Trieste - Maribor 2021 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ARCHIVAL SCIENCE TRIESTE -MARIBOR ALMA MATER EUROPAEA - EUROPEAN CENTER MARIBOR ISSN 2670-4560 ©ATLANTI + International Scientific Review for Contemporary Archival Theory and Practice 31/1 Editor-in-Chief: Peter Pavel Klasinc (International Institute for Archival Science Trieste – Maribor, Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia) Managing Editor: Špela Sečnik (Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia) Associate Editors: Živana Heđbeli (Croatian State Archives Zagreb, Croatia), IIAS member Mikhail V. Larin (Historical and Archival Institute of the Russian State University for Humanities (RGGU, Moscow, Russia), IIAS member Elisabeth Scöggl-Ernst (Styrien States Archives, Graz, Austria), IIAS member Grazia Tatò (International Institute of Archival Science Trieste/Maribor, Trieste, Italy), IIAS member Reviews Editor: Špela Sečnik (Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia) Head of the Editorial Board: Ludvik Toplak (Alma Mater Europaea – ECM, Maribor, Slovenia, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Salzburg, Austria) Journal Manager: Katarina Pernat (Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia) Technical Editor: Anja Prša (Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia) © ATLANTI + as the International Scientific Review for Contemporary Archival Theory and Practice is a peer-reviewed journal containing original scientific papers published two times a year by International In- stitute for Archival Science Trieste – Maribor. The journal is co-published by Alma Mater Europaea – Europaen Center Maribor. The publisher resumes no responsability for the contents of the reports. The authors are fully responsible for the contents. Annual subscriptions are € 240 /print & online for institutions, and € 90/print & online for individuals. For more information, please visit our website at www.iias-trieste-maribor.eu. The figure of Atlant taken from: ATLAS NOUVEAU, Contenant toutes les parties du monde, Ou sont exactement Remarquées les Empires, Mon- archies, Royaumes, Etats, Republiques etc. Par Guillame dI’Isle, a Amsterdam, Chez Jean Covens & Corneille Morties, 1733. Editorial Board Jedrt Vodopivec Tomažič (Alma Mater Europaea - ECM, Maribor, Slovenia), Gianni Penzo Doria (State Archives of Venice, Ita- ly), Martin Stürzlinger (Archiversum, Vienna, Austria), Marcus Schmalzl (Bavarian State Archives, Munich, Germany), Joachim Kemper (City and Monastery Archives, Aschaffenburg, Germa- ny), Pavel A. Kyung (All-Russian Scientific and Research Institute of Records and Archives Management, Moscow, Russia), Magda- lena Marosz (University of Pedagogy, Krakow, Poland), Svetla- na Usprcova (State Archives of the Republic of North Macedonia, Skopje, North Macedonia), Branka Doknić (Archives of Yugosla- via, Belgrade, Serbia), Ivan Martinović (State Archives of Mon- tenegro, Cetinje, Montenegro), Robert Nahuet (Library and Ar- chives Canada, Ottawa, Canada), Luciana Duranti (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada), Azem Kožar (University of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Izet Šabotić (Univer- sity of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mario Plenković (University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia), Bogdan Florin Popo- vici (National Archives of Romania, Brasov, Romania), Andrei Rybakou (Belarusian Research Institute for Documentation and Archival Science, Minsk, Belarus), Loan Thi Tran (Hanoi Univer- sity of Home Affairs, Hanoi, Vietnam), Thi Hoa Doan (Hanoi Uni- versity of Home Affairs, Hanoi, Vietnam), Ana-Felicia Diaconu (University of Bucharest, Romania), Yolanda Cagigas Ocejo (University of Navarra, Spain), Dimitri Brunetti (Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italia) Editorial Office Address International Institute for Archival Science Trieste - Maribor, Via La Marmora 17, Trieste, Italy, tel.: +39 040 39 00 20, fax: +39 040 98 800 33, e-mail: info@iias-trieste-maribor.eu Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor, Slovenia, Slovenska 17, 2000 Maribor, tel: +386 59 333 077, Faks: +386 2 250 19 98, e-mail: info@almamater.si. Contacts Peter Pavel Klasinc, peter.klasinc@guest.arnes.si Špela Sečnik, spela.secnik@almamater.si Urška Rok, urska.rok1@almamater.si Number of copies 300 copies IIAS since 1985 5TABLE OF CONTENT TABLE OF CONTENT Dieter Schlenker 7 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Magdalena Marosz 15 FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Mikhail Larin, Nataliya Surovtseva 23 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Charles Farrugia 27 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette 35 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Robert Parnica 47 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS 58 Dieter Schlenker1 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Abstract In the 2015 amendment of the EU Archives Regulation 354/83 of 1983 on the open- ing of EU institutional archives to the public, the EU took an important step forward towards modernisation of its archival services, by introducing a new and systemat- ic archival digitisation policy. Since then, all EU institutional archives, prior to their opening to the public after 30 years, are systematically digitised and made available to the public in digital format. This new digital focus of EU institutions corresponds to the general digital agenda of the EU, in this case as regards the cultural herit- age sector. The digitisation policy has since then been embedded in the institutions’ yearly work programming and budgeting following a formal policy approach. The new digitisation policy poses the traditional dilemma between conservation and communication of fragile archival heritage objects and gives an answer in a new way, pending between the danger of hypermnesia on the one hand, and transpar- ency and enhanced research opportunities on the other. The digitisation policy re- quires a new evaluation of the main questions of archives on conservation, reten- tion, documentation and valorisation. Key words: digitization, archival records, European Union 1 INTRODUCTION In 1983, the institutions of the European Communities, now the European Union, decid- ed to open their archives to the public. One year later, the European Commission signed an agreement with the European University Institute in Florence to establish the Histor- ical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) at the Institute. Since 1986, the year this Archives opened its doors, it has received yearly file transfers according to the 30 years closure rule for EU historical archives. These files are selected, treated, described, and prepared for long-term preservation by the producing institu- tion in view of their opening to the public. Under the principle of ‘deposit’ in Florence, ownership, and the main responsibility for the archival selection and treatment for these archives has remained with Archives Services established for this purpose in each of the producing institutions. Based on Council Regulation 354/83, the Archives have become a specialised and cen- tralised archives centre on the history of the European Union and its institutions, and generally of European integration. Its mission is, therefore, to collect, preserve and make accessible the historical archives of EU institutions, bodies and agencies, and to collect papers of individual actors and organisations that have contributed to a united Europe. Through the opening of the institutional archives, the HAEU raises the transpar- ency of EU institutions and promotes research on European integration using primary archival sources. 1 Dieter Schlenker, Phd, Director of Historical Archives of the European Union, Historical Archives of the Euro- pean Union, Via Bologonese 156, 50139 Firenze FI, Italy, email: dieter.schlenker@eui.eu, IIAS member. 7 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker The contract of 1984 was replaced in 2011 by a Framework Partnership between the Com- mission and the EUI, which emphasised, for the first time, digital access to the archives. Then, in March 2015, the original Regulation of 1983 was amended and the new Council Regulation (EU) 2015/496 revised not only the financial and legal framework of the Ar- chives but redefined its mission in response to the new digital information society: “(11) The institutions and EUI should, where possible, make the historical archives available to the public in digitised and digital form, so as to facilitate their consulta- tion on the internet.” (cit. Regulation 2015/496, preface) The amended Regulation prioritises digital access and obliges the institutions to deposit the original documents accompanied by digital copies for consultation. Only the Court of Justice and the European Central Bank continue to deposit their archives in Florence on a voluntary basis. 2 THE DIGITISATION OF ARCHIVES Traditionally, archival documents were available for consultation only on-site, in a ded- icated reading room. On request, and rather exceptionally, users could obtain copies of certain documents or single pages of documents of particular relevance; these requests added costs for production and dispatch via mail. Only with the arrival of the digital era and the internet as a network for information shar- ing, however, did the system for the production and sharing of copies of original archives change. Different methods for the online consultation of documents evolved without the need to physically consult these papers in an archival reading room (Dryden, 2014, p.65). “Providing access and preserving the archival material for future generations are part of the archival institutions’ mandate. Currently, the new technologies offer many possibili- ties to them in order to support these goals. Digitization is one of these possibilities and through it, archival institutions can create virtual reading rooms, making their material available online, and enhancing access vial local networks and/or through the Internet, especially for users that cannot physically visit their premises.” (cit. Bountouri, 2017, p.29). While the possibilities of new digitisation tools seem without limits, archival institu- tions must bear in mind various risks and challenges as regards the access to and pres- ervation of digitised copies of original archives. The European Commission on Preser- vation and Access (ECPA) recognised the fascination of the broad range of opportunities on the one hand, but also saw risks, in particular on the long-term preservation of the digital copies placed on unstable media (Weber & Dörr, 1997, preface). The Archives have accepted the new digital tools to serve the following objectives: better preservation; increased access to archival holdings; and the possibility to take advantage of public and private financing opportunities for digitisation projects in the area of cultural heritage (Moss & Currall, 2004, p.124-126). Copying archival material to improve the preservation conditions of the original is a long-standing practice in the Archives, since well before the digital age. At the same time, digital copying is certainly not the best method for preservation, due to the short lifespan of digital media in time. Nevertheless, it is often used as justification to launch digitisation campaigns of originals whose preservation status is considered at risk. This argument has been particularly successful when coupled with the fact that digital copy- ing allows for online access to the copied materials, thus eliminating the need for travel and costly archival consultation visits (Kemp, 2015, p.57). The other argument supporting digital copying is the extension of access to information and knowledge through holdings made available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a 8 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker week. These documents are also accessible to more than just one researcher or educator at the same time, and can be searched and retrieved using search engine technology. This raises the issue of the need for professional archival description, a sound metadata policy and the systematic publication of inventories online. Finally, the online holdings also promote the public image of archival institutions. Dig- itisation activities become part of the regular activities of Archives, for which they may obtain public and private financing, human resources and technical equipment (Borghi & Karapapa, 2013, p.11-13). Relevant actors consider digitisation to be not only a better way of managing information, but also of managing cultural heritage in general. In 2010, and in reaction to various mas- sive digitisation projects, such as the Google Books initiative in 2005 and the World Digi- tal Library of UNESCO, the EU established a European expert group on digital innovation, tasked with determining how to better represent cultural heritage online. The report “New Renaissance” gave a series of recommendations, establishing the new platform Europeana as the digital reference point for European cultural heritage, and promoting private and public investments in the digitisation of cultural heritage (Purday, 2012, p.2-4 and Bideran, 2017, p.143). Europeana was conceived of as a cross-cultural and multilingual digital access point to the collections of museums, libraries and archives in Europe. Its aim is to regroup digital memory, improve its accessibility and promote the visibility of the cultural institutions therein (Borghi & Karapapa, 2013, p.1-4, and Hacken, 2013, p.309). Archival institutions participate in digital strategies even though they were reticent in the beginning, concerned with potentially shrinking numbers of visitors in their reading rooms. On the positive side, going online has created a new link between cultural institu- tions and the digital world, redefined and created new points of contact with the public, and stimulated the development of new communication strategies (Schafer, 2011, p.102). Another benefit has been the democratisation of access to people beyond individuals with the possibility to consult items physically in reading rooms. The collectively shared memory across institutions raised the sense for responsibility and adherence amongst the broad public (Schönherr-Mann, 2014, p.16-24). The connection between the docu- ment, its description, and the algorithms for search and retrieval creates a structure for a short moment. Of course, while the access to documents is more democratic, there are limits due to the massive amounts of information and the ever changing structures and hierarchies of their presentation (Faßler, 2014, p.31-32). Another issue to consider is that, in the growing mass of documents online, the role and distinction of the institutions of provenance become more and more unclear. If everything is online, it is no longer important for the user where the original is located. This gives space to new types of organisations: digital memory institutions, for exam- ple, aim at raising digital access to and the visibility of specific thematic or chronological holdings, which are not their own (Kirchhoff, 2008, p.251-255). Various such platforms have been construed in the past years on national or regional levels in Europe. On the European level, the most important initiative is the Archives Portal APE, which promotes archival holdings from local, regional, national to interna- tional institutions under one European roof (Kirchhoff, 2008, p.263). Finally, another common issue in larger archival digitisation projects and in particular the online availability of digitised holdings is the question of copyright. Large-scale digitisation projects cannot guarantee a document-by-document control as regards the copyright of the material contained. Archives, therefore, often apply a risk management approach looking at factors such as the date of the material and what is known on the property of rights, the market value and in consequence the probability of litigation (Dryden, 2014, p.67-81). 9 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker 3 THE DIGITISATION OF THE EU HISTORICAL ARCHIVES With the establishment of the Historical Archives of the European Union at the European University Institute in Florence in 1984, the EC/EU had decided not to create a central historical archives service with an institution, but to deposit their archives in an academ- ic institute with the status of international organisation. The 1983 Regulation already obliged the institutions to prepare microfiche copies of original documents for consul- tation purposes: “The historical archives shall be accessible in copy form. However, the institutions may release the originals of the documents or records if the user shows a special and duly substantiated interest.” (cit. Regulation 354/83, article 1.5) Our Archives’ practice of creating copies was a response to different needs. The first was to provide internal research opportunities to EU officials once the files were physically transferred to Florence. The second reason was that each institution reserved the right in the Regulation to provide research services for their own holdings to external users in a dedicated reading room. A final point was the security aspect, in that having copies could be useful in case of the loss or degradation of the originals. In addition, the Archives in Florence had started to digitise selected private papers on the basis of their specific preservation conditions or how much they were in de- mand for consultation. In some cases, depositors specifically requested receiving a digital copy of their archives. In 2008, the HAEU started the digitisation of its first private holding, the private papers of Alcide De Gasperi, the first Italian prime min- ster after World War II. The experience of the HAEU, along with those of a growing number of digitisation pro- jects in archival institutions over the globe since the mid-2000s led EU institutions to reflect on a more systematic approach towards digitisation. With the amended Regula- tion of 2015, the EU institutions took a much more ambitious decision to digitise com- pletely and systematically all documents, prior to their shipment to Florence and their opening to the public. This was a new approach that entailed massive digitisation of historical archives for online access. “Wherever possible, the institutions shall make their archives available to the public by electronic means, including digitised and born-digital archives, and facilitate their con- sultation on the internet.” (cit. Regulation 2015/496, article 9.1) The central and single role of the HAEU is to ensure the most complete and efficient ac- cess to the historical documents of all institutions, with inventories and other finding aids available online in digital format. The digitisation activities of the institutions and those of the HAEU concerning private archives are complementary. The Inter-Institu- tional Archives Group (IIAG) serves for exchange on holdings being digitised and for co- operation to ensure that partners in the group follow similar standards and techniques, respecting data protection and other applicable rules.2 In its annual work programme, the Archives in Florence outlines the holdings it plans to digitise and receives consultation copies or access to these copies hosted by the Euro- pean institutions, in order to make the copies accessible to the public. The access to the original is limited to exceptional and justified needs, such as exhibitions. 2 Regulation (EC) 1049/2001 on public access to documents , Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on data protection, , the GDPR Regulation (EU) 2016/679 , and finally Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on data protection by EU institutions . 10 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker 4 TOWARDS THE DIGITAL FUTURE Digitisation moves the document, its content, structure, context, medium and format from a rather stable support to a highly sophisticated digital environment. The digital sphere is, by its nature, contrary to the idea of the longest possible preservation in the best conditions. The principle of the inseparable relation between information and sup- port that held true for centuries has grown obsolete with reformatting through digitisa- tion (Chun, 2011, p.18-19, Weber, 2008, p.26). That is why the solutions for information security, access, readability, reliable storage and interoperability need to receive major attention when digitising archives (Regimbeau, 2015, p.5-9). With the “shift from boutique to bulk digitization” (cit. Miller, 2013, p.522), the expec- tations towards archives have grown immensely, on the side of the depositors and on the side of the public that requests full availability of collections online. The selection of archives and the justification to digitise will need continued attention: digitisation is never the final objective, but rather the means to a predefined end, driven by stated goals of a digitisation project (Weber, 2008, p.30-32, Moss & Currall, 2004, p.127). With digitisation, researchers contact Archives less and less when looking for docu- ments; they instead expect to find the document directly online. The Archives, therefore, must be pro-active and present on the internet in order to guide and assist the users in the new digital environment. Its methods will continue to be the appraisal, selection and description of fonds. While metadata, controlled vocabularies and thesauri are work-intense to produce, they continue to be the guides towards archival documents, and are also so for search engine technology, ranking and faceting (Trinkaus-Randall, 2013, p.16, Moss & Currall, 2004, p.129-131). In the digital world, the role of the archivist moves from the guardian of cultural her- itage to promotor and facilitator of transparent and democratic access (Weber, 2008, p.26). The ongoing COVID pandemic has further pushed the Archives towards the dig- ital sphere. Users who can not reach the reading rooms physically call for the online availability of documents. In response, the Historical Archives of the European Union has therefore launched its new “Digitisation on Demand” service. This new service, which allowed researchers to continue with their research projects even under the strictest COVID restrictions, has been extremely well received by users. While it has meant significant additional work for the HAEU staff, and requires addition- al technical resources, the introduction has been smooth and successful. With the EU’s 30-years closure rule for archival documents, the HAEU has recently start- ed to prepare for the digital-born archival environment by implementing a digital long- term preservation system. In the first phase, the ingest into the system concerns mainly digital copies of paper archives and of audio-visual materials, however, the first purely digital archives have been deposited. These open yet another chapter in the voyage of the Historical Archives of the European Union towards the preservation of and access to digital-born archives. REFERENCE LIST Borghi, M. and Karapapa, S. (2013). Copyright and Mass Digitization: A Cross-Jurisdictional Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bountouri, L. (2017). Archives in the Digital Age. Standards, Policies and Tools. Cambridge: Chandos Publishing. Chun, W. H. K. (2011). Programmed Visions: Software and Memory, Software Studies. Cam- bridge: MA, MIT Press. 11 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker De Bideran, J. (2017). L’extension numérique du musée. In F. Mairesse (Ed.), Colloque in- ternational de l’ICOFOM - Définir le musée du XXIe siècle (pp. 143–147). Paris: ICOFOM. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01855839/ Dryden, J. (2014). The Role of Copyright in Selection for Digitization. The American Archi- vist, 77(1), 64–95. 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Bestandserhaltung in einer digitalen Welt. In: H. Schmitt (Ed.), Für die Zukunft sichern! Bestandserhaltung analoger und digitaler Unterlagen (pp. 25–34). Fulda: Selbstverl. des VdA. Weber, H. and Dörr, M. (1997). Digitisation as a Method of Preservation? European Commis- sion on Preservation and Access (ECPA). Alexandria: Council on Library and Informa- tion Resources. 13 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - FROM INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS TO SYSTEMATIC DIGITISATION Dieter Schlenker Magdalena Marosz1 FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Abstract The project ‘Family Archives of Independence’ encompasses the whole of Poland and addresses everyone for whom domestic collections of documents, sometimes having grown over many generations, are of incalculable personal value. There are many fam- ily archives which have the potential to evoke great emotion and create a social histo- ry more colourful than that of textbooks, however such collections are still not as yet widely appreciated. The aim of the project ‘Family Archives of Independence’ is to combine national and pri- vate history and highlight the role of yet anonymous people, families or the local com- munities in the restoration of independent Poland in 1918. All those who cultivate memories of their predecessors and wish to seek professional advice on how to care for their archives are encouraged to participate in the project and archivists from 33 state archives in Poland offer their help by sharing their knowledge and experience. Such cooperation is a good example of the connection between archives and their us- ers, including those who have never used archives before. Contemporary habits, result- ing from technological development, are also helpful in the preservation of the content of home archives in digital form with the option of making them widely available on the Internet. This is of mutual benefit for both sides, but also for a wider audience, who have the chance to appreciate very interesting, sometimes unique, materials concerning the history of the nation or local community. Key words: local history, home archives, archival exhibitions, digitalization. 1 INTRODUCTION Calculating from the first partition, in 1918 Poland regained independence after 146 years, or after 123 years, from the third. The partitions are the period (from 1772 to 1795) within the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (that is Poland and Lithuania united by a union) when neighbouring states: Russia, Prussia, and Austria di- vided the lands of the Commonwealth between themselves. As a result, Poland disap- peared from the map of Europe for one hundred and some dozen years. The 11th November 1918 is recognised in Poland as the date of regaining independence, in remembrance of which, National Independence Day is celebrated. The holiday, es- tablished by the law of April 23, 1937, abolished by the communist authorities in 1945, was re-established after Poland regained sovereignty in 1989. Of course, the regaining of independence by Poland was a gradual process, lasting many months. The choice of this specific date was dictated by a coincidence of events perceived as directly relating to the regaining of independence: on the 11th November 1918, an armistice was con- cluded in Compiègne, finally ending World War I hostilities, plus on the day before this Józef Piłsudski, previously imprisoned by the Germans in Magdeburg, arrived in War- 1 Ph.D. Magdalena Marosz, Archiwum Narodowe w Krakowie, Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, magdamarosz1@gmail.com, IIAS member. 15FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz saw. Piłsudski was an icon of the fight for independence and in time became recognized as one of the fathers of the independent homeland. 2018 was the centenary of Poland regaining independence and was celebrated with many events and projects. One of these was the project ‘Family Archives of Independ- ence’, organised by the Office of the Head Director of National Archives, in cooperation with local archives. At each of the archives, a consultation point was set up where infor- mation could be obtained on how to run a family archive, how to develop and protect it and also how to create digital copies. Within the framework of the project, exhibitions were held, however at present, due to the pandemic situation, only virtual projects have been realised. Along with the online presence, there are also other activities pro- moting the project, among others a project called ‘Become a Family Archivist’. 2 THE FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE 2.1 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE PROJECT Naturally, the project’s main focus are the events connected with the regaining of inde- pendence in 1918, the centenary of which has prompted an emblematic résumé. However, it was decided at the very beginning that the project ought not be confined to the events of November 1918, and its subsequent years, since the statehood regained then was also built by subsequent generations. Therefore, the wider aim of the project intends to uncover the broader relationship between the history of the nation and the histories of particular fam- ilies and individuals. A further concern was also (perhaps most importantly) to explore the roles played by the great number of private citizens within a community and not the figures from the front pages, who made a more visible contribution to these events. Everyone in possession of materials from this time: documents, photos, films, or re- cordings, has been encouraged to participate in the project; both those who have long forgotten their valuable possessions, and those who cultivate the memory of their pre- decessors. The project organisers also offer expert advice on how to take care and pre- serve family souvenirs for future generations. Fifty nine consultation points have been set up throughout the national archives and their local branches, and are run by experienced archivists, sometimes with the help of archival conservators, providing all information regarding the organization and man- agement of a family archive, its proper storage and protection of files, as well as advis- ing on the making of digital copies. Digitalisation and online sharing of materials from family archives is one of the main objectives of the project. Virtual exhibitions are created and presented both on the pro- ject’s home page and the home pages of particular national archives engaged in the project. („Archiwa Rodzinne Niepodległej”, 2018). 2.2 A POLAND-WIDE EXHIBITION ‘FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE. A COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT OF FAMILIES WITHIN THE SECOND POLISH REPUBLIC.’ The exhibition, organised within the framework of the project ‘Family Archives of In- dependence’, has successfully achieved its main goal, namely the sensitising of people to the unique value of family remembrances, while concurrently encouraging them to actively celebrate the centenary of the regaining of independence by Poland. Between the 2018-2020, many priceless historical materials were donated to the na- tional archives from all over Poland. They are being sequentially digitalised, and cop- ies placed on the website: archiwarodzinne.gov.pl. A substantial part of the collections obtained in this way are photographs that uniquely document the life of Polish families from the end of the 19th century to modern times. 16 FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz These unique materials, showing extraordinary moments and everyday life during the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939), were presented at the open air exhibition ‘Family Archives of Independence. A collective portrait of families within the Second Polish Re- public’ from the 3rd November 2020 to the 20th January 2021 in Warsaw. The exhibition comprised five main thematic sections, presenting: a national and religious cross-section and multiculturalism within the Republic; diversity of social status (from peas- ant families to aristocracy); participation in regaining the independent state and in the fight for its borders; everyday life; the role of women in the reborn state. The exhibition was cre- ated solely on the basis of abundant materials from family collections donated to the re- sources of national archives from all over Poland. („Ogólnopolska wystawa”, 2020). 2.3 COLLECTIONS As of 12.02.2020 the project website has accumulated 56 so-called collections. A ‘collec- tion’ is comprised of scans of archival materials from a single family archive, concerning either the family as a whole or one of its members particularly. We can find here pho- tographs (being of most interest to the general public) and also official documents, cor- respondence, membership cards, identity cards, diplomas, and many other documents from the end of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century. The documents are accompanied by descriptions which present the history of a family or a specific person; all scans have been captioned. Individual collections differ in size, and the proportion of archival material to its description also vary, but each collection undoubtedly presents a really interesting and meaningful history. The collections are made available by par- ticular state archives which received original archival materials or their scans donated by individual families. Certainly, the collection will continue to grow throughout the duration of the project. („Kolekcje”, 2018-2021). 2.4 LOCAL EXHIBITIONS In 2020, within the framework of the project ‘Family Archives of Independence’, nation- al archives all over Poland organized exhibitions presenting family collections donat- ed to their archival resources and thus included in the national archival collection. All the exhibitions were available to be visited in real for a set period of time, while they are also available at all times online. Twenty-one such exhibitions were prepared by the archives. Their subject matter is diverse: they present the histories of individuals, of families, social or professional groups, inhabitants of a given town or village, as well as most interesting individual documents. All exhibitions focus on issues related to the re- gaining of independence by Poland, the shaping of the borders and structures of state, some documents dating even up to World War II. They try to present the history of indi- vidual families or people against the background of Polish history. („Archiwa Rodzinne Niepodległej - wystawy lokalne”, 2020). 3 HOME ARCHIVE 3.1 BECOMING A FAMILY ARCHIVIST: A GUIDE Along with the implementation of the project, a special guide was prepared for all those who showed interest in preserving their family archives in the best possible way. ‘Each of us can become a guardian of a family history’, write its authors, explaining that the guide is intended both for those who already have their own family archives and those who would like to create one. Using the guide, we can find out how to professionally take care of the documents that have already been collected in the family archive, as well as of those that will only get there in the future. The authors of the guide give advice on how to arrange the collected 17FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz archival materials and how to properly catalogue them. They advise on how to safely perform basic conservation and how to correctly digitalise files. The information presented in the guide is divided into categories describing the han- dling of the particular types of materials that can be found in the family archive. Thus, four sections were created, entitled: 1. The Family Archives of Independence - intro- duction. How to use the guide. How to start taking care of a family archive. 2. Fami- ly Archives of Independence - documents (manuscripts, typescripts, posters) 3. Family Archives of Independence - photos 4. Family Archives of Independence - mementos. Each of the above-mentioned parts of the guide has been prepared as a PDF file, and can easily be printed or downloaded and used on a computer at any time. („Domowe archiwum”, 2019). The preparation and sharing of the guide is designed additionally to encourage people to take care of and save artefacts of the past gathered in houses, sometimes forgotten and thus perhaps doomed to destruction over time. However the basic argument in appealing to a larger audience, encouraging interest in family archives relating to the history of Po- land was the possibility of presenting them to the general public on the project website and on the websites of individual national archives or at traditional exhibitions. 3.2 COMPETITION ‘HISTORIES FROM FAMILY ARCHIVES’ In 2020, a competition was launched where participants were invited to present the history of their families, intertwined with the history of the homeland being reborn. The participants in the competition were to describe and document their family history basing upon, among other things, family members’ accounts, documents, photos, and souvenirs kept in the home archive, the history of the region and the history of the fam- ily in historical context plus a focus was set on literature and archival query. The entry work could be submitted in the form of manuscript, printout, text file of a size not less than 15 pages, or as a film of a minimum of half an hour’s length. The authors could supplement their works with, for example, photos, maps, illustrations, a family tree, fragments of diaries, recordings. The aim of the ‘Histories from family archives’ competition was to focus attention on cultivating memory and tradition, respect for the past, shaping patriotic attitudes, ed- ucation and increasing the sense of national identity of the society as well as arousing interest in the culture and history of ‘small homelands’: of the region and local com- munities. The works created for the competition were intended to preserve and prop- agate the testimonies of ‘little history’ set against the background of historical events. („Konkurs”, 2020). It is important to mention that the competition was directed both to adults and children alike, so that, apart from the patriotic dimension, it also pursued an educational goal. Seventy-seven entry works were submitted, and the winners were selected in two cat- egories: ‘adults’ and ‘under 18’. („Wyniki konkursu”, 2020). 4 BUILDING OF THE ARCHIVE – USER RELATIONSHIP One of the aims of the project ‘Family Archives of Independence’ was to draw the public’s attention to the unique value of family souvenirs in relation to historical events. Docu- ments and other materials kept in homes are an exceptional testimony of the history of individuals, families and local communities. Within the framework of the project, state archives have encouraged people to appropriately care for these invaluable items and to deepen their knowledge about the roots and the history of their predecessors. 18 FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz At the same time, the owners are encouraged to digitalise these materials and transfer their copies to archives. The originals remain in the family archives, while their digital cop- ies are stored as separate collections in national archives and through them made avail- able to the general public. In this way a kind of special relationship is created between the institution of the archive and the private owner of archival documents. Furthermore, making digital copies not only additionally secures the information contained in files, but also gives them a new life, in a space and dimension completely different than before. Thanks to the project, a new possibility of obtaining documents has opened up for the ar- chives. Up to now, documents in electronic form (originals or digital copies of documents in traditional form) have been transferred to the archives mainly from public institutions as documents created or collected in the course of the activities of these institutions, and also from non-public institutions or as the legacy of private individuals. The archives have also collected scans of materials which supplement particular collections of a given ar- chive, but which are stored in other institutions. The electronic documentation collected by all national archives from public institutions, that is the most frequently appropriated, is to be finally stored at the emerging Electronic Document Archive (ADE – Archiwum Do- kumentów Elektronicznych). Its creation is connected with the necessity to take over an increasing amount of documentation created in electronic form, especially as institutions use electronic documentation management systems. ADE is to ensure the possibility of permanent, safe storage of this documentation, ensuring its integrity and authenticity. Unfortunately, the rules for sharing archival materials in electronic form have not as yet been discussed and agreed upon. This concerns both the documents which are already included in the resources of individual national archives and those to be acquired in the fu- ture by ADE. In the latter case, it is intended that users will be able to use special functions within the system, enabling searching, ordering, and downloading of archival materials transferred to national archives in electronic form. (Czerniak, Orszulak, 2017, pp. 73-77). Up until now, the collecting and sharing of documents, photos, recordings and films relat- ed to specific events, people, or places, whether original documents or digital copies, has been mainly the domain of so-called social archives, created through the social activities of grassroots foundations, associations, local government or just a group of people. Social archives collect various types of documentation, the vast majority collect photos and also keep personal documents, iconographic materials, and documentation of social life. They obtain archival materials in various ways and collect them from various angles, depend- ing on the basic purpose of the institution organizing a given social archive. (Ziętal, 2015). Social archives play a very important role in the safeguarding archival materials kept by private individuals and institutions. Certainly, thanks to them, a significant part of these materials will be preserved for future generations because their owners have been made aware of the significance and historical value of the materials in their possession. The project ‘Family Archives of Independence’ assigned similar tasks to the national ar- chives. By encouraging people to search for family souvenirs, offering help in the field of their proper analysis and protection of files, national archives are trying to encourage the creation of family archives, thanks to which it will certainly be possible not only to preserve many historical sources but also share their digital copies with a wide audience via the Internet. The possibility of obtaining comprehensive information and practical help is an incentive for closer cooperation with the archive, convincing the materials’ owners to transfer scans of family souvenirs, and sometimes also the original materials to the national archive. It certainly serves to build in the public awareness the image of archives as open institutions, focused on helping and cooperating with anyone who wants to care for cultural heritage, even on the smallest scale. 19FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz 5 SUMMARY In 2020, in recognition of all the donors who have enriched the national archival re- source by donating the originals or digital copies of their priceless collections to the net- work of nationwide archives, encouraging others to undertake such cooperation, the Head Director of National Archives announced the 6th December as Donor Day. In 2020, unfortunately, due to the epidemic, no special celebrations took place, but in the future, on this day, various events (such as meetings, conferences, exhibitions) will be held in the national archives to honour the present and future donors. It should also be emphasized that it is thanks to the large group of donors – home ar- chivists, that the implementation of the project ‘Family Archives of Independence’ was possible on such a large scale, despite the restrictions and difficulties common in 2020. The project was directed primarily to amateur archivists, both those who had previous- ly managed their family archives, and those sensitised by the project itself about the need to care for historical sources, including those on a smaller scale; to all those who remember their predecessors and care for their survival in memory and perhaps would like to do it even better. Therefore, great emphasis was placed on issues related to the protection and conservation of archival materials. Within the framework of the project, archivists from many national archives conduct- ed stationary workshops for small groups and on-line workshops and recorded crash course videos. The project has not as yet finished, it will be continued until 2022. Summing up its func- tioning so far, it can be claimed that it is fitting well with the user-archive interaction and has already contributed to the development of many relationships, and possibly through future new initiatives, these relationships will still develop. One could ask a question of who/what this type of project is intended for? Looking at its results, it appears that the answer immediately apparent: it serves both sides, ex- actly how has been set out above. But it is also worth paying attention an additional aspect, also extremely important in my opinion: such activities, projects undertaken by archives, are directed to the general public, that is people who often have noth- ing to do with the archives, and sometimes even have misconceptions about them. They are an excellent advertisement and promotion of archives as a public utility in- stitution, at the same time helping to establish contact and cooperation with such an audience. They bring history closer – perhaps above all – local history, promote patri- otism, teach the care for historical souvenirs, at the same time enabling the archives to obtain new archival materials that in many cases would probably not see the light of day or even be lost. REFERENCES Archiwa Rodzinne Niepodległej. (2018). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archi- warodzinne.gov.pl/o-projekcie/archiwa-rodzinne-niepodleglej Archiwa Rodzinne Niepodległej - wystawy lokalne. (2020). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne.gov.pl/o-projekcie/archiwa-rodzinne-niepodleg- lej-wystawy-lokalne Czerniak, S., Orszulak, J. (2017). Dokument elektroniczny. Katalog dobrych praktyk. Warsza- wa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych. Domowe archiwum. (2019). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne. gov.pl/domowe-archiwum 20 FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz Kolekcje. (2018-2021). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne.gov. pl/kolekcje Konkurs. (2020). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne.gov.pl/ konkurs Ogólnopolska wystawa „Archiwa Rodzinne Niepodległej. Zbiorowy portret rodzin II Rzec- zypospolitej”. (2020). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne. gov.pl/o-projekcie/ogolnopolska-wystawa-archiwa-rodzinne-niepodleglej-zbi- orowy-portret-rodzin-ii Wyniki konkursu. (2020). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://archiwarodzinne.gov. pl/konkurs-wyniki Ziętal, K. (2015). Archiwa społeczne na świecie i ich relacje z państwem. Budowanie polskiego modelu. In: K. Ziętal (Ed.), Archiwa społeczne. Modele współpracy z państ- wem (pp. 13–31). Poland: Warszawa. 21FAMILY ARCHIVES OF INDEPENDENCE PROJECT – A MUTUAL LINK BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND USER Magdalena Marosz Mikhail Larin1 Nataliya Surovtseva2 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Abstract One of the key features of an electronic record is its authenticity. Ensuring the authenticity of management electronic records at all stages of its life cycle from the moment of creation to long-term storage allows us to remove obstacles in the digital transformation of archives. The authenticity of electronic records was the subject of research within the framework of the international project InterPARES. A record is considered authentic if its author, place and time of creation were definitely established, as well as the fact that this record really comes from the claimed author. To ensure this property of an electronic record, not only authentica- tion and electronic signature procedures are required at the time of creation of the record, but also the creation of the so-called trusted environment, which is designed to ensure the pres- ervation of records metadata due to controlled management procedures. The focus should be on the information system as a whole. This understanding of the authenticity of the elec- tronic record was enshrined in international standards for information and documentation. In Russian practice, the concept of “authenticity” is used very rarely, and as applied to man- agement electronic records, it is used mainly in the sense of identity to some source record. Such an understanding involves conducting comparison procedures with some reference record, which should remain unchanged. At the same time, in the electronic environment in which the functioning of electronic records takes place, it is practically impossible to ensure the safety of the records file (s) unchanged. Given the social nature of the record, we must un- derstand that the immutability of an electronic record is a relative concept and concerns the preservation of the social function of the record. That is why we must allow only a relative recognition of the identity of electronic records, allow the possibility of some changes within which the electronic record retains its social functions. The difference between the copies of the electronic records within this difference allows us to talk about authentic records. Keywords: Electronic record, authentic record, identical record, terminology, long-term storage, archival storage. 1 INTRODUCTION For records, the creation, use and storage of which is carried out in the electronic environ- ment of the information system, one of the most essential characteristics is authenticity. Authenticity is defined by us as a property of an electronic record that confirms the origin of this record, the author, the time and place of its creation. Authenticity is primarily asso- ciated with the procedures for officially certifying information about its origin, the pres- ence of established rules for working with a record and the presence of a so-called trusted environment, the functioning of a record within which ensures the user’s confidence in the information about the author, time and place of creation of the record contained in 1 Mikhail Larin, Dr., Professor, Head of the Department of electronic records management systems, Rus- sian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), Russia, Moscow, 125993, GSP-3, Miusskaia pl., tel: +7 495 6285297, mobile: +7 910 4210529, e-mail: larin.m@rggu.ru, IIAS member. 2 Nataliya Surovtseva, PhD, Docent, Department of electronic records management systems, Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), Russia, Moscow, 125993, GSP-3, Miusskaia pl., 6, tel. +7 916 0202165, e-mail: nataliyasurovceva@yandex.ru 23 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Mikhail Larin, Nataliya Surovtseva the record itself. The concept of “authenticity”, of course, is primarily relevant for records used in management activities, and it can be applied equally to records on traditional me- dia and electronic records. For electronic records, it is of particular importance due to the peculiarities of the technology for working with them (Surovtseva, 2020). 2 THE CONCEPT OF “AUTHENTICITY OF AN ELECTRONIC RECORD” A study conducted by a group of specialists within the framework of the second Inter- PARES project was devoted to the issue of the authenticity of electronic records. In the context of expanding the scope and use of electronic records, it is the ability to ensure authenticity that has become the main parameter for the development of electronic records management in the context of electronic government. The starting points in this study were the concepts of “authentic record” and “authentic copy”. A record was deemed to be authentic if its creator or author was definitely established, as estab- lished and that this record really comes from the claimed author. The property of au- thenticity is assigned to a record on the basis of its form (form of the record), the context of its creation, the mode of transmission of the record and the method of its storage and preservation. All this information should be included in the metadata. Within the framework of the InterPARES project, case studies were carried out to ensure the authenticity of electronic records on the example of several projects implemented in the field of public administration of a number of foreign countries (USA, Canada, Ireland, Sin- gapore, Germany, etc.), the reports on which helped to form general approaches to solving this task. It should be noted that initially ensuring the authenticity of an electronic record was reduced mainly to the procedure for authenticating its author or creator and using elec- tronic signature means when transferring a record from one information system to anoth- er. However, as a result of the conducted research, an understanding of the insufficiency of these solutions came. The focus should be on the information system as a whole, the relia- bility of which is designed to ensure the preservation of record metadata, primarily through controlled management procedures. This makes it possible to ensure the authenticity of an electronic record throughout its life cycle, from the moment of creation, as well as, if nec- essary, its long-term storage (Duranti and Preston, 2008). Thus, the researchers approached the need to create a so-called trusted environment, as a complex of organizational, techno- logical and technical requirements for working with a record in an information system that ensures the preservation of its main characteristics, including authenticity. The Russian experience of working with electronic records shows that ensuring their authenticity in practice is carried out in full measure in the trend of global trends. How- ever, the theoretical understanding of many issues, including the concept of “authentic- ity” in relation to electronic records, needs a deeper development. 3 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CONCEPTS OF “AUTHENTICITY” AND “IDENTITY” OF AN ELECTRONIC RECORD We find the definition of “authenticity” in a number of national standards, a terminolog- ical dictionary for record management. The analysis of the definitions presented in them shows that the concept of “authenticity” of a record in most cases is understood as a defi- nition of its identity. This approach is solely due to aspects of the practical work with elec- tronic records in the management system. In this regard, consideration of authenticity in the context of identity, compliance with any standard brings us to the question of defin- ing the “original”, “initial” electronic record. Some Russian experts are looking for accept- able solutions to this issue. For example, M. P. Bobyleva believes that in conditions when a record is transferred from one information system to another, the record received and saved in the new information system can be considered equivalent to the “original”, that 24 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Mikhail Larin, Nataliya Surovtseva is, the original record created and signed in electronic form in “native” information sys- tem, subject to compliance with the established requirements of authenticity, reliability and integrity (Bobyleva, 2018, p. 35). This point of view is also supported by A. E. Rybakov, who considers it expedient to introduce the concept of “initial electronic record” into pro- fessional terminology. It is in relation to it that the copies in other information systems, as well as those obtained as a result of migration or conversion procedures, depending on the degree of compliance with the original electronic record, can be presented as identi- cal and authentic electronic records (copies of records) (Rybakov, 2018). A similar position was expressed in 2018 in the scientific report of VNIIDAD, in which it is proposed to store the original and master copy of an electronic record in some information system on the Internet. Verification of one of the presented copies allows one to speak in a qualified manner about the identity of the copies. Accordingly, the original copy stored in such an information system can be considered the “original”. A copy of an electronic record that has passed the check for compliance with the “origi- nal” can be considered “reliable” and “authentic”. This approach is, in our opinion, conditional, since the definition of identity is the result of comparing a record with some objectively existing standard (original, copy, etc.). Such a comparison is possible only if the standard remains unchanged throughout the entire pe- riod of time during which the procedure for confirming the identity-authenticity will be necessary, that is, forever for records with a constant storage period. However, we know that for an electronic record, immutability is not a physically feasible characteristic. The most consistent and detailed dynamic essence of an electronic record, associated with the technologies of its transformation in an electronic environment, was consid- ered by V.A. Konyavsky and V.A. Gadasin. The immutability (fixedness) of an electronic record is achieved only at the time of recording information on the carrier and is vio- lated in the course of any manipulations associated with its processing and transmis- sion (Konyavskij and Gadasin, 2004, p. 15-17). This means that as soon as we turn to the reference record instance for identification, it will cease to be a reference copy from a mathematical point of view, since at least its metadata will be changed. Obviously, in the field of office work and archiving, we cannot operate with such an understanding of the mutability of an electronic record. It is very important to remind here that an electronic record for us is primarily a record. Therefore, its fixity in the rel- ative, that is, social sense, which will provide the possibility of its use as an instrument of interaction in social relations, should be important. This is achieved by regulating the work with electronic records, establishing the composition and order of proce- dures related to the processing and transmission of electronic records. 4 CONCLUSIONS So, identity is manifested only as a result of social interaction of subjects and it is possible to talk about the identity of copies of electronic records in the context of public relations and their legal regulation. In addition, the composition of the record’s metadata will nec- essarily change. As it goes through its life cycle, metadata will accumulate, but the meta- data that was formed at the time of creation of the record, which identifies the record, must remain unchanged. Then again the question arises: what is the point of defining the first instance (it will definitely not be the only one) if the identifying metadata does not change? Maybe the last (or subsequent) copy of the electronic record, which contains the maximum information about the life cycle of the record, should become more valuable? Indeed, modern information technology makes it possible to compare the objects of the information system. Semantic analysis, today is considered as one of the main 25 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Mikhail Larin, Nataliya Surovtseva functions of the information system, which provides storage of records and work with them. However, it should be remembered that the object of the information system is not a record, but a file. A record is a social phenomenon; subjects of social relations op- erate with records. Obviously, even if one file in the information system corresponds to one record, the term “record” denotes an entity different from the term “file”. Such decisions indicate that in the Russian practice of working with records there is still a very strong need to apply traditional methodological approaches to working with electronic records. This can explain the aspiration of Russian specialists (archi- vists and record specialists) to “assign” the original, to determine which of the records functioning in different information systems will be the most reliable. And in the case when in relation to an electronic record the application of the concept “original” is preserved, an authentic record can act only in the status of an “authentic copy”. It is obvious that such an understanding of the authenticity of an electronic record, which is de- veloping in Russian practice, does not correspond to its foreign meaning. Moreover, the term “authenticity” is very poorly mastered by Russian records management and archival studies, in fact, it is not used in practice and is interpreted mainly as compliance with a certain source record, identity to it. Moreover, the degree of this correspondence remains very vague. At the same time, there remains a tendency to apply to electronic records the concepts and methodological approaches that have been developed in relation to records in traditional media. This is especially evident in the desire to determine the original of an electronic record when creating an information storage system for electronic records. In addressing this issue, the dual nature of an electronic record is manifested: social and electronic. On the one hand, it should be remembered that, first of all, it is a record and is used in the interaction of subjects of social relations, therefore, the preservation of the content and form of the record, their immutability is a priority task. On the other hand, storing a record in an electronic environment cannot ensure its permanent fixation and inevitably leads to a change and accumulation of metadata associated with electronic record files. That is why we must admit only a relative recognition of the identity of electronic records, admit the possibility of some changes, some conditional “delta” (Larin, 2017), within which the electronic record retains its social functions. The distinction between copies of an electronic record within this delta makes it possible to speak of authentic records. REFERENCE LIST Bobyleva, M. P. (2018). On the issue of integrity and authenticity of management elec- tronic records in their storage format. Deloproizvodstvo, 3, 33–39. Duranti, L. and Preston, R. (Eds.). (2008). International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES) 2: Experiential, Interactive and Dynamic Re- cords Padova: Associazione Nazionale Archivistica Italiana. Konyavskij, V. A. and Gadasin, V. A. (2004). Fundamentals of understanding the phenome- non of electronic information exchange. Minsk: Bellitfond publ. Larin, M. V. (2017). Theory and practice of archival storage of electronic records. Atlanti, 27(1-2), 52–59. Rybakov, A. E. (2019). Identity and authenticity of electronic records. In Documentation in the information society: problems of archival and document science in the digital econ- omy. Reports of the XXV International scientific and practical conference on November 7-8 (pp. 25–33). Moscow: The Federal Archival Agency. Surovtseva, N. G. (2020). Original and authentic record: on the question of the relation- ship of concepts. Herald of Archivist, 1, 102–115. 26 AUTHENTICITY AND IDENTITY OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORD IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ARCHIVES Mikhail Larin, Nataliya Surovtseva Charles Farrugia1 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Abstract: This article questions the role of archival institutions in times of distress and disruption, with particular emphasis on the current reality of the Covid-19 pandemic. It tries to as- sess whether archival institutions play active roles at times of distress and disruption or shy away into passive observers’ role. The hypothesis is that archival institutions can take centre stage even at such phases, as communities often go into a soul-searching mode during such times. This can provide an opportunity for archives to draw the spot- light on them and partially redefine their position in society. The approach taken in this study is mainly conceptual, revisiting the insights develop- ing in the growing literature on the topic and supplementing this with participant ob- servation from the author’s own experience in the field. It also brings into the analysis two case studies of successful projects that have turned the Covid-19 pandemic into an opportunity for interacting with audiences and redefining the traditional canons of ar- chival practice – preservation and accessibility. This paper argues that archival institutions could use times of disruption and distress to further emphasise their presence and interaction with the community. The pan- demic is not yet over and any results from such assessments are only preliminary. Fur- ther analysis, even of a quantitative nature, should to be carried out to build on the present assessment, also keeping in mind the geographical and regional differences that come into play. The most important finding of this study is that times of disruption and distress can act as triggers for more creativity and new ways on how archives fulfil their traditional roles of preservation and access. Further studies can strengthen these findings by adding a quantitative aspect to these findings and also tackle one of the central constraints of this study in the form of diversity of archival institutions discussed and the geographical disparities that make the extrapolation of the findings to other areas challenging. Keywords: archival resilience, Covid-19, archival activism, memory projects. 1 INTRODUCTION A substantial amount of studies have been carried out about the reaction of the archi- val profession in times of war, natural calamities and other forms of social distress. The resulting affects of such disasters also top the list in terms of the academic debate they generate. Issues such as that of displaced archives and the impact these have on much wider phenomena have been under the focus for a number of decades. This even inspired the International Council on Archives (ICA) to set up an Expert Group on Shared Archival Heritage (ICA, 2017). This latter initiative augurs well for a more ho- listic approach and a shift from the traditional regional perspective to a more interna- tional dissection of the issues. 1 Dr Charles J. Farrugia, National Archivist of Malta; Head of Department of Library, Information and Ar- chive Sciences, University of Malta; Chairperson of the European Branch of the International Council on Archives; charles.j.farrugia@um.edu.mt, IIAS member. 27THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia A number of authors are also revaluating the work on such topics and using it to revisit the canonical theories that have become quite sacred in our profession. In one such work, Anne Gilliland revisits concepts such as the physical and moral defence of archives ema- nating from the views of authoratitive personas such as Hilary Jenkinson and Ernst Posner. Her work tries to contemplate how historical examples might help the field to prepare to- day’s archivists for the realities of acting and advocating on behalf of records, archives and their constituents in situations of conflict and exigency around the globe (Gilliland, 2018). This study focuses on the Covid-19 pandemic as a phase of world-wide distress and tries to contibute to the rising academic debate about how cultural institutions are reacting to the situation. The pandemic has forced an inevitable slow down or disruption to our routine. For some of us, stressed with the burden of overlapping diary appointments, such a pause might inititially have looked as a provedential welcome break. But counteracting this, there was the uncertainty of what comes next coupled with the risks in terms not only of health but also of financial stability. The development of a number of vaccines to combat the virus brought a ray of hope, although a number of scientific studies still argue that the Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may be here to stay (Anderson et. al., 2020) This article questions the role of archival institutions in times of distress and disruption, with particular emphasis on the current reality of the Covid-19 pandemic. It tries to as- sess whether archival institutions play active roles at times of distress and disruption or shy away into a passive observers role. The hypothesis is that archival institutions can take centre stage even at such times, as communities often go into a soul-search- ing mode during such times. This can provide an opportunity for archives to draw the spotlight on them and partially redefine their position in society. This study focuses on the reaction of the National Archives of Denmark and that of Malta to Covid-19, and the projects they launched triggered by the same pandemic circumstances. 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OVERVIEW Archives represent the permanent memory of the actions and feelings of people as they act and react to the events of daily life. It is this connotation that makes them so powerful and so precious. This study focuses on the role of archival institutions during troubled times. The meaning of troubled times for the scope of this study is defined by circumstances of disruption on a national or international scale that adversely affect the lifestyle of large sectors of the population. In our recent past, war, earthquakes, flood- ing and other natural disasters were the most troubled times which created archival dilemmas, some of which are still lingering to be resolved. One debate that is still ongoing is the issue of displaced archives, referred to by terms such as ‘trophies of war’ (Grimsted, 2001) or under the more positive umbrella terminol- ogy of ‘shared archival heritage’. Writing about it two decades ago Charles Kecskemeti underlined how challenging such situations are, and the difficulty for international or- ganisations to steer discussions on such topics. In his own words, “when passion oppos- es passion, rational arguments advocating a negotiated agreement can hardly prevail.” (Grimsted, 2001, p. xi). At that time, he argued that UNESCO and ICA had to satisfy them- selves with a thesaurus rather than the real settlement of issues. The Covid-19 Pandemic is a case of troubled times of a different dimension. It is a re- ality affecting all nations and that managed to reconfigure the way we live. This will undoubtedly also reconfigure the archival record for future generations. Due to the di- mension of the crisis the leading international organisations tried to guide the interna- tional community and their professional membership cohorts how to best deal with the situation. 28 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia UNESCO took the lead and issued a statement titled ‘Turning the threat of COVID-19 into an opportunity for greater support to documentary heritage.’ The representatives of the various collaborating bodies argued that: “The way the world is responding to this unprecedented global crisis will be part of history books. Memory institutions, including national archives, libraries, museums, as well as educational and research bodies, are already recording the decisions and actions being made which will help future generations to understand the extent of the pandemic and its impact on societies.” (UNESCO, 2020) In their statement UNESCO came up with four principles and directions urging memory institutions to turn the threat of COVID-19 into an opportunity for greater across borders collaboration and investment in documenting mankind’s actions. When it comes to the ‘information professions’, the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) issued ‘Key Resources for Libraries in responding to the Coronavi- rus Pandemic’ (IFLA, 2020). These resources touch on a variety of topics, mostly con- troversial, as different role players in the system will assess the situation from their different personal perspective. Amongst the topics discussed and guided upon there are the issues of closing libraries, handling and sanitizing materials, social distancing in library environments and the options of working remotely. As opposed to normal office work, holdings in libraries and archives are physical artefacts that make sever- al workflow processes on them impossible to carry out remotely. Notwithstanding, most archives tried to shift to online work through the devising of roster systems for their staff. The sudden need to work from home also resulted in a renewed focus on cataloguing and a more positive perspective towards what work archivists and librar- ians can really do from their own homes. In its position document issued by the International Council on Archives (ICA, 2020) it appealed for three important principles to be put into action during the pandemic. The first principle is that decisions must be documented. The second is that records and data should be secured and preserved in all sectors and the final point highlighted is that the security, preservation and access to digital content should be facilitated dur- ing the shutdown. In their statement ICA argued that: Archives are the custodians of the 1918 influenza pandemic records, which are being studied by scientists around the world and these institutions will eventually be the stewards for records related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic and societal impact of the current pandemic needs to be evidenced, not only to prevent and/or anticipate similar events but to understand the effect this event will have on cur- rent and future generations. Records and archives are more than paper documents marked ‘official record’. ... as the economic impact of COVID-19 is felt around the world, it will also be critical to secure, capture and preserve the records of defunct companies and/or private entities. This way, the social, cultural and even economic significance of former undertakings can live on. (ICA, 2020) Side-by-side with archives and libraries it is worth looking at museums and to what extent the pandemic is affecting their modus operandi. What is most interesting in this case is the impact on collecting policies rather than the services which were also se- verely hit due to decline in audiences. A recent article by Sandro Debono revisited the concept of Rapid Response Collecting, a concept developed after the 11th September 2001 New York disaster. Such process forms part of the collecting policy of a number of museums and aims to empower museums to collect the ephemeral and the momentous 29THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia that might be difficult to acquire once the phenomenon is over. In his article Debono quotes Aaron Bryant, curator of the National Museum of African and American History who argues that, “It is critical that we collect so this moment does not get lost. . . History is happening right before us. . . If we don’t collect this stuff, who knows what happens to it.” (Bowley 2020, as cited in Debono, 2021). 3 RESEARCH DESIGN 3.1 METODOLOGY The approach taken in this study builds on the available literature and applies a case study approach. This is supplemented by observations from the author’s own experi- ence in the field as a practicing national archivist. The focus is on two case studies of successful projects that have turned the Covid-19 pandemic into an opportunity for interacting with audiences and redefining the traditional canons of archival practice – preservation and accessibility. The case studies come from two European national archive institutions: the Danish Coronavirus web collection of the National Archives of Denmark, ang the Covid Pandem- ic theme under the Memorja Project of the National Archives of Malta. What follows is an explanation of the rationale of the two projects and archival perspectives that can be derived from them. 3.1.1 CASE STUDY 1: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF DENMARK One of the archives that embarked on a Covid-inspired project is the Danish National Archives. This was important as the institution had to close its reading rooms due to the national lockdown and this meant that the covid project was a way to keep active com- munication with the general community. The Danish Web collection on coronavirus in Denmark is part of a general documenta- tion on the corona lockdown in Denmark in 2020, embarked upon by the main memory insitutions in the country. The stakeholders in the project at the National Archives (Rig- sarkivet), the National Museum (Nationalmuseet), the Workers Museum (Arbejdermu- seet), local archives and, the Royal Danish Library. The plan to capture corona lockdown documentation was supposed to be carried out into phases. The first focused on the “here and now” collection of documentation during the corona lockdown. This was to be follwed by a more systematic follow-up of material collecting from authorities and public bodies. The first phase of the project consisted of a national call to all Danes to contribute to the corona lockdown documentation, by sending photos and narratives from their daily life while enduring the lockdown. The call under the banner “Days with Corona” was mainly led by the Danish Folklore Archives run by the National Museum and the Royal Library. This effort was also supplemented by Netarchive in the form of a public call for help by nominating URLs of web pages related to coronavirus, social media profiles, hashtags, memes and any other relevant material. 3.1.2 CASE STUDY 2: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF MALTA A second institution to embark on a similar project was the National Archives of Malta (NAM). In this case the initiative fitted in as a thematic focus under an already estab- lished memory project. The initial phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic Memory Project was to collect any material (e.g. journals, photographs) documenting people’s expe- riences during the current situation. Calls for public collaboration were issued through various means, such as social media, virtual interviews on local television programmes 30 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia and newspaper articles. The goal was to connect to many people from different back- grounds as much as possible so as to build a rich collection which would enable the re- searcher to look at the situation through different perspectives. Anyone interested in donating their material was subsequently directed to contact the NAM via email in order to avoid any direct contact. In turn, a PDF document with further information about the project was sent. A Donation Declaration Form authorising the NAM to provide access to the deposited material for research and educational purposes was also included. The response by the public was rather enthusiastic. A total of 71 persons interested in the project have contacted the NAM so far. These include families, the elderly, Maltese and foreigners living abroad, educators (teachers and lecturers), poets, music compos- ers, religious persons, photographers, social workers and students. A large variety of material has already been deposited at the NAM as well. Examples include journals, photographic albums, poems, philosophical ramblings, paintings and video recordings. Current plans are focused on the implementation of the second phase of the project. Following a more structured approach, interviews will be carried out to capture an ad- ditional perspective through which one can view the effects of the pandemic on local society. For instance, these include those who were directly involved in its management (i.e., government officials, healthcare workers), business owners, police officers and people who had already been infected by COVID-19. In view of this, the NAM will showcase an innovative approach whereby interviews will be conducted in a virtual manner. This will serve as an example which will be highlight- ing the application and effectiveness of an uncommon fieldwork methodology in oral history research. In addition, the recording of information through virtual means will also further reflect the current difficult situation, which would be especially beneficial to the researcher. 3.2 COMPARING THE CASE STUDIES Comparing the two case studies it was possible to extract certain patterns of thinking with regards to: a. The aims of the projects; b. The acquisition process; c. The marketing strategies; d. Public relations; e. Material accessioned. a. Aims The patterns that Covid-19 imposed on National Archives seems to have been quite sim- ilar in the countries under review. Both the Danish National Archives and that of Malta specifically stated that the importance of preserving corona pandemic evidence ema- nated from two needs: Firstly to document and preserve what happened; and secondly as an affective tool in the archives branding in demonstrating the relevance of the Na- tional Archives institution within society. b. Aquisitions The same affect was also traced when it comes to the acquisition process. The main chal- lenge this event posed was the fact that documentation has to be acquired as events are unfolding. This has put on the institution the need of analysis and discipline in distin- guishing between what can be acquired instantaneously and what can wait. c. Marketing Strategies Both institutions used all possible social media platforms and other disseminating means to get a public appeal out inviting the private individuals to donate covid-times related material. The Denmark campaign used the statement “Your story of the corona 31THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia crisis is an important part of Danish history!” A similar call for action in Malta was, ‘do you wish to join our efforts to make sure that persons born in 50 years from now may know our life during this pandemic? These messages were repeated via press releases, TV interviews, and social media publicity mainly via Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin. Facebook seems to be the most popular due to its easy to use, and wide reach. The institutions in question highlighted the downside of platforms such as Facebook. Amongst the challenges there is the difficulty of defining a target audience. It also demands constant online presence as the public expects immediate interaction if not answers. Thus, it takes time and resouces which can only be acquired gradually and not overnight. The collecting approaches are different between the National Archives of Denmark and that of Malta. The Danes went for a specific website for content delivery. It includes a form asking for basic personal details about the contributor, photo title, date when the image was taken, and the creator of the photo. The same platform is used to acquire the necessary consents. In the Maltese case study the infrastructure on an on-going oral ar- chives project called Memorja was used. This encourages more formal interviews. Due to the challenge of conducting face-to-face interviews, the emphasis was put on the first phase of the project, that of collecting written diaries and ephemera. d. Public Relations - Online enthusiasm vs Archival Activism In both the Danish and Maltese projects one common feature emerges. This is the de- screpancy in metrics between the members of the public who showed initial interest in participating and the actual numbers who keep their word. In the case of Denmark, from around 30,000 people who clicked on the Facebook advert and related webpage, only 275 contributed to the initiative. The team in Denmark thinks that reasons for such funnelling down of numbers might have been the formalisation of the donation. The information requested and the re- quired consent form might have not gone well with an audience used to one-click social media processes such as the use of Likes and Share. While contributors might be discouraged by consent processes, public institutions cannot abdicate their legal and ethical responsibilities in view of GDPR and other considerations. The big chal- lenge is to strike a balance between the regulatory frameworks, and the benefit of such projects to the community. e. Material Accessioned When it comes to the material received from the two initiatives, there are also common patterns. Most of the accessions came from private persons and as much as possible no appraisal was done of the donated material. Most donations consisted of pictures from everyday life, showcasing how the people have adjusted their home working environ- ment, public signs, special occasions, and people wearing protective equipment. The two projects are still ongoing. The main target of the National Archives of Denmark is to work on the second dimension of the project, focused on structured active acqui- sition from private and public companies. The Danish National Archives will reach out to private companies to submit documentation which would show how the pandem- ic affected their business and how they are dealing with it. A selected number of pri- vate companies have already been approached and have helped in the planning of this phase of the project. A similar approach was taken in Malta and a number of private companies took the inspi- ration from the NAM project and launched internal initiatives. Two such organisations 32 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia are CareMalta2 and the Richmond Foundation.3 This interaction is one of the great ben- efits of such projects. Apart from having oragnisations look at national archive institu- tions for inspiration, they do bring the often refined marketing infrastructure of these organisations on the side of the archives. 3.2 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH The pandemic is still ongoing and developing at times in very unpredictable ways. The disparities between countries, both in terms of the severity of the pandemic and the re- sponses by authorities and the public varies considerably. Thus, the study cannot rely on tried and tested methodologies or on the advantage of historical evidence. The analysis is also conducted at a time when the institutions involved are continuously adapting themselves to the realities of time, without having much time to take decisions on sci- entific evidence that can be built in a gradually planned manner. The study would benefit a lot if a systematic survey of similar initiatives taken by other national archives can be carried out. Also, the impact of these projects on the tradi- tional services and on the perspectives of users on the institutions need to be studied in future years. 4 RESULTS This study indicates that the two national archives in question were able to think crea- tively and to launch new initiatives even during troubled times. Their initiatives were warmly welcomed by the media in the respective countries and this facilitated publicity and reaching out. There are indications that those who participated in the projects feel that they are contributing to the nation’s history at a very crucial phase in its trajectory. There is not enough available evidence so far to study what will be the long standing impact, if any, of these initiatives. REFERENCE LIST Anderson, R. M., Heesterbeek, H., Klinkenberg, D. & Hollingsworth, T. D. (2020). How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epi- demic? The Lancet, 395, 931–934. Bowley, G. (10. 6. 2020). Museums Collect Protest Signs to Preserve History in Real Time. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/arts/design/muse- ums-protest-signs.html Collins, A., Florin, M.V. & Renn, O. (2020). Covid-19 risk governance: drivers, responses and lessons to be learned. Journal of Risk Research, 23(7–8), 1073–1082. Debono, S. (2021). Collecting Pandemic Phenomena: Reflections on Rapid Response Col- lecting and the Art Museum. A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals, 17(2), 179–185. 2 CareMalta Group is Malta’s market leader in providing quality services in nursing and residential care, in- dependent living for older persons, specialised dementia care and certified courses in health and older persons care. It is a private company established in 1993, and today it cares for over 1,300 residents and employs a workforce of over 1,000 professionally-trained personnel. 3 The Richmond Foundation is a private institution backed by the Maltese government that recognised the gap in services of mental health and set up on 13 May 1993. Today the Foundation, a registered non-gov- ernmental and non-profit making organisation (VO/0017), has established itself as Malta’s leading NGO in the provision of community services for people with mental health problems. It is at the forefront of the promotion of good mental health and the prevention of mental illness amongst the public. 33THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia European Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives. (27. 3. 2020). Mes- sage from the Chairperson. Retreived March 31, 2020, from https://www.facebook. com/Eurbica/photos/a.942515442548083/1849608781838740/ Farrugia, C. J. (2018). Whose Voices Count? From public records to public Memory. In L. Stillman, M. Anwar (Eds.), Sixteenth CIRN Conference (pp. 263–271). Italy: Monash Centre, Prato. Gilliland, A. J. (2018). To what lengths the ‘Physical and Moral Defence of the Record’ in times of conflict and exigency? Archives and Records, 39(2), 117–138. International Council on Archives. (9.10. 2017). Expert Group on Shared Archival Her- itage (EGSAH) Terms of reference. Retrieved from https://www.ica.org/en/ex- pert-group-on-shared-archival-heritage-egsah International Council on Archives (2020). COVID-19: The duty to document does not cease in a crisis, it becomes more essential. Retrieved from: https://www.ica.org/en/covid- 19-the-duty-to-document-does-not-cease-in-a-crisis-it-becomes-more-essential International Survey on Coronavirus. 2020. Retreived on 10 December, 2020, from https:// covid19-survey.org/index.html. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2020, September). Key resources for libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Retreived Sep- tember 27, 2020, from https://www.ifla.org/covid-19-and-libraries Scerri E.M.L., Kühnert D., Blinkhorn J., et al. (2020). Field-based sciences must transform in response to COVID-19. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4, 1571–1574. Schostag, S. (29. 7. 2020). The Danish Coronavirus web collection – Coronavirus on the curators’ minds. Retrieved January 11, 2021, from https://netpreserveblog.word- press.com/tag/covid-19-collection.# United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. (n.d.). Turning the threat of COVID-19 into an opportunity for greater support to documentary heritage. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://www.ica.org/sites/default/files/ dhe-covid-19-unesco_statement_en2.pdf World Health Organization. (2020, September). Coronavirus disease dashboard. Retreived September 27, 2020 from https://covid19.who.int/ 34 THE ROLE OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS DURING TROUBLED TIMES: THE CASE OF COVID-19 Charles Farrugia Karen Trivette1 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to review and share the challenges and successes associated with efforts to bridge the distance between archives user populations and the digital surrogates of archives materials themselves while in a state of remote operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021. I will examine various online outlets and platforms that allow archival repositories to connect with existing and new user populations and, based on visitor or user sta- tistics, gauge the success or failure of a given vehicle. Approaches will include various social media platforms, web-based technologies, and augmented reality. I will exam- ine in detail the visitorship before and during the pandemic for a singular platform, that being Omeka. The analysis of various online outreach platforms demonstrates that when planned and executed effectively, digital or virtual archives outreach can increase user engagement by nearly fifty percent. Even during a global pandemic, archivists can successfully reach a host of archives users, existing and new, and can not only meet their expectations but also exceed them in new and innovative ways. Keywords: Digital archives; outreach; promotion; web-based technologies; virtual ex- hibitions 1 INTRODUCTION Early in my career as an archivist, I adopted a mantra, of sorts; it is a quote from the 1921 book, Howards End, by E.M. Forster. Forster declares, “Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and hu- man love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.”2 This quote has guided my archivist ethos for nearly twenty years and I believe that it has served me well. I only hope it has allowed me to serve others in meaningful ways. This paper is primarily about telling the story of being in service to others -- of providing researchers with answers to their questions by connecting them to digitized archival materials, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. If there is one lesson to learn from COVID-19, then it is to leverage multiple, online vehi- cles, platforms, and channels to effectively promote the archives in our care, to sustain interest in them, and to connect successfully to our desired audiences. Archivists must be more creative than ever especially given imposed remote working operations com- peting with ongoing researcher expectations. Therefore, the need to connect creative- ly, consistently, and innovatively is as great as it has ever been. To make connections 1 Professor Karen J. TRIVETTE, MLS; Doctorate Student, Archival Science, Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor; Head of Special Collections and College Archives, Gladys Marcus Library, Fashion Insti- tute of Technology-State Univeristy of New York (USA); Karen.trivette@almamater.si 2 The entire quote reads, “Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die.” 35THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette successfully, archivists must consider outreach avenues beyond the traditional outlets and platforms. This paper will introduce you to platforms ranging from the lesser to the more sophisticated technologies we use in FIT/SPARC and those from the most obvious to the most innovative...all in the effort only to connect. 2 LITERATURE OR THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OVERVIEW Whether operating on-campus or remotely, the mission of FIT/SPARC remains the same: to foster original research across and beyond the FIT community by acquiring, preserv- ing, and providing universal access to primary research materials including College archival records. Access comes in many forms. Especially exciting forms are via today’s online channels. Online outreach is not a new concept for archivists; while this is true, its development is ever changing and ongoing. As early as 2012, Arjun Sabharwal discussed developmental paradigms for successful virtual exhibitions including the need for “accurate historical representation, adequate descriptions and navigation, and Web accessibility” (Sabhar- wal, 2012, p. 11). Sabharwal continues to state prophetically that while at the time, vir- tual exhibitions were not yet part of traditional archives practice, they held the promise to be “cost-effective ways for...institutions to provide access to various artifacts, cultural heritage collections, and historical knowledge to visitors in remote locations” (Sabhar- wal, 2012, p. 9). The concept is also discussed quite thoroughly in the 2013 paper by Emily A. Bowden entitled, “Archives Outreach in a Digital World: Promoting Digital Content Through On- line Outreach Efforts.” Almost a decade ago, Bowden commented that “online outreach efforts are increasingly important to the relevance of digital library and archives col- lections” (Bowden, 2013, Abstract). Relevance can be measured by many factors, not the least of which is how valuable archival content is to researcher interest. Little did Bowden and other archivists realize just how important such efforts would be less than ten years later during a global pandemic. What was an addendum to and growing trend in our archival practice became mission-critical almost overnight. Outreach is defined by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) as “the process of identify- ing and providing services to constituencies with needs relevant to the repository’s mis- sion and tailoring services to meet those needs” (SAA, 2020a). Outreach might involve any of various methods of practice including and not limited to mounting exhibitions, con- ducting information literacy instruction, and engaging in collaborative programming. Gemma Cattel goes further to say that “outreach is a vital component of any archive or library service’s strategy, and this applies as much to digital archives created via digiti- sation as it does to physical ones” (Cattel, 2015). Conceptually, outreach is adjacent to the notion of advocacy; SAA defines advocacy as “activities in which archivists and their allies engage to gain support for archival re- cords, the institutions that manage these records, archivists, and the archives profes- sion” (SAA, 2020b). By reaching out to myriad constituencies, archivists have the added opportunity to cultivate support of many types beyond that of visitorship and use of archival material. Indeed, with the onset of the pandemic, many institutions found themselves also facing a new or exasperated economic crisis. Battle, Mobley, and Gilbert convincingly argue that “virtual outreach strategies are particularly crucial for these institutions at a time when operating budgets are often stagnant or shrinking, despite increasing demands for ac- cessing greater and more diverse audiences” (Battle, Mobley, and Gilbert, 2016, p. 35). 36 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Cultural institutions, including archival repositories, must always be at the ready to employ ever more engaging technologies to cultivate a following of visitors and sup- porters, financial and otherwise. To achieve this goal, archivists must be willing to test and explore unchartered technological territories. It appears they have been doing just that. In their chapter, “Experience Design for the Humanities: Activating Multiple Inter- pretations,” Ruecker and Roberts-Smith stated that to “enhance the experiences of their audiences, cultural and educational institutions have been leaders in adopting emerg- ing technologies to provide context for the cultural content they offer” (Ruecker and Roberts-Smith, 2017, p. 3). This bodes well for both the institutions and their supporters, regardless of their physical proximity to one another. As recently as February 2020, the importance of online advocacy and outreach was the subject of a substantive paper from the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois or CARLI; the paper entitled, “Guidelines for the Promotion of Digital Collections: Best Practices for Promotion and Marketing” focuses in-depth on social media outlets as means of digital archives promotion and outreach. What is especially valuable about this source is its emphasis on the audience(s) for various platforms and the sustainability of the tools themselves. CARLI also states an important point, that being, “attempting to promote all collections to a general audience on a single platform, however, is not the most effective approach” (CARLI, 2020, pg. 4). Therefore, employing multiple vehicles and considering their specific appeal to targeted audiences is recommended. Even more recently, and right in the middle of the pandemic, Clerkin and Taylor note that physical inaccessibility gives closed institutions’ digital apparatuses “a sudden, out- sized importance: seeking to maintain public access to their intellectual and collections resources, [cultural institutions] scrambled to go remote, relying on existing digital in- frastructures, accelerating in-process digital projects, and trying new online behaviors” (Clerkin and Taylor, 2021, pg. 165). 3 RESEARCH DESIGN While it is clear that virtual and/or online endeavors are now mission-critical, it is not enough simply to reach out; archivists can make a best effort day and night but to what effect? Archivists must also gauge the success and effectiveness of their efforts. Because of the sophistication of certain platforms, varied and detailed analysis can be cultivated by using analytical mechanisms built into online outreach tools. Below, I wish to share the example of FIT/SPARC’s analysis of its Omeka instance’s use, which we employ for online images, collections, and exhibitions, all hosting digitized or born-digital archives assets. Collectively, these online resources are what we call SPARC Digital.3 We are able to analyze visitorship to SPARC Digital via Google Analytics (GA). GA can be manipulated in dozens of ways to display a variety of data. My interest for the purpose of this paper is to get an overall sense of visitorship to the site before and then dur- ing COVID-19 remote work operations. GA allows one to display myriad data points and with beginning and end date parameters. My first date range for the purpose of analysis was 17 March 2019 through 16 March 2020, the last calendar year my unit was operating under normal circumstances. The second date range was 17 March 2020 through 18 January 2021, the date I am writing this part of my paper. During this range, my unit operated almost completely remotely. 3 https://sparcdigital.fitnyc.edu/ 37THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette 4 RESULTS Results of my Omeka instance analysis are meaningful and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 below. The number of visitors increased a total of 56.56 %. Visitors are defined as those who have initiated at least one session during an established date range. The total num- ber of new users was a nearly identical 56.55%. New users are defined as those who are first-time visitors during an established date range. Also pleasing was the increase in the number of sessions, which rose by a very healthy 57.97%. A session is defined as a pe- riod time a user is actively engaged with a website or any similar tool. Also noteworthy is the fact that the date range in the first analysis was twelve months or an entire cal- endar year. The second analysis is for a mere ten months, which were worked in nearly complete remote operations. Fig. 1: Screenshot of FIT/SPARC Digital/Omeka analysis for March 17, 2019-March 16, 2020 (photo: Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY) Fig. 2: Screenshot of FIT/SPARC Digital/Omeka analysis for March 17, 2020-January 18, 2021 (photo: Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY) 5 DISCUSSION While the channel I have discussed thus far demonstrates to be very effective when at- tempting to connect to researchers, “it is worth noting that an outreach strategy em- ploying a mix of complimentary channels will deliver the best [outreach] results” (Cat- tel, 2020). I will discuss these in the following sections. 5.1 SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS Perhaps the most obvious and traditional outlets for online outreach are those of the so- cial media sphere. “Social media is an effective way to promote digital collections” and 38 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette engage many new and different audiences (CARLI, 2020, p. 8). However, the question for archivists is less a matter of if you employ these, but rather more a matter of how active, effective, and strategic you are with these channels. “Social media platforms allow you to build an audience through a variety of interactions” (CARLI, 2020, p. 4). Therefore, archivists are only limited by their imaginations when employing these online vehicles to connect to their use populations. As for FIT/SPARC, we use, from the most to the least active: Instagram, fitspecialcollec- tions; WordPress/Blog, https://blog.fitnyc.edu/materialmode/; Facebook: @Special- Collections: and Twitter: @SPARCFIT. Our Instagram4 instance is the most active of all our social media platforms. We deliver a new post nearly every day and to date, we have posted 1,088 times. At the time of this writing, we have 15,700 followers. Instagram provides rich analytics (which it calls “In- sights”) so we can learn various points of statistical interest including and not limited to accounts reached (Fig. 3); content interactions (Fig. 4); and follower breakdown (Fig. 5). Figs. 3-5: Screenshots of FIT/SPARC Instagram Insights for January 23, 2021(photo: Fash- ion Institute of Technology-SUNY) Our blog, entitled, “Material Mode,”5 is hosted by Wordpress6 and is very well received. Most contributions are offered by FIT/SPARC Associates, who are fashion historians and/ or digital archivists. This platform allows our Associates’ writing to shine as it provides for lengthier and more robust content per post. As of this writing, “Material Mode” has been viewed by nearly 106,000 community members. 4 https://www.instagram.com/fitspecialcollections/ 5 https://blog.fitnyc.edu/materialmode/ 6 https://wordpress.com/ 39THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Fig. 6: Screenshot of FIT/SPARC “Material Mode” analytics for January 20, 2021(photo: Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY) Our Facebook and Twitter instances are the least active online outreach channels; how- ever, I would like to see greater momentum with their use in the future. Currently, we have 2,604 Facebook community members and 1,672 Twitter followers. Due to our in- activity with these platforms, the number of impressions, visits, and follows have re- mained relatively flat over time. 5.2 WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY: OMEKA An original endeavor to plan and install a physical exhibition on the FIT campus was sidelined with the onset of the pandemic. So, in response, I planned and coordinated an online exhibition that incorporated still and dynamic content as well as augment- ed reality, which I will discuss more in-depth in a moment. Prior to the pandemic, FIT/SPARC staff already employed an Omeka-supported online, digital content de- livery space. With the postponement of the aforementioned physical exhibition, I decided to push Omeka’s limits with the installation of the exhibition entitled, Max Meyer and A. Beller & Co.: Interpreting a Hidden History of NYC’s Garment District.7 According to its creators, “‘Omeka’ is a Swahili word meaning to display or layout wares; to speak out; to spread out; to unpack...it signifies the practices that Omeka helps its users to do with digital content and through building digital projects for online communities” (Corporation for Digital Scholarship, 2020). From 27 February through 01 December 2020, online exhibition planners, design- ers, and otherwise contributors met on a weekly basis to consider all aspects of what the show should deliver to visitors. This exhaustive exhibition was launched on 07 December 2020. What do I mean by exhaustive? With the aid of faculty-librar- ian colleagues, Prof. Joseph Anderson and Prof. Miyo Sandlin, I requested as much performance as technology at our disposal would allow for a complete online exhi- bition experience. 7 https://sparcdigital.fitnyc.edu/exhibits/show/meyer-beller 40 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette As one navigates the exhibition, one finds an immersive online environment enhanced with augmented reality; it also will eventually offer a 3D component as well. The coat in Fig. 9 will be captured with 3D rendering technology via a series of cameras. This cap- ture’s resulting image will allow visitors to experience the coat fully in the round and from dozens of vantage points. Again, using augmented reality, one will be able to view the 1920s coat as if it were in the same space as the visitor. I discuss these technologies in more detail below. 5.3 WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY: VOICETHREAD When COVID-19 first began its devastation, sending my colleagues and me into fully re- mote operations practically overnight, all FIT Gladys Marcus Library unit leaders, includ- ing me, were charged with creating online tutorials and orientations to be sure that even while operating remotely, the library, its faculty-librarians, and its staff would re- main relevant to our user communities within and beyond the university. I opted to use VoiceThread8 technology given its inherent collaborative nature. A “VoiceThread” is defined as “a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam)” (State University of New York-Polytechnic Institute, 2021). Depending on one’s delivery method, VoiceThread visitors can be very participatory and offer comments or even be given editing privileges. I make our final version VoiceThread slide shows available via my unit’s YouTube channel9, which, as yet another social media platform, extends even further the reach of content to ever more and diverse researchers. 5.4 WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY: SPRINGSHARE Another web-based platform we use is provided by the source Springshare.10 The online outreach tool we employ from them is LibGuide.11 At this site, visitors can locate instruc- tions for navigating nearly all that FIT/SPARC has to offer including answers to frequently asked questions, many of our online archives finding aids, and more. In short, it serves as a primer to the unit’s operations, services, and products. Springshare helps information professionals, including archivists, operate more stra- tegically in what it refers to as a “digital-first world” by empowering them to provide enhanced service to users (Springshare, 2020a). With the LibGuide mechanism, informa- tion professionals can curate resources, share content, provide answers to most often asked questions, engage a larger community of users, and, even better, analyze the use of various tools and services (Springshare, 2020b). In Fig. 7, readers will see view count statistics for our FIT/SPARC LibGuide from Septem- ber 2019 through September 2020. 8 https://voicethread.com/ 9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0yYv9OyF6thjr1nQVfhnw 10 https://www.springshare.com/ 11 https://fitnyc.libguides.com/sparc 41THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Fig. 7: FIT/SPARC LibGuide view counts, September 2019 through September 2020 (pho- to: Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY) 5.5 AUGMENTED REALITY: ZAPWORKS The FITting Room12 is an augmented reality (AR) experience that allows visitors to virtu- ally “try on” rare and even unique holdings from the archival material my staff and I care for. The landing page is seen in Fig. 8 below. Built using the ZapWorks Studio13 platform, this AR experience helps to bring histori- cal source material nearly to life. Visitors can virtually try on accessories such as hats, scarves, and/or earrings, which are featured in FIT/SPARC original fashion sketches and illustrations by legendary artists. ZapWorks Studio enables archivists and others “to create fully-customisable AR, VR and MR experiences across print, product, packaging, retail, events and much more” (Zap- works, 2021). Fig. 8: Screenshot of FIT-SUNY FITting Room website (photo: Fashion Institute of Tech- nology-SUNY) 12 https://fittingroom.fitnyc.edu/ 13 https://zap.works/studio/ 42 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette 5.6 3D-RENDERING TECHNOLOGY: 3DCOPYSYSTEMS An even more sophisticated technology required me to engage with FIT’s DTech Lab.14 This lab is an extension of FIT’s Innovation Center; it is a true laboratory where FIT stu- dents, faculty, and external industry partners collaborate to advance new ideas, solve real-world problems, and inspire interdisciplinary research. Its mission is to partner with others, like me, using the most sophisticated and innovative technologies such as those found at 3dcopysystems.15 The garment you see in Fig. 9 is one of fourteen fea- tured garments in the online SPARC Digital exhibition mentioned earlier. Fig. 9: Evening Coat, circa 1920s, European or American, silk, metallic thread embroi- dery, School of Graduate Studies, Department of Fashion and Textile Studies, Garment Study Collection, F.2016.16, FIT (photo: D. Paterson, 2020) The Big ALICE studio16 is the largest photogrammetric object-capturing mechanism of 3Dcopysystems’ product catalogue (3Dcopysystems, 2021). All told, the studio consists of sixty-four individual cameras; it provides not only enough space for up to 6 people, should your project require such capacity, but also it offers an extremely high resolu- tion of capture. High resolution helps to ensure a high quality of any associated texture, which plays a very important role in capturing textiles and delivering extraordinary and realistic results. 14 https://dtech.fitnyc.edu/webflow/index.html 15 https://3dcopysystems.com/ 16 https://3dcopysystems.com/big-alice/ 43THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Fig. 10: Image of the Big ALICE studio (photo: 3Dcopysystems, 2021) Ultimately, the coat’s 3D file will be embedded within the online exhibition space for a full, in-the-round experience of the garment for visitors. 6 CONCLUSIONS As we have seen, online outreach via various means, including digital or virtual exhi- bitions, has a rich history and is mission-critical to our present and future successful ar- chives practice. Almost a decade ago, an ever-growing “demand and support for digi- tized content...paved the way for local, regional, national, and global collaboration on developing digital collections, metadata schémas, and preservation standards to share content and metadata” across operating units and certainly beyond. “Virtual exhibi- tions represent one of the outcomes of these trends” (Sabharwal, 2012, p. 8). Only connect! That has been the whole of my sermon for nearly twenty years and has been my foremost message in this paper. It is worth repeating that it is not enough to make an effort to reach out to and hopefully connect to researchers. Archivists must not only employ innovative online outreach methods but also measure their effectiveness, meaning both those of the archivists as well as the tools at their disposal. With today’s tools and their associated analytical means of effectiveness measures, archivists can know with little doubt if they are meeting their online outreach objectives and success- fully and meaningfully connecting to researchers. REFERENCES Battle, M., Mobley, T., & Gilbert, H. (2016). Digital Public History in the Library: Develop- ing the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative at the College of Charleston. In Gilbert H. & White J. (Eds.), Laying the Foundation: Digital Humanities in Academic Libraries (pp. 35–58). West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. Bowden, Emily A. (2013). Archives Outreach in a Digital World: Promoting digital content through online outreach efforts. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://doi.org/ 10.17615/whcv-c902 44 THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Cattell, Gemma via TownsWeb Archiving. (2015). Outreach for Archives - Best Practice Tips. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://blog.townswebarchiving.com/2015/10/ outreach-for-archives-best-practice-tips Clerkin, C., & Taylor, B. (2021). Online Encounters with Museum Antiquities. American Journal of Archaeology, 125(1), 165–175. Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois (CARLI). (2020). Guidelines for the Promotion of Digital Collections: Best Practices for Promotion and Marketing. Re- trieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.carli.illinois.edu/sites/files/digital_ collections/documentation/guidelines_for_promotion.pdf Corporation for Digital Scholarship, the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, and George Mason University. (2020). Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://ome- ka.org/about/project/ Fashion Institute of Technology. (2021). The FITting Room. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.fitnyc.edu/library/digital/index.php Forster, E. M. (1921). Howards End. New York: Vintage Books. Ruecker, S., & Roberts-Smith, J. (2017). Experience Design for the Humanities: Activating Multiple Interpretations. In Sayers J. (Ed.), Making Things and Drawing Boundaries: Experiments in the Digital Humanities (pp. 259–270). Minneapolis; London: Universi- ty of Minnesota Press. Sabharwal, A. (2012). Digital Representation of Disability History: Developing a Virtu- al Exhibition. Archival Issues, 34(1), 7–26. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from http:// www.jstor.org/stable/41756159 Society of American Archivists. (2020). Dictionary of Archival Terminology. Retrieved Janu- ary 16, 2021, from https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/outreach.html Society of American Archivists. (2020). Dictionary of Archival Terminology. Retrieved Janu- ary 16, 2021, from https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/advocacy.html Springshare. (2020). Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.springshare.com/ index.html State University of New York-Polytechnic Institute. (2020). VoiceThread. Retrieved Jan- uary 17, 2021, from https://sunypoly.edu/academics/online-learning/instruction- al-tech/voicethread.html Zapworks. (2021). Zapworks Studio. Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://zap.works/ studio/ 45THE WHOLE OF HER SERMON: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO ARCHIVES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Karen Trivette Robert Parnica1 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Abstract This article investigates how external and internal factors affect the activity of ref- erence services in a microenvironment that very often remain under the radar. The author inquires how the continuous internal dynamic of a constant and complex inter- action between researchers and reference archivists changed both users’ habits and reference archivists. The case study presents results of one private and University archive. We use quantita- tive and qualitative methodologies to analyze and describe statistical data in 17 years to ascertain external and internal factors affecting reference services. Observation and self-reflection proved useful from the institutional point of view and the societal, edu- cational, and even political. The statistical data encapsulated in the institution’s Researchers Database traced crucial moments such as political, educational, or pandemic that affected reference activities such as numbers of new researchers, visits, the total number of requested materials, and digital reproductions. The author ascertains a vital shift in users’ intellectual assess- ing archival records, which does not happen in the research room but outside of it. Such a change in research strategy caused difficulties to archive and retrieve a mass quantity of data. Finally, reference archivist is expected to acquire new reference knowledge and apply emotional intelligence in daily communication with users, especially when conducting entry-interviews. Reference services are under a constant process of gradual transformation, mirror- ing macro events on its micro-community. The archival research rooms became not just physical places where reference archivists are knowledge mediators between archival records and their users but also an area of lively intellectual interaction and sophisticated mediation with the ultimate goal of creating a new knowledge. Al- though ambitiously designed, this study is a modest attempt to indicate a complex nature of change that considerably affects the interaction between users and refer- ence archivists. Keywords: Reference services, reference knowledge, reference interaction, knowl- edge creation 1 INTRODUCTION The benefits that researchers enjoy today concerning physical access came from a long and not always easy process of the historical development that came with dominant 1 Robert Parnica, M.Phil., Senior Reference Archivist, Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives at Central European University, Budapest; Second year Ph.D. candidate at Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor; robertparnica@gmail.com, parnicar@ceu.edu 47 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica societal, intellectual, and political currents in history.2 Today, public access to information represents a fundamental human right that creates favorable conditions for a free ex- change of ideas in a democratic society. This paper partly reflects on the importance and the value of the archives for the community and how society, too, impacted archives and their access policy. Thus, each historical epoch created a set of societal values and norms that archives encapsulated within their holdings.3 The article analyzes past 17 years of ref- erence services in one private and University archives.4 It is a self-reflective observation and the analysis of the dynamic of transformation. The article is ambitious because it re- flects three research themes; societal impact to access to archives, reference services as the mediating point, and reference archivist with archival reference knowledge and skills. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Caused by the postmodernist inquiry into the archival field, and supported by the ad- vance of new technology, decades after the “archival turn” were marked by the emer- gence of new concepts and paradigms that embraced archives and archival science in general. Archives became dynamic places where records were reassessed and re-con- textualized, which created new possibilities for a new type of users who strived to cre- ate new scientific knowledge by re-evaluating old records and using new methodolog- ical lenses (Cook, 2001; Yakel, 2000; Duff & Fox, 2006). The interest in archives and archival science was continually growing over the past sev- eral decades, so is the number of studies (Cox, 1992).5 In the first part of the 20th century, there were two important works of a Dutch and British writer who focused on archives, archival theory, and recordkeeping (Jones, 2002). As the European recordkeeping sys- tem differed from that in the US, Schellenberg published his set of lectures to develop new archival principles and practices (Schellenberg, 2003). Whalen’s book on reference services compiled practical reference experiences from various cultural heritage insti- tutions such as museums, galleries, and other institutions (Whalen, 1986). The state of the art of the 1990s is described by Mary Jo Pugh’s in her classical work in which she ana- lyzed commonly accepted standards for archival reference services in the United States (Pugh, 2005). Although written in 1993, this book today does not entirely fit the criteria caused by the fast technological transformation. 2 From its emergence, archival records and documents were carefully preserved since the origin of the first civilization. Ernst Posner wrote a classical piece, “Archives in the Ancient World,” in which he analyzed an- cient cultures from Egypt, Sumer, and Persia to India and China (Postner, 2003). His main argument is that the records were accessible only for the privileged members of the ruling elite, administration, priests, and rulers. Written documents described microcosms and historical events without any explanation of their causality. Their world was perceived not as linear time passing but rather a cyclic - a constant repeti- tion of divine principles and laws as the universal solution for all epistemic questions that anybody could not challenge (Valge & Kibal, 2007). According to Le Goff, cities became “the center of a politics of memory” (Le Goff, 1992, 59-60). First, the creation and control of memory led to the control of history, mythology, and finally to – power (Cook, 2001). This dominant paradigm of archives and power became a central topic in the works of many intellectuals and philosophers, M. Foucault, E. Ketelaar, and others. Michel Duchein offered linear chronology for the history of archives and access to archival institutions: from the early civ- ilizations up to the beginning of the 19th century; 19th century up to World War II, and access to archives from the end of WWII up to the 1980s (Duchein, 1983). The technological and digital transformation from the early 1990’s up to nowadays requires new and revised views (Klasinc, 2019). 3 Recent writings on state of the art in archival science and access to archives see Novak, 2016 and 2019; Rajh et al., 2013; Gilliland & Mckemmish, 2006; Duff, 2006; Klasinc, 2019; Katelaar in edit. by McKem- misch, 2017; Kecskemty & Szekely, 2005 and others. 4 The description of the case study was conducted by analyzing statistical data in the past 17 years (2003-2020) 5 Frequently archival and library reference services were understood interchangeably, or the library ref- erence was favored by the authors because there were more ordinary people visiting and using libraries than archives. 48 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica In this article, reference services are considered an integral part of the “access” to ar- chives concept, a service developed during past 200 years to facilitate access to users by establishing precise rules and regulations for the protection of records (Schellenberg, 2003). Today reference services are shifting from providing physical access to records toward mediation between archival holdings and users increasingly focused on obtain- ing information from and about the record in the process of acquiring new knowledge (Yakel, 2000) 3 RESEARCH DESIGN “Access” to archives and “reference services” are two terms that are inseparable from each other and which are used interchangeably in this text. The term “access” possesses at least two sets of meanings, firstly, it includes rules and regulations that govern ac- cess into the research room and use of records, and secondly, it contains the whole set of concepts and theoretical paradigms developed throughout history (Duranti, 1989; Eastwood, 1994; Bloiun, 1999; Cook, 2001; Gilliland & Mckemmish, 2006; Yakel, 2011). The historical analysis of literature proves how then, but also today, societal and oth- er external factors can cause changes in access policy’s dynamic. The author selected the case study analysis of one private and University archives in Hungary, where the dynamic of social and political events reflected considerably to access. The analysis of the last 17 years of the archives’ reference activities is primarily based on the available statistical data from the Researchers Database and official Annual Reports. The author tries to detect external and internal impulses that caused oscillations and disturbance in reference services. The parameters used as a reference and object of analysis include numbers of newly registered researchers, number of visits, archival materials served, and number of reproduction made in this period (See Table 1). The section continues with observing the activities inside the research room while ana- lyzing users’ research techniques and how they changed over time. Reference archivists became cognizant of adopting new communication techniques with users who became much more knowledgeable of archival fonds. The last part of the paper is a self-reflec- tion on the process of creating trust between users and archivists based on the Archi- val Reference Knowledge Model suggested by Duff, Yakel, and Tibbo (Duff et al. 2013). They defined three significant types of knowledge inherent to a reference archivist: a. collection knowledge, b. research knowledge, and c. interaction knowledge. For the researcher, the essential knowledge is ‘collection knowledge’ that derives from famil- iarity with catalog and is structure and fonds’ standardized descriptions. It can also be accumulated by processing archival collections and curating digital collections. Contex- tual knowledge is the intrinsic part of the ‘collection knowledge’ and, in many cases, more important than folders’ content. Research knowledge represents a set of skills and characteristics about how to conduct research. It comprises ‘domain knowledge’ (profound knowledge of the research theme) and research methodology to ‘artificial literacy,’ a skill of understanding how to read records as objects among various genres and interpret them. ‘Interaction knowledge’ presupposes knowledge of people inside and outside the institution, organization of the institution, and access systems with all rules, standards, and procedures. (Duff et al. 2013:86). The study has several limitations, from practical and conceptual points of view such as 1. The case study data observed relates only to a private and University archive. 2. The study could not reflect on all external and internal factors that can make an impact on access. 3. Due to different geographic, political, intellectual, and cultural differences, this micro observation might not always follow general trends in the national context. 49 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica 4. Not all statistical data will be analyzed, including qualitative. Data presented are also not in absolute numbers because of some inconsistencies.6 5. Study will neither cover the digital component nor focus on the analysis of archival procedures and regulations. 6. The study only partly elaborates on users’ habits.7 Some of these issues will be in fo- cus in the future. 4 RESULTS 4.1. RESEARCH ROOM AND INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL IMPULSES The Researchers Database (2003 – 2020) and Annual Reports (1995 – 2020) identified four turning points in trends when reference services faced disruption and a decline in the number of visitors (Table 1).8 There was one point when these numbers started to change upwards, illustrating a positive moment. The first remarkable decrease in vis- its we see in 2006, when archives moved from the central University to a new location (Table 2). From 1995 to 2005, the research room was an intrinsic part of the University library and its reading room (OSA Annual Report, 2006).9 The University students could easily switch from one reading room to another, even during short breaks between classes. The new location forced students to change their research strategy and adjust visits according to their schedule. Instead of frequent and short visits before, they had to plan a visit and spend more time at the new location - less frequently. From 2006 till 2010, the number of new researchers steadily grew, and in 2011 it reached figures before the move (Table 2). A vital contribution to the increase in numbers of new re- searchers and their visits was in establishing the Visegrad scholarship that was founded in 2010 by the International Visegrad Fund (OSA Annual Report, 2010).10 The scholarship provided 15 places for the scholars from the region to spend up to 2 months at archives researching. This scholarship has secured a constant flow of researchers up to today.11 Since 2017, the University experienced unprecedented political and media pressure, which also affected the number of visitors (OSA Annual Report, 2018).12 Due to the legal acts that prevented the University’s functioning in Hungary, a decision was made to par- tially move University teaching to Vienna in the academic year 2018/19 and entirely in the academic year 2019/20 (OSA Annual Report 2017).13 The archives, i.e., Blinken OSA, as an integral part of the University remained in Budapest. Finally, the last turning point happened in 2020, and it has been continuing with the global pandemic of Covid-19. It caused mass closure and a drastic reduction of international travel. 2020 is regarded as the worst year in the history of archival reference services of Blinken OSA ever (Table 2). 6 One example, reference archivists trust researchers to report an approximate and not precise number of their digital images. The researcher’s input is added into the Researchers Database. 7 Due to the lack of time and the paper’s prescribed length, I cannot reflect on other issues. 8 Data from the early period 1995-2003 are not complete. That was the reason not to include them in the statistics for analysis. All administration was kept manually and by administrative staff without knowl- edge of English. 2003 was a turning point when a new, access based database for registration and mon- itoring was introduced. It simplified the process, reduced the mistakes, and helped reference archivists to locate archival materials. 9 https://www.osaarchivum.org/files/page/420/587/rferep2006.pdf (28.01.2021) 10 The Visegrad scholarship offered 15 grants annually with the design to provide access to the Archives for scholars, researchers, artists, and journalists. The grant covers travel to and from Budapest, modest sub- sistence, and accommodation in Budapest for a maximum research period of two months. https://www. osaarchivum.org/work-with-us/fellowship/visegrad-scholarship/report-2010-2019 (21. 01. 2021.) 11 https://www.osaarchivum.org/work-with-us/fellowship/visegrad-scholarship/winnners-and-re- serves (21. 01. 2021.) 12 https://ar2018.osaarchivum.org/ (28.01.2021) 13 http://ar2017.osaarchivum.org/ (28.01.2021) 50 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica 4.2. OBSERVING THE RESEARCH ROOM AND USERS Compared with the late ‘90s and early 2000s, careful observation can distinguish sig- nificant transformation inside the research room. The portable computers were rare, and a majority of users took notes on paper. As the technology progressed and archives moved to a new location, new hardware and software replaced the old one. The re- search room was equipped with audiovisual and TV sets together with microfilm read- ers. The archives introduced PC stations for the electronic catalogs in 1999 and the first scanner in 2005. In 2000 archives decided to stop producing Xerox copies and thus transferred all copy reproduction responsibility to the researchers (OSA Annual Reports, 2000, and 2006).14 The emergence of digital cameras in the research room also brought to a profound trans- formation of users by adopting new research strategies to make digital reproductions and the research process. Facing unlimited possibilities for digital copies, researchers spent more time ordering and dealing with the number of boxes and folders rather than studiously analyzing their content (Table 3). Instead of working with one archival box at a time, users requested maximum archival boxes.15 Users also completed their work in a much faster fashion. The introduction of digital photo cameras brought to some notable effects: a. users became more interested in the quantity of entire body of related re- sources applying ‘holistic’ approach to check ‘everything possible’; b. the accumulation of a significant number of digital images takes considerable time for archiving and re- trieving; c. the cognitive process of reading and critical assessing of records is happening outside the research room. Users spend less time analyzing and taking notes but instead creating metadata of their archived files; d. while searching for materials, users often got the inspiration for a new project and worked simultaneously.16 4.3. INTERVIEWING RESEARCHERS – ESTABLISHING THE TRUST This first communication between researcher and archivist is crucial to obtain informa- tion important for placing research question in the historical context and context of ar- chival fonds. Archival praxis (OSA Annual Report, 2017),17 proved that there are several types of introductory interviews. The first type is for the ‘first time visit’ users. Their re- search topic is neither clearly defined nor research question - crystalized. They neither know the structure of archival collections nor are they familiar with online finding aids. These users require extra time and attention because they need guidance throughout the process, from finding online call numbers of an archival container to completing a request form. They are instructed how to use search engines and to navigate throughout the archival fonds, sub fonds, with an ultimate goal to make them fully independent. Besides, researchers are informed about the basic research room Rules and Regulations and how to fill in and complete the Registration Form and the Request Form. The second type of interviews pertains to researchers familiar with the institutional web site, who possess solid knowledge of archival fonds, and whose research question is unique and very specific. They might also acquire contextual knowledge but still miss a piece of in- 14 Researchers are encouraged to bring their cameras to produce as many digital images as they want with- out restriction. The permission to make digital images was granted after they signed the Researcher’s Statement by which they were obliged to use them only for academic and educational purposes. https:// www.osaarchivum.org/files/page/420/587/rferep2006.pdf (28.01.2021) 15 http://ar2015.osaarchivum.org/ (28.01.2021) 16 Besides institutional Visegrad Scholarship, several researchers mentioned financial constraints in their institution, receiving fewer funds for shorter research periods. A few foreign researchers came on their using vacation days and financing entire stays. 17 http://ar2017.osaarchivum.org/#cbp=/staff-subjective/ (28.01.2021) 51 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica formation to complete their findings. Interviews with such researchers are demanding and require full attention from the reference archivists. In many cases, archivists also need to demonstrate emotional competence, i.e., willingness to find the answers. Us- ers’ questions became increasingly complicated, often bringing archivists to a new level of granularity of maybe unknown microhistory. Reference archivists demonstrate an ability to listen carefully and simultaneously to draft the answers that match the user’s expectations - mentally. The third type of interviews makes a group of researchers who are rarely in archives or come once in their lifetime. These could be students who came to complete their seminar paper or elderly to find genealogical connections or some professions outside the academic milieu. They are unaware of the record’s context or provenance, and if it is a forgery and reliable document, they primarily seek an answer to their current inquiry.18 Interviews with users play a significant role in the building of mutual trust. The archivist must demonstrate full intellectual and professional capacities that include demonstrating archival reference knowledge (Duff et al., 2013). Reference archivists should use diplo- matic methods to evaluate and estimate the user’s research topic and dedication to com- plete the task. Based on this, archivists can structure the conversation almost instantly. Interview thus helps in a mutual process of creating the trust for common collaboration, which is crucial for completing the research. This process of building professional trust seems to be underestimated because of its complex nature. Interpersonal and emotional competence vary from one to other reference archivists, and it is difficult to ‘measure’ or prescribe. To sum up, reference archivists must carefully assess the researcher’s request, based on specific criteria and apply the interview strategy accordingly.19 Archival research rooms became places where reference archivists also became significant intellectual me- diators and active collaborators in stimulating the knowledge production process. 5. DISCUSSION Access to archives can unpredictably be affected by external social, political, and inter- nal factors. Among internal factors, it could be interesting to investigate further how a change in academic curriculum stimulates or diminish interest in particular topics. Table 1 offers different data for other types of examination.20 The archival reference knowledge model proposed by Duff et al. This author would en- rich with additional thoughts and suggestions. The principal remark lies in underesti- mated ethical principles in which the archival reference knowledge operates. Although principles could not be associated with ‘knowledge,’ I would suggest a term that com- bines ethical and interpersonal behavior - ‘emotional intelligence’ – the basic principle of empathy and a positive attitude toward the users’ needs.21 The ‘emotional intelligence’ could comprise the following elements: a. willingness and commitment to help and provide information even if archival materials are not avail- able or information is incomplete. It also includes human and democratic approaches 18 Every interview is unique in its way. For this text, I limit interview taxonomy on these three major groups. However, I could distinguish more groups by applying different parameters. 19 To exit an archive physically presupposes an ‘exit interview.’ With this, researchers gave feedback on their findings and express satisfaction with the quality of services. The most visible proof of this satisfac- tion is the acknowledgment in published works. 20 The number of requests and the average per month, but also many produced digital copies. 21 Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. The abil- ity to express and control emotions is essential, but so is the ability to understand, interpret, and re- spond to others’ emotions. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-emotional-intelligence-2795423 (25.01.2021) 52 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica toward on-site and ‘invisible,’ off-site researchers seeking information; b. responsibility to check if the researcher understands the rules and procedures; if he is properly using archival finding aids; responsibility to check if researchers exhausted all similar fonds for his/her research question; to share the knowledge about the information at other similar institutions; to demonstrate responsibility by checking if the researcher applies appropriate research strategy; c. commitment to share archival reference knowledge and thus to enlighten them with broader archival context. This activity also includes giv- ing lectures and presentations, mentoring students, etc. Reference archivists must at any time be conscious of their responsibility toward researchers and always help them in finding and discovering new knowledge. Archivists, too, via researchers, establish re- sponsibility toward community and society. Reference archivist listens and observes, acts and demonstrates, creates and provides, mentors and navigates – for the benefits of users. Archivists are increasingly exposed to users’ questions and queries on access to online resources and digital platforms as never before during these pandemic days.22 Archival reference knowledge, including archival emotional intelligence, are uniquely acquired during a more extended period. Because of these qualities, reference archi- vists became active players in designing outreach campaigns and in academia. Their activities include a. keeping contact with educational and research institutions, organ- izing lectures off and online, organizing pre-session events, open days, etc.; b. writing blogs, articles, and newsletters, designing website pages, promote social platforms, give interviews and prepare podcasts; c. mentoring researchers, interns, and volun- teers; d. giving offline and online lectures and presentations, mentor university stu- dents to cooperate with faculty, and e. participate in public programs and similar events such as the exhibitions, etc. (OSA Annual Report, 2010).23 6. CONCLUSION The case study analysis showed that the institutional Reference Service of the Blink- en Open Society Archives (OSA), since its formation in 1995, was playing a prominent role in assisting numerous students and researchers to obtain archival records needed to address their research questions. However, by servicing researchers the reference archivists actively participated in the knowledge production process that happened in the research room. The statistical data analysis illustrates the trend of constant development with important moments caused by external and internal factors that accelerated or slowed down free access to archives. Reference archivist meets users who pose sophisticated questions seeking precise and accurate answers. Also, a refer- ence archivist needs to show archival and emotional intelligence, demonstrate com- petence over many professional areas, show stable orientation in historical periods, have good knowledge of archival fonds, and finally, to demonstrate skills inherent to a reference archivist. Thus, archival research rooms became not just physical places where reference archi- vists are knowledge mediators between archival records and their users but also an area of lively intellectual interaction and sophisticated mediation. From inside the insti- tution, reference archivists maintain a considerable archival knowledge of analog and 22 Research Cloud is a new online tool designed in 2020 for our students who study at the Viennese campus and who cannot come to research in Budapest’s archives. Thus, the OSA Research Cloud provides remote access to digitized archival materials, which are usually available for examination only in Blinken OSA’s physical Research Room and cannot be put online for copyright or privacy reasons. The Research Cloud Platform is designed at Microsoft Office 365 SharePoint platform. 23 https://www.osaarchivum.org/files/page/420/583/rferep2010.pdf (28.01.2021) 53 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica digital collections. However, at the same time, they actively participate in the process of the creation of new knowledge by active collaboration with historians and other users. Reference archivists have an essential role in directing users to the area of their research interest. They suggest sources because archivists are interested in their researchers’ re- sults as they are in the formation of new knowledge and cognition. REFERENCE LIST SOURCES: Blinken OSA, Institutional Research Database 2003-2020 Blinken OSA Annual Reports: 2000; 2006; 2010; 2017; 2018, Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://www.osaarchivum.org/about-us/annual-reports Duchein, M. (1983) Obstacles to the Access, Use and Transfer of Information from Archives: A RAMP Study. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. LITERATURE: Blouin, F. X. Jr. (1999). Archivists, Mediation, and Constructs of Social Memory. Archival Issues, 24(2), 101–112. Cok, R. J. (1992). 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McKemmish & Andrew Lau (Eds.), Research in the Archival Multiverse. (pp.75–95). Melbourne: Monash Publishing. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://library.oapen.org/ handle/20.500.12657/31429 Eastwood, T. (1994). What is Archival Theory and Why is it Important? Archivaria 37, 122–130. Gilliland, A. & McKemmish. S. (2004). Building an Infrastructure for Archival Research. Archival Science 4, 149–197. Gilliland-Swetland, A. (2000). Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities: The Value of the Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment. Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. Jones, H. G. (2003). Introduction to 2003 Reissue. In: T. J. Schellenberg (Ed.), Modern Ar- chives: Principles and Techniques (pp. xi-xiii). Chicago: The Society of the American Archivists. Kecskemeti, C. & Szekely, I. (2005). Access to Archives: A handbook of guidelines for im- plementation of Recommendation No R (2000) 13 on a European policy on access to archives. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. 54 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica Ketelaar, E. (2015). Archival Turns and Returns, Study of the Archive. In: A. J. Gilliland, S. McKemmish & Andrew Lau (Eds.), Research in the Archival Multiverse, (pp. 228–268). Melbourne: Monash Publishing. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://library. oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/31429 Klasinc, P.P. (2019). Archival Science – Today. Atlanti+, 29(1), 10–18. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.33700/2670-4579.29.1.10-18(2019) Klasinc, P.P. (2020). An Overview of Selected Historical Periods in Archiving Up Until the Foundation of IIAS Institute and Atlanta Journal All the Way to the Present Day. At- lanti, 30(1), 10–31. Le Goff, J. (1992). Memory and History. New York: Columbia University Press. McCausland, S. (2011). A Future Without Mediation? Online Access, Archivists, and the Future of Archival Research. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 42(4), 309– 319. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publica- tion/284494984_A_Future_Without_Mediation_Online_Access_Archivists_and_ the_Future_of_Archival_Research Novak, M. (2019). Teorijski i praktični aspekti upravljanja relacijama u suvremenoj ar- hivskoj teoriji i praksi. Arhivski vjesnik 62, 47–61. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from http://arhivskivjesnik.arhiv.hr/index.php/arhivski_vjesnik/article/view/104/89 Novak, M. (2014). Metode stručnog istraživačkog rada u suvremenoj arhivskoj teoriji i praksi. Arhivska praksa 14, 213–227. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from http://www. arhivtk.ba/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ARHIVSKA-PRAKSA-14.pdf Posner, E. (2003). Archives in the Ancient World. Chicago: Reprinted by the Society of the American Archivists. Pugh, M. J. (2005). Providing Reference Services for Archives & Manuscripts. Chicago: The Society of the American Archivists. Scellenberg, T. J. (2003). Modern Archives: Principles and Techniques. Chicago: The Society of the American Archivists. Semlič Rajh, Z., Šabotić, I., & Šauperl A. (2013). Research in Archival Science: Charac- teristics of Two Research Methods. Znanstvenoraziskovalno delo v arhivistiki: značilnosti uporabe dveh raziskovalnih metod. V: N. Gostenčnik (Ed,), Tehnični in vsebinski problemi klasičnega in elektronskega arhiviranja: arhivi in ustvarjalci gradiva: stanje in perspektive, 125–144. Maribor: Pokrajinski arhiv Maribor. Retrieved Jan- uary 28, 2021, from http://journal.almamater.si/index.php/atlantiplus/article/ view/241/224 Tener, J. (1978). Accessibility and Archives. Archivaria 6, 16–31. Valge, J. & Kibal, B. (2007). Restriction on Access to Archives and Records in Europe: A History of the Current Situation, Journal of the Society of Archivists, 28(2), 193–214. Whalen, L. (Ed.). (1986). Reference Services in Archives. New York: Routledge. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/reference-servic- es-archives-lucille-whalen/e/10.4324/9780429353055 Yakel, E. (2000). Thinking Inside and Outside the Boxes: Archival Reference Services at the Turn of the Century. Archivaria 49, 140–160. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/12742/13927 Yakel, E. (2011). Who Represents the Past? Archives, Records, and the Social Web. In: T. Cook (Ed.), Controlling the Past, Documenting Society and Institutions (pp. 257–278). Chicago: The Society of the American Archivists 55 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica Table 1: Research Room Statistic 2003 – 2020, - Blinken OSA, Statistical data from the Researchers Database A B C D E F G H I J 2003 213 1537 7,5 4,50 23800 6060 2004 223 323 1554 6,9 3,51 1446 6,5 11710 3740 2005 163 305 1326 6,7 624 4 9080 2889 2006 191 253 733 3,72 651 3,18 36918 2772 2007 181 231 590 3,08 514 2,75 22282 5655 2008 199 277 745 3,72 3,51 674 3,54 57033 2391 2009 204 286 693 3,41 3,39 627 3 26768 2844 2010 200 302 812 3,75 3,51 652 3,25 30850 22185 2011 219 340 1143 4,91 4,29 859 3,91 34442 2674 2012 215 362 1280 5,72 4,06 998 4,27 61504 3055 2013 208 379 1155 5,54 819 3,7 66856 3804 2014 219 430 1468 6,45 3,47 980 4,54 96792 3088 2015 217 416 1419 6,54 3,55 1022 4.72 67919 3420 2016 212 389 1373 6.18 3,57 935 4.09 53404 2934 2017 211 403 1361 6,36 4,07 1119 5,27 113290 5240 2018 212 415 1344 5,83 5,05 1071 5 74950 2312 2019 202 319 1161 5,7 4,37 924 4.1 99270 2937 2020 119 137 380 3.25 3:53 225 2.1 18657 884 Source: Blinken OSA’s researchers Database, 2003-2020; OSA Annual Report, 2012. A - years; B – days open in a year; C – new registered researchers; D – visit to research room; E – visits per year; F – average hours spent per researcher; G – # of requests; H – average # of requests per year; I - # of digital images produced; J - # of archival units/containers served. Empty space – data unavailable 56 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica Table 2: Number of New Registered Researchers and Number of Total Annual Visits in the Research Room, 2003 – 2020, Sources: Researchers Database, Blinken OSA Table 3: Number of Registered Archival Units and Total Number of Reproductions (Xerox and Digital) Research Room 2003 – 2020, Sources: Researchers Database, Blinken OSA 57 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF REFERENCE SERVICES IN DIGITAL ERA (SELF-REFLECTION OF THE SHIFTING ROLES FROM CLASSICAL TOWARD MODERN REFERENCING) Robert Parnica 58 NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Editors of © Atlanti + / International Scientific Review for Contemporary Archival Theory and Practice welcome initial approaches from prospective authors. Acceptance of articles is subject to an anonymous refereeing process. 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