the most discussed speeches was the plenary report «Cooperation of archives, museums, libraries in the accumulation, preservation and use of the documentary memory of the Belarusian people» by professor of the Department of Source Studies of the Belarusian State University M.F.Shumeiko, which showed, on the one hand, traditionalism, and on the other, the result of discussions accompanying the cooperation of employees of domestic archives, museums and libraries.

Honorary archivist of Belarus G.V.Zapartyka demonstrated the advantage of a visual approach in studying the past using the example of little-known photographs of the Belarusian poetess Tyotka (Aloiza Pashkevich). At the end of her speech, she handed over for safekeeping the century-old epistolary documents of the Belarusian poet Yurka Lyavonny (L.M.Yurkevich).

Some of the reports were devoted to the activities of famous outstanding Belarusian figures of literature and art Yu.Pen, M.Lynkov, A.Kuleshov, Ya.Shaban and others. Scientific and practical discussions unfolded around the problem of the effective use of archival materials for the reconstruction of their lives and work.

The participants of the readings noted the need for further widespread use of interdisciplinary approaches and interdisciplinary practices in archival research and the transfer of social memory.

1. Participants of the XXII Archival Readings-2024

2. During the speech of E.A.Makarenko at the plenary session

3. During the speech of M.F.Shumeiko