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SPP Conference Archives and Democracies in Transition, Vilnius, Lithuania 6-7 October 2011
Date Added:19 November 2011
The Fall Conference of the Section of Archives and Archivists of Parliaments and Political Parties (SPP) of the International Council of Archives (ICA) was held at the Lithuanian Parliament in Vilnius. The focus was on the activities of Eastern and Central European Parliamentary and Political archives in the last two decades.
Lithuanian Coat of Arms
The Annual Conference of the SPP " Archives and Democracies in Transition" was organized at the Seimas (Parliament ) of the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius on 6 -7 Octonber 2011 under the main responsibility of the member of the Steering Committee of SPP, Ms. Vida Kisuiene. The Conference was attended by 87 participants from 14 countries around the world, as well as by students of history and archives from Lithuanian universities.
The Conference discussed the impact of democratic proceses on the activities of archives and the chaallenges that preservation and communication of historical documentary heritage pose to these activities and their significance for democratic development. The Conference mainly focused on the activties of Parliamentary and Party archives in central and Eastern Europe over the past two decades, especially on changes they experienced after conferences of the SPP held in this region: Prague (1994), Budapest (1995) and Warsaw (1997) .
In his opening speech Česlovas Vytautas Stankevičius, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas,Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, underlined the importance of preservation and communication of archives, as well as the role of the Conference in the community of archivists. He also noted that political parties in Lithuania should focus more on preservation and communication of their historical documentary heritage. At the Conference, presentations were made by representatives of parliamentary and party archives, scientists, and historians from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, the Slovak Republic, Georgia, Hungary, and Lithuania.During the two days of the Conference, the participants had an opportunity to share their professional experience and cover relevant issues while holding discussions and personal conversations. The Conference was directly broadcast online and on the Seimas Television channel Seimas-tiesiogiai. Dr Günter Schefbeck, Vice-President of the SPP chaired the Conference and gave an interview to the Seimas Television, which was preparing a report on the visit of the participants of the Conference to the Archive of the Seimas. The Conference was also directly covered in the news programme of the Lithuanian National Television.
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The focus was on the activitiies of Eastern and Central European Parliamentary and Political archives in the last two decades.
The Conference "" discussed how democratic processes are reflected in the archives of parliament and political parties, what challenges the archives face, and what is the impact and significance of the preservatrion and diessemination of the historical decumentary heritage on the development of democracy over the last two decades.