Antonio Monteduro1 
(Italy)
30 YEARS OF “ATLANTI”: 
ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT THE TOP LEVEL
It was back in 1989, during their yearly meeting, that the Members of the  International 
Institute for Archival Science – IIAS decided to print a publication devoted to the most 
relevant problems and questions in the field of archival science.
The very concept of this publication was to give voice to specialist and professionals in 
order to share their competences and their experience, and to create a sort of perma-
nent round table dedicated to the improvement of the archival work, and also to the 
implementation of a permanent debate about the profession.
The first issue of “Atlanti” showed on the title page the icon of the publication, and of 
the Institute, an illustration taken from “Atlas Noveau”, showing Atlas carrying on his 
powerful shoulder the terrestrial globe.
Let us read the presentation words of Dr. Leopold Auer, at that time editor in chief of 
the magazine:
“We hope that the publication Atlanti will contribute at least to better understanding 
and to the broadening of the extent of professional technical questions, to be solved in 
archives, apart in which part of the world they appear.
When we made some critical judgements many years ago about buildings adapted for the 
needs of archives or about new archive buildings, we did it, because in both cases there 
were found not to be the best and optimal solutions. Sometimes in the case of adapta-
tions this can be understandable and with better studies such problems will not arise.
We can not and we may not agree with fictious solutions and with mistakes constructing 
new archives.
Atlanti completely meets the definition of the IIAS: International Institute for Archival Sci-
ence. International it is, as the seventeen authors in it represent ten different nations. Ar-
chival and scientific, too, as the matters which are treated in it concern one of the most im-
portant aspects of the preservation and management of the archival heritage, and touch 
not only on archivology, but also on chemistry, biology, architecture and engineering.
Atlanti is continuing its policy of publishing papers given at the annual meeting at Radenci 
which are accompanied by an appendix of selected bibliographical references to archi-
val technical literature. They will also include publications of UNESCOI’sw Records and 
Archives Management Programme (RAMP) to stress the journal’s role in the exchange of 
professional information at an international level. Including those of he International 
Council on Archvies, Atlanti has acquired its reputation and it unmistakable features by its 
focus on technical problems in archives. Moreover, by taking into account the importance 
of archival literature in Slavonic languages, the journal is called to act as an intermediary 
in the flow of professional information between western and eastern hemispheres, up to 
now [1996]  a pressing need to which it may be sometimes difficult to respond. 
In six volumes of Atlanti treated different topics from the field of archival technique. All 
these topics summarise the results of the annual meeting of the IIAS members in Radenci.”
1 Antonio MONTEDURO, Mr. Senior Archivist, Central European Initiative – Executive Secretariat, via Geno-
va 9, 34121 Trieste, Italy e-mail: monteduro@cei.int
108 30 YEARS OF “ATLANTI”: ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT THE TOP LEVEL Antonio Monteduro