Access to archives: aspects of public relations and publicity

Irma BuzaitėLithuanian Archives Department

under the Government of the Republic of LithuaniaChief Specialist of Division of Information and Electronic

Recordse-mail: i.buzaite@archyvai.lt

Access -

is a right and should apply to all users regardless of their nationality, status of function;

is part of the function of public archives services;

should be promoted to archival material and provide an impartial service to all users.

Access and PR

The main purpose of PR – to present society with all vital

information in order to ensure transparency, publicity and efficiency of the activity of state institutions.

Key functions of PR :

Constant dissemination of information about institution’s activities;

Crisis management; Promotion of dialog and

collaboration between society and government.

Promotion of dialog and collaboration between society (1)

is necessary for successful development of institution activity;

enable to identify society’s and its individual group’s opinions, needs and interests about institution;

create and consolidate society reliance and acceptance of institution, enlarge society interest and comprehension.

Promotion of dialog and collaboration between society (2)

direct communication with society members (reading rooms);

excursions, educational programs, exhibitions

internet site; local and international projects.

Project “Creation of Integrated Virtual Library Information System”

2,800,000 digitized pages of original manuscripts, newspapers, old books, metrics, chronicles and other especially valuable and historically important documents;

www.epaveldas.lt

www.epaveldas.lt

Access to digitised documents

the old Lithuanian book; the press of the Press Ban period; Lithuanian books in Latin of the XVIth and XVIIth c.; Lithuanian books in Polish of the XVIIth and XVIIIth c.; Lithuanian press released until 1940s; legislative acts and other formal documents of the

Republic of Lithuania of the Inter-war period [1918-1940];

the church registers of births, deaths and marriages of the Roman Catholic Church [1599-1930].

Project “The Baltic Connections” http://www.balticconnections.net/.  focuses on themes such as trade,

shipping, merchants, commodities, diplomacy, finances and migration, roughly from 1450 to 1800;

982 descriptions of materials in 127 repositories in 10 countries have been made available in the database.

http://www.balticconnections.net/ virtual exhibition

PR tools for promotion of access to documents (1)

For individuals Orientation interview; Basic brochure on holdings, facilities

and terms of access; Simple handouts (reading room

rules, how to request records, obtain copies, special access).

PR tools for promotion of access to documents (2)

For small groups Letter inviting use (universities,

genealogical societies, ect); Mini classes for beginning

researchers. Slide-tape show about using the archives or starting research;

Training for volunteer reading room assistants.

PR tools for promotion of access to documents (3)

For wider community Slide-tape or video encouraging use

of archives; Loan/sales of microforms of selected

records; Seminars on popular research

topics.

Thank you for your attention !