International Archives Day ( International Archives Day ), celebrated annually on June 9, was established by the International Council of Archives, ISA ( International Council on Archives, ICA ) in November 2007 at the General Assembly in Quebec ( Canada ).
The date for the holiday was not chosen by chance – on this day in 1948, by the decision of UNESCO and under its auspices, ISA was founded. The date of formation of this organization was defined as International Day of Archives, and the first holiday, held in 2008, became at the same time the 60th anniversary of the founding of ISA.
International Council of Archives – a professional organization of the world archival community that contributes to the preservation, development and use of the world archival heritage. It is a neutral non-governmental organization funded by its members from many archives around the world. To date, there are about 1.5 thousand members from more than 190 countries in ISAs.
The organization’s activities are aimed at solving issues of effective archive management and the preservation, processing and use of archival heritage in the world through the establishment of international standards and advanced training of archivists, as well as providing access to archives through dialogue between archivists, politicians, entrepreneurs and ordinary users of archives.
It is not surprising that high demands are placed on the archivist, in addition to professional knowledge, he must have a number of business and human qualities. After all, he was given the right to preserve monuments of history and culture of lasting importance. Throughout the life of the document, archivists conduct its scientific, technical, conservative, restoration processing in order to ensure the safety of information and its carrier.
In addition, in the modern world of high technologies, for the rational use of documents for scientific, cultural, social purposes, ensuring the prompt search for the necessary information, saving data, interpreting them accurately and ensuring targeted use, archivists should also have the skills to work with various storage media and modern technologies, and continuously improve their knowledge and working methods.
For society, the role of archives is difficult to overestimate. Being a kind of information center, they provide access to retrospective documentary information, help solve the problems of the country's socio-economic development, effective public administration, and also provide scientific knowledge of the past.
But the archives of – is not only a serious information resource of cultural and historical heritage. In the life of each individual, archives sometimes play an equally role. After all, there is stored individual information about each of us, about any legal transactions, financial transactions, etc. The variety of archival sources and formats is huge. Therefore, archival data is a valuable testament to the economic, political and social development of mankind.
Save documentary heritage, enable people to get acquainted with unique documents – the main task of archivists.
Therefore, Archives Day – is not only a professional holiday for all employees of this industry, but also a memorial date set to attract the attention of the general public and decision-makers to the achievements and problems of archiving.
Traditionally, various festive and educational events have been timed to this Day in different countries in order to promote the role and importance of archives, as well as the profession of archivists, when I want to note the responsible work of people in this important profession. In most cases, the organizers of the events are members of the ISAs, who also urge employees of all archives to demonstrate their successes and achievements regardless of their regional and national affiliation.
I must say that in many countries there are also their national days of archives, which were established even before the adoption of this common date. Recall that in Russia a professional holiday of archive workers is celebrated annually on March 10.