Access to archives: aspects of public relations and publicity

1. Access to archives: aspects of public relations and publicity Irma BuzaitėLithuanian Archives Departmentunder the Government of the Republic of LithuaniaChief Specialist of Division of Information and Electronic Recordse-mail: i.buzaite@archyvai.lt

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Key functions of PR : • Constant dissemination of information about institution’s activities; • Crisis management; • Promotion of dialog and collaboration between society and government.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. www.epaveldas.lt

9. 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].

11. 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.

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

13. 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).

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Thank you for your attention !