Development of Kalmykia’s Archives, 1990s to Early 2000s

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines activities of Kalmykia’s archival institutions between the 1990s and early 2000s, i.e. the period to have witnessed a nationwide redistribution of authority, strengthened self-sufficiency of regions, and increased sociopolitical role of Russia’s state archival service. Goals. The paper aims to investigate impacts of the administrative and archival reforms on the development of archival affairs in Kalmykia, consider problems of security of archives and archival documents, IT-related challenges. Materials and methods. The work analyzes documents from the National Archive of Kalmykia for historical perspectives on archival construction in the republic and introduces some newly discovered documents that characterize the examined period into scientific circulation. The work employs an integrated approach to the study of documents and materials. Results. The work shows that the period under consideration is characterized by cardinal changes in Kalmykia’s archival construction and activities of archival institutions under new conditions.

Keywords

• reform
• archival affairs
• archival institutions
• preservation
• acquisition
• digitization
• it