79
ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits 
and Perspectives
Ana-Felicia DIACONU, Ph.D.
lecturer Facultatea de Arhivistică (Faculty of Archival Science), Academia de Poliţie “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Ale-
ea Privighetorilor, nr. 1-3, Sector 1, Bucharest, Romania
e-mail: felicia.diaconu@gmail.com
Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives
ABSTRACT
The profession of archivist is part of the regulated professions in Romania which implies setting up the responsibi-
lities specific to the profession by the regulatory authority, i.e. the Romanian National Archives. This reality over-
laps its own functioning law, which imposes the National Archives` mission and precise responsibilities. This pa-
per envisages the way in which the training of archivists is carried out in Romania starting from the legal framework 
governing the profession, the content of the professional standard for the archival profession, and continuing with 
those developments in the Romanian contemporary society which clearly indicate the need to establish a training 
programme adapted to the current requirements of the profession.
Key words: training, education, archivist, Romania, electronic archives
La formazione degli archivisti in Romania: sfide, limiti e prospettive
SINTESI
La professione di archivista fa parte delle professioni regolamentate in Romania, e implica l’individuazione delle 
responsabilità specifiche da parte dell'autorità di regolamentazione, cioè l’Archivio nazionale rumeno. Questa re-
altà si sovrappone alla legge di funzionamento, che impone missione e precise responsabilità dell'Archivio Nazio-
nale. Il testo illustra il modo in cui la formazione degli archivisti viene articolata in Romania, a partire dalla cornice 
giuridica che disciplina la professione, il contenuto dello standard professionale per la professione archivistica e 
prosegue con quegli sviluppi della società contemporanea romena che indicano chiaramente la necessità di istituire 
un programma di formazione adeguato alle attuali esigenze della professione.
Parole chiave: formazione, istruzione, archivista, Romania, archivi elettronici
Izobraževanje arhivistov v Romuniji: izzivi, omejitve in perspektive
IZVLEČEK
Poklic arhivista spada v Romuniji med regulirane poklice, kar pomeni, da regulativni organ, to je Romunski držav-
ni arhiv, določi odgovornosti, specifične za poklice. Ta realnost se prekriva z arhivskim zakonom, ki določa nalage 
Državnega arhiva in njegove pristojnosti. Avtorica v prispevku obravnava izvajnje usposabljanja arhivistov v Ro-
muniji, izhajajoč iz pravnega okvira, ki ureja poklic in vsebine strokovnega standarda arhivskega poklica v Romu-
niji. Nadaljuje s prikazom razvoja romunske sodobne družbe, ki jasno kaže na potrebo vzpostavitve programa 
usposabljanja, ki bo prilagojen trenutnim zahtevam poklica.
Ključne besede: usposabljanje, izobraževanje, arhivist, Romunija, elektronski arhivi
Formarea arhiviştilor în România: provocări, limite şi perspective
REZUMAT
Profesia de arhivist face parte din categoria profesiilor reglementate din Romania fapt care presupune stabilirea 
competenţelor specifice profesiei de către autoritatea de reglementare, Arhivele Naţionale. Această realitate se su-
prapune pe legea proprie de funcţionare a Arhivelor Naţionale, care fizează misiunea instituţiei şi atribuţiile speci-
fice. Lucrarea de faţă are în vedere modul în care se realizează pregătirea arhiviştilor din România, pornind de la 

ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
80
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
cadrul juridic de reglementare a profesiei, conţinutul standardului profesional pentru ocupaţia de arhivist şi 
continuând cu acele evoluţii din planul societăţii româneşti contemporane care indică cu claritate necesitatea con-
figurării unui program de pregătire adaptat la cerinţele actuale ale profesiei. 
Cuvinte-cheie: pregătire, educaţie, arhivist, România, arhive electronice
The archival profession has experienced in the last decades developments marked by major changes 
occurring in the society as a whole, under the impact of the progress of modern technologies and the way 
these have influenced the social and cultural practices. Various theoretical and analytical contributions 
have highlighted altogether the impact of these radical changes upon the archival theory and practice as 
emerging documents have changed their nature / features. (Ketelaar, 2007, p. 27; Delmas, 1993, p. 171; 
Delmas, 2001, pp. 25-37; Rumschöttel, 2001, pp. 143-155). Dollar (1992) includes among the technolog-
ical imperatives that affect the traditional archival landscape three aspects: 1. The change in the form of 
documents; 2. The change of working methods, and 3. The changing in technology.
Redefining the archival thinking in the context of the information society and adapting the archi-
vists` training needs to the new realities cannot ignore the way the archivists` mission is regulated from a 
societal perspective, through the tasks set out in the specific legislation. Despite the globalization of the 
archival science (Ketelaar, 2004, pp. 14-15) and that the professional challenges may be, to some extent, 
the same regardless of country, each society establishes individually the importance and functions of the 
Archives, configuring the mandate of the archivists’ professional body and its action parameters. Starting 
from these premises the archival training framework should also be defined, in a 21st century where the 
society`s expectations are much influenced by the perspectives offered by the information and communi-
cation technologies, where the constraints in space, time and environment plummeted considerably. 
Our research considers the way in which the training of archivists in Romania is carried out, star-
ting from the profession`s implementation regulatory framework and continuing with those develop-
ments in the contemporary Romanian society that clearly indicate the need to adjust a training program-
me adapted to the current requirements of the profession.
1 Legal framework
The legal framework which regulates the archival activity in Romania is represented by the Natio-
nal Archives Law No. 16/1996, republished in 2014. The republished version of the law includes supple-
menting notes to the original text from 1996
1
 prepared during 2013 and in the previous years, but does 
not contain amendments regarding the personnel training in the archival field. 
According to art. 3 (1) of the Law 16/1996, republished, the Romanian National Archives carries 
out ‘the management, supervision and special protection of the National Archival Fonds’ comprising in 
this category `official and private, diplomatic and consular records, memoirs, manuscripts, proclama-
tions, callings, posters, sketches, maps, filmstrips and other such evidences, seal matrixes as well as physi-
cal and electronic photographic and audio-visual recordings of historical value created in Romania or by 
Romanian creators abroad` (art. 2). The listing of these documents` categories indicates the mainstream, 
even exhaustive approach of the types of documents with historical value found in the regulatory scope, 
and the different medium of documents with historical value belonging to the National Archival Fonds 
(both the traditional ones represented by paper, parchment, etc., and those represented by other storage 
media).
Currently in Romania a large portion of archives is still generated on paper. Regarding the mana-
gement of these physical records/archives, the legislation in force provides viable solutions both in terms 
of the archival processing algorithm and of the requirements of professional development training by 
1. The Law (1996) was subsequently supplemented and amended by the Law 358/2002 amending and supplementing the Law 
on the National Archives; the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 39/2006 amending and supplementing the National 
Archives Law, approved with ammendments by Law no. 474/2006; Law no. 329/2009 on the reorganisation of some public 
authorities and institutions, rationalisation of the public expenditure, business support and respect the framework agreement 
with the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund; Law no. 138/2013 amending and supplementing the 
National Archives Law No. 16/1996.

81
ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
virtue of a local tradition that preserved over time. Thus, looking on how this profession is performed, the 
republished Law 16/1996 comprises the role of the Romanian National Archives in the management 
and special protection of the National Archival Fonds (Chapter II) and defines how the following activi-
ties are executed: the physical and intellectual control, selection, and deposit of permanent records at the 
National Archives, the storage and use of documents that are part of the National Archival Fonds. The 
legal provisions are buoyed by the Working Instructions concerning the archival activity at the creators 
and holders of records approved by the National Archives` management since 23
rd
 May 1996. They very 
clearly indicate what staff with archival responsibility should do, and respectively know concerning the 
archives from the institutions creating and keeping documents. Performing specialised control on how 
the creators meet their obligations under the law in force, archivists have the necessary overview in term 
of staff knowledge and competences. 
Art. 32 of the National Archives Law provides that ‘the training, certification and vocational trai-
ning of specialised personnel working in the National Archives, as well as employees of the other archi-
ves` creators and keeper’s units are done through the Faculty of Archival Studies and the National Scho-
ol Archival Vocational Training`
2
, institutions responsible also, at a reasonable level, for the professional 
development needs in the spirit of those mentioned above. According to its organisational structure, 
meaning that it functions as a higher education institution, the Faculty of Archival Science, along with 
other higher education institutions that have included in their curricula the archival qualification, provi-
des initial training in archives, acknowledging the fact that the profession of archivist is part of the regu-
lated professions` category in Romania
3
. The regulated profession is a professional activity or group of 
professional activities, access to which, the pursuit of which, or one of the modes of pursuit of which is 
subject, directly or indirectly, by virtue of legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions to the pos-
session of specific professional qualifications.
The National Archives is the competent authority that regulates the professional recognition of 
qualifications for archivist and archival clerk professions. Specifically, the occupational standard establi-
shes what a person must know and be able to do to be considered competent in the workplace. Occupa-
tional standards include a detailed description of tasks, knowledge and skills needed for an effective per-
formance at the workplace, under legal responsibilities. They are reference documents for higher education 
institutions since there is an intrinsic connection between education, research and practice, i.e. the labour 
market.
With a view to the archives filed, the occupational standard for the archivist profession - official 
since 2013
4
 - defines the professional specific competencies for all those who undertake archival duties 
within the Romanian National Archives, as well as within other public and private organisations, as fol-
lows:
1. Development of working instruments
2. Coordination of archives creation and its management 
3. Determination of historical and practical value of documents
4. Coordination of conservation activities in repositories
5. The use of archives 
6. Electronic records management. 
Nevertheless, the minimum level of education mandatory to accede to the profession is graduating 
with a bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields: language and literature, applied modern languages, 
history, cultural studies. This illustrates the basic preparation and clarifies the current national response 
of the professional body with a view at the ‘electronic information revolution’, as Bearman calls it (1994).
The first five units of competence specific to the archivist profession are prominently folded on the 
current regulatory framework and on the content of the theoretical and practical curricula for becoming 
a qualified archivist. In connection with the electronic records management skill looms the great challen-
ges concerning the transition to electronic records whose share will increase in the local institutional 
framework, in so far as it is not already a living reality. To illustrate more precisely the current back-
2. Regarding the activity of these institutions, see Diaconu (2009), Chelaru (2013), Cheşcă (2014).
3. As per Law No. 200/2004, with subsequent amendments and supplements.
4. The proposed date for reviewing the content was set for November 2016, but this failed to materialise.

ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
82
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
ground is sufficient to note that, in parallel with the National Archives Law, a legislation relating to the 
electronic records was developed. This includes: Law No. 455/2001 on electronic signature, the e-com-
merce Law No. 365/2002; Law on the archiving of electronic documents (No. 135/2007); Decision No. 
1130/2008 on the technical and methodological norms for applying Law no. 135/2007, Order no. 
493/2009 on the technical and methodological rules for the enforcement of Law No. 135/2007 on 
electronic archiving of documents, etc.
The regulatory and supervisory authority in the field of electronic archiving and its service provi-
ding is the Ministry of Communications and Informational Society (MCIS)
5
, the forum that endorses 
the implementation of information and communication technology in all sectors, according to the natio-
nal strategies. The paradox is that, according to the main law governing the electronic archiving of records 
(art. 2 of Law 137/2007) ‘the archival processing activities of electronic documents is in compliance with 
the National Archives Law No. 16/1996, subsequently amended and supplemented`, although the latter 
contains provisions applicable to the electronic archiving to a very insignificant extent. Following the 
evolution of the legal acts relating to this issue it can be seen that concerning the methodological rules for 
the application of electronic archiving law, as they were conveyed in 2008, it was confirmed that `the 
electronic archiving of documents is governed by the same rules applicable for paper-based documents 
and falls under the provisions of the archival law in force`
6
. One year later, the Order of the Ministry of 
Communications and Information Society recorded that `checking compliance with the Law 135/2007 
as well as with this order falls under the Ministry`s rasponsibilities, which shall act through the control 
personnel authorised for this purpose (Art. 4 (1) ). We recall in this context that according to art. 2 of 
Law 16/1996, republished, the category of documents that are part of the National Archival Fonds inclu-
des also the `electronic records with historical value’, whose management, supervision and special pro-
tection is provided by the Romanian National Archives. 
Lacking a well-defined legal framework in a coherent manner that should clarify the duties of the 
institutions or organisations in regard to the electronic records management, and perceived in accordan-
ce with the tasks and mission of the Romanian National Archives, the immediate consequences are felt 
in several areas:
a) The first is directly related to the need to adjust the training of archivists, whether we refer to the 
initial or continuing training, on the basis of a clear curricula generated in terms of roles and obligations 
as set out by the legislation, in such a way as to be similar to the method applied to the traditional archi-
ves. Archivists cannot ignore the challenges raised by the creation of the digital content without assuming 
major risks in terms of loss of relevant information in relation to present, to which they should ensure 
long-term preservation.
The way in which the specific competence on electronic archiving is described in the current form 
of the archivists` occupational standard, the content of the respective training based on the encompassed 
competence elements, emerges in very general terms and without concrete origins that should exist in the 
law governing the field. According to them, the archivist: 1. creates electronic databases ... in accordance 
with the technical specifications of the law, 2. Analyses the physical archive (in order to clearly define the 
rules for documents scanning and taking into account the specific requirements of working with electro-
nic archive or retrieval of information), 3. Captures documents, 4. Indexes the digital information, 5. 
Archives the stored information.
b) Configuration of the training framework:
In a first instance, this can be done by establishing a closer link between the academic institutions 
and professional body so as to enable the transfer of knowledge between theory and practice, and to redu-
ce the lack of skills that are directly related to the technological development and new professional requi-
rements. Otherwise, the immediate risks affecting the professional status and the way the profession is 
performed are revealed in taking over and tackling the challenges outlined by the digital revolution of 
other professional groups (Kallberg, 2012, p. 39). For instance, IT professions are increasing their profes-
5. Decision 1130 of 2008 established as the regulatory and supervisory authority in the field of electronic archiving the Na-
tional Communications Authority, regulation which seized to be incorporated into the Order 493/2009, where the Ministry 
of Communications and Information Society is mentioned..
6. The provision is reproduced identically in Order 493/2009, under Art. 12.

83
ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
sional influence and positions within the strategic e-government work. Both sides could benefit in the 
context in which the academic institutions would accomplish a better linkage of skills achieved during 
the learning process with the actual requirements of the profession and would go thorough, in return, the 
transformation from the traditional approach of archival science regarding the history and anxillary 
sciences of history towards one focused more on new technologies and the digital environment. This 
transitional phase is undertaken, in fact, also by universities from abroad concerning the profile and con-
tent of specialised archivistics studies (Ryantová, Wanner, 2014, pp. 153-154; Marosz, pp. 141-147).The 
practitioners may consider that the academic institutions could provide: 1. An already existing infra-
structure necessary to create postgraduate courses or programmes designed to help building the skills that 
are required to be developed, 2. Presentations of good practices and/or successful projects in terms of 
professional training within the framework of some international scientific events, or 3. the possibility to 
engage within EU funded projects dedicated to the education and vocational training segment, and that 
should target a better relationship between the initial and continuing training, the creation of a metho-
dology and the appropriate tools for such a professional strategy.
The second option - by creating an adequate framework for continuous professional training wi-
thin the National Archives or endorsed by professional associations. We consider courses customized 
especially for archivists, based on the training needs identified in the archives system starting from the 
evaluation of outcomes in performing the duties and specific objectives, from the changes in the regula-
tory framework, or the emergence of such strategic documents capable of influencing the activity, or even 
from requests from the archivists themselves. Self-training, even though it plays an essential role in any 
kind of training activity, is not sufficient and must be accompanied by ways to improve the vocational 
training so as the practitioners are able to establish that set of available and generally applicabale rules and 
operational processes. These should be applied in their own sequence, at different stages in the archival 
activities applied to the content and structure of the electronic records or of the electronic document and 
records management systems etc. Once these guidelines are configured, they should be transposed into an 
official form acknowledged by the institutions. Then they should clearly create the regulatory framework 
of all related activities and processes to the electronic records and to the digital environment in general.
2 The political agenda and its effects on the content and nature of the future 
archives
Outside the legal framework envisaged so far in the present study, it is compulsory to consider the 
political factor when we refer to the prospect of the future archives and to those called upon to manage 
them. Apparently, this does not directly, but rather implicitly influence the process of creating the new 
archives as a result of the strategic documents underlying public policy.
Looking back and giving the evolution occurred over the last years in Romania, we find that since 
September 2003, the concept of e-government - the use of the information technology by the govern-
ment, the parliament and the public institutions in relation to their citizens - started to be present in the 
public speech and got materialized in the form of the National Electronic System which was launched 
back then
7
. The public information system aimed to use the electronic technology in communication, the 
creation and implementation of automated information systems, and in the development of the state`s 
information infrastructure.
The evolution of e-government systems was assumed by all government programmes that succee-
ded each other, and included, inter alia, the gradual transition of database creation, configured into the 
information systems. The development was determined in all countries by legislative measures related to 
the public administration`s services offered online, which coincided with the rapid evolution of the In-
ternet. The first step was to swap the solutions used for paper to the electronic formats, but in time gover-
nments have developed massive aggregations of information that no longer have the characteristics of 
traditional documents, and which will have to be assessed and managed from an archival perspective by 
the practitioners. Ensuring the interoperability between these databases is a challenge in itself as well.
Even though currently the e-government solutions for improving the efficiency of the public admi-
7. For process reconstitution see www.e-guvernare.ro et alii e.g. electronic payment system of taxes (eTax), electronic procure-
ment (SEAP): www.e-licitatie.ro.

ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
84
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
nistration in Romania are underdeveloped
8
, the European Commission estimating that ‘the digitisation 
of the public administration has been slow and fragmented’, the current political agenda contains the 
digital convergence among one of the major aspirations of the information Society as an attempt to adapt 
to the objectives set by Europe 2020
9
 and undertaken by Romania for the year 2020. The priority is to 
continue with the implementation of the “Digital Agenda” (integration of the Romanian ICT market 
within a strong and coherent European market), namely achieving the goals set in the National Digital 
Agenda for Romania in 2020 approved in February 2015
10
. For meeting the benchmarks set by the Digi-
tal Agenda for Europe 2020, it is mandatory to allow priority for the investments the ICT field.
Thus, through the government programme it is estimated that `it is required to intervene extensi-
vely and enable all fields of action concomitantly to ensure synergies between the administrative reform 
and the introduction of e-government modern concepts, social e-inclusion, promoting innovation and 
developing the infrastructure for digital services, implementing programmes and actions intended to in-
crease the security of activities in ICT ... as well as developing strategies and programms to increase the 
use of tools of the information society in all areas (reducing the gap with other countries on the contribu-
tion of ICT in the development and modernisation of the society), developing local ICT industry espe-
cially in software production’ (2020 Programme, p. 117).
As a natural consequence, the Ministry of Communications and Informational Society (MCIS) is 
implementing a series of projects designed to achieve the objectives assumed by Romania in the European 
framework
11
. Among them, the one that envisages a major impact at national level on how to structure 
and function the electronic public services is represented by the creation of the National Interoperability 
Framework (CNI). This reference document is currently under public debate and is addressed to all tho-
se involved in defining, designing or implementing the electronic national public services. In addition to 
promoting a standardized approach for the implementation of information services and applications and 
ensuring the interoperability across Romanian borders (within EU borders), the project is particularly 
important as it addresses, inter alia, principles related to the need of long-term preservation of electronic 
records, as appropriate also to formulate a single policy for long-term storage of electronic data, especially 
for information which is routinely shared between public services and for information that is shared 
across borders, especially data registries (CNI 2016, p. 17).
All those listed so far demonstrate the validity of technological imperatives affecting the traditional 
archival landscape, mentioned at the beginning, respectively: The change in the form of documents, 
change of working methods, and finally the changing in technology. 
3 Conclusions
In light of these foreseen developments, the issue arises to what extent the changes in society are 
found in the content of current and forthcoming training of archivists. The present study revealed the 
relatively high gap between the existing regulatory framework governing the management of electronic 
records and the lack of clear understanding of the responsibilities or how these should be applied by ar-
chivists when looking at digitally born archives. Things are not simple at all from this perspective because 
although the archiving of electronic documents is regulated and supervised by the Ministry of Commu-
8. According to the Country Report for 2016 available at http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/csr2016/cr2016_romania_
ro.pdf).
9. One of the priority themes is the creation of a ‚Digital Agenda for Europe` to speed up the rollout of high-speed internet 
and reap the benefits offered by a digital single market. (EUROPA 2020, p. 6).
10. ‘The National Strategy regarding the Digital Agenda for Romania - 2020’ was developed by the Ministry for Information 
Society. The document takes over and adapts to the Romanian context the items of the Digital Agenda for Europe, one of the 
seven flagship initiatives of Europe 2020. The Digital Agenda sets out the major role that the use of information and commu -
nication technology (ICT) will have to play in achieving the objectives of Europe 2020. The text defines four areas of action: 
1. E-Government, Interoperability, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing and Social Media - field which aims to increase effi-
ciency and reduce costs in the public sector in Romania by modernising the administration; 2. ICT in education, culture and 
health - the field which aims to support these technologies at sectoral level; 3. ICT in e-commerce, as well as research, devel-
opment and innovation in ICT - area which aimes at Romania’s regional comparative advantages, and supports the econom -
ic growth in the private sector; 4. Broadband and digital infrastructure services - area aimed at ensuring the social inclusion. 
(Strategia 2020, p. 14).
11. These are broadly presented on the Minstry`s website at: https://www.comunicatii.gov.ro/?page_id=2150.

85
ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
nications and Informational Society - purely technologically speaking - the Romanian National Archives 
has responsibilities in the management and special protection of the National Archival Fonds which also 
contains `electronic records’ with historical value. The lack of consistency in the legislation is likely to 
delay the set up of a well-definite content and training adapted to the needs of the current archivist pro-
fession, which increasingly requires a more serious information component applied to the field. Although 
there is still room for discussion on how to create a structural training, in terms of its content, without 
completing the current legislative framework, things cannot evolve positively in such a way as to be able 
to confirm an appropriate professional status. 
References
Bearman, D., (1994). Electronic evidence, strategies for managing records in contemporary organiyations. Pittsburg: 
Archives&Museum Informatics
Chelaru, R. (2013). Paradigms and Perspectives of Archival Education in Romania After 1989, in Atlanti. Review 
for modern archival theory and practice, Vol. 23 (2013), N. 2, Trieste-Maribor, pp. 127-134
Cheşcă, I. (2014). Professional Training in Archives Studies in Romania: Current Status and Development Per-
spectives, in Atlanti. Review for modern archival theory and practice, Vol. 24 (2014), N. 2, Trieste-Maribor, pp. 
195-203
CNI 2016. Cadrul Naţional de Interoperabilitate. Available online at https://www.comunicatii.gov.ro/?page_
id=2150 (accessed 15 February 2017)
Kallberg, M. (2012). Archivists-A Profession in Transition? Professions &Professionalism., volume 2, No. 1, pp. 
27-41. Available online at: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:479657/FULLTEXT01.pdf (accessed 
15 February 2017)
Ketelaar, E., (2004), Time future contained in time past. Archival science in the 21st century. Journal of the Japan 
Society for Archival Science 1, pp. 20-35 [Japanese translation ibidem, pp. 4-19]. Disponibil online la: cf.hum.uva.
nl/bai/home/eketelaar/timefuture.doc (accessed 15 February 2017)
Ketelaar, E., (2007), L’archivistique dans le monde actuel. Revista arhivelor (Archives Review), Nos. 3-4, 2007, pp. 
9-21. Available online at: http://www.arhivelenationale.ro/images/custom/image/serban/RA%203-4%20
2007/03%20ketelaar,%20eric.pdf (accessed 15 February 2017)
Instrucţiuni (1996). Instrucţiuni privind activitatea de arhivă la creatorii şi deţinătorii de documente, aprobate de 
conducerea Arhivelor Naţionale prin Ordinul de zi 217 din 23 mai 1996 - Working Instructions (1996) concern-
ing the archival activity at the creators and holders of records approved by the National Archives` management 
through the Daily Order 217 from 23
rd
 May 1996
Legea (1996). Legea Arhivelor Naţionale nr. 16/1996, republicată în “Monitorul Oficial al Romaniei”, Partea I, nr. 
293 din 22 aprilie 2014. - The Law (1996). National Archives Law No. 16/1996, republished in the Romanian 
Official Journal, Part 1, no. 193 from 22 April 2014
Legea (2001). Legea privind semnătura electronică nr. 455 din 18 iulie 2001 publicată în “Monitorul Oficial al 
României”, Partea I, nr. 429 din 31 iulie 2001(republicată în “Monitorul Oficial al României”, Partea I, nr. 316 din 
30 aprilie 2014). - Law (2001). Law on electronic signature No. 455 / 2001 from 18 July 2001 published in the 
Romanian Official Journal, Part 1, no. 429 from 31 July 2001 (republished in the Romanian Official Journal, Part 
1, no. 316 from 30 April 2014)
Legea (2007). Legea privind arhivarea documentelor în formă electronică nr. 135 din 15 mai 2007 publicată în “Mo-
nitorul Oficial al României”, Partea I, nr. 345 din 22 mai 2007 (republicată în “Monitorul Oficial al României”, 
Partea I, nr. 138 din 25 februarie 2014). - Law (2007). Law on the archiving of electronic documents No. 135/2007 
from 15 May 2007 published in the Romanian Official Journal, Part 1, no. 345 from 22 May 2007 (republished in 
the Romanian Official Journal, Part 1, no. 138 from 24 February 2014)
Delmas, B., (1997). Archival science and information technologies. Information handling in offices and archives 
(réd. Angelika Menne-Haritz), Munich
Delmas, B., (2001), Archival Science facing the Information Society. Archival Science, 1, 2001, p. 25-37
Diaconu, A.-F., (2009). Education of Romanian Archivists Between Current Necessities and Dynamics of Archi-
val Field. Pokrajinski Arhiv Maribor, Teknični in vsebinski problemi klasičnega in elektronskega arhiviranja, (Tech-
nical and Field Related Problems of Traditional and Electronic Archiving) 8. Zbornik referatov dopolnilnega izo-
braževanjia s področij arhivistike, documentalistike in informatike v Radencih, 25-27 marec 2009, pp. 119-127
Dollar, C. M. (1992), Archival theory and information technologies. Macerata: The University of Macerata

ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2
86
Ana-Felicia DIACONU: Training of Archivists in Romania: Challenges, Limits and Perspectives,
79-86
Programul 2020. Programul de guvernare 2017-2020, Bucharest 2017, 176 p. Availabe online at: http://www.
cdep.ro/pdfs/oz/Program%20de%20Guvernare.pdf (accessed 20 February 2017)
EUROPA 2020, O strategie europeană pentru o creştere inteligentă, ecologică şi favorabilă incluziunii. Availabe 
at: https://www.mae.ro/sites/default/files/file/Europa2021/Strategia_Europa_2020.pdf (accessed15 February 
2017)
Marosz, M., (2014). Archival Education. in Atlanti. Review for modern archival theory and practice, Vol. 24 (2014), 
N. 2, Trieste-Maribor, pp. 141-147
Ryantová, M.- Wanner, M., (2014). Between tradition and Innovation: The State, Problems and Prospects of the 
Teaching of Archival Science in the Czech Republic. in Atlanti. Review for modern archival theory and practice, 
Vol. 24 (2014), N. 2, Trieste-Maribor, pp. 149-158
Rumschöttel, H., (2001), The Development of Archival Science as a Scholarly Discipline, Archival Science, vol.1, 
pp. 143-155
Strategia 2020. Strategia Naţională privind Agenda Digitală pentru România - 2020 (National Stategy on Digital 
Agenda for Romania), 159 p. Available online at: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/sites/epale/files/strategia-nationa-
la-agenda-digitala-pentru-romania-20202c-20-feb.2015.pdf (accessed 22 February 2017)
SUMMARY
The archival profession has experienced in the last decades developments marked by major changes occurring in 
the society as a whole, under the impact of the progress of modern technologies and the way these have influenced 
the social and cultural practices. Among the technological imperatives that affect the traditional archival landscape 
three aspects are considered very important: 1. The change in the form of documents; 2. The change of working 
methods, and 3. The changing in technology. Redefining the archival thinking in the context of the information 
society and adapting the archivists` training needs to the new realities cannot ignore the way the archivists` mis-
sion is regulated from a societal perspective, through the tasks set out in the specific legislation. Our research con-
siders the way in which the training of archivists in Romania is carried out, starting from the profession`s imple-
mentation regulatory framework and continuing with those developments in the contemporary Romanian society 
that clearly indicate the need to adjust a training programme adapted to the current requirements of the profes-
sion. Although the archiving of electronic documents is regulated and supervised by the Ministry of Communica-
tions and Informational Society - purely technologically speaking - the Romanian National Archives has responsi-
bilities in the management and special protection of the National Archival Fonds which also contains electronic 
records’ with historical value. The lack of consistency in the legislation is likely to delay the set up of a well-definite 
content and training adapted to the needs of the current archivist profession, which increasingly requires a more 
serious information component applied to the field. The evolution of e-government systems was assumed by all 
government programmes that succeeded each other, and included, inter alia, the gradual transition of database 
creation, configured into the information systems. Although there is still room for discussion on how to create a 
structural training, in terms of its content, without completing the current legislative framework, things cannot 
evolve positively in such a way as to be able to confirm an appropriate professional status of archivits. 
Typology: 1.02 Review Article
Submitting date: 08.04.2017
Acceptance date: 05.05.2017