Archival institutions not only store documents, but also provide citizens with access to archival information. One of the ways to realize this possibility is access to archival documents in the reading rooms. Let's take a closer look at who can visit the reading rooms and how they work.
Reading rooms in the state historical archives are needed so that visitors can work with documents. As a rule, researchers work with documents in order to write scientific papers, articles, books, as well as those who draw up genealogical trees.
To get to the reading room, you need to come to the archive with an identity card (passport, driver's license), fill out an application form and an application indicating the topic of the work. Now, in many archives, this can be done by e-mail, sending scanned documents, and when visiting the reading room, you must provide them in their original form.
Those who are looking for relatives, information about which is necessary for the past 75 years, need to have documents proving kinship with them. So, if you need information about joining the Komsomol of your grandfather on the father's side, then you must have your father's documents and your documents with you (birth certificate, passports by which you can trace the last name, as well as a marriage certificate for women). In addition, an employee of the reading room must familiarize visitors with the rules of work.
After paperwork in the reading room, the visitor is given guides and other methodological aids: lists, registers of inventories, indexes, catalogs) Then the user is already familiar with the inventories of the funds.
Archival inventory is an archival directory containing a systematized list of storage units of the archival fund, collection and intended for their accounting and disclosure of content.
The visitor draws up a request in which he indicates the selected cases. Limits on the number of cases are established by the archives in accordance with the rules of work. The researcher will not be able to receive the files immediately, but after the time also established by the rules of the archive. Usually the time period is 1 to 3 days. The fact is that thousands of documents are stored in the archives, and it is simply impossible to pick them up quickly. Cases are stored in large archives, which can even be located in different buildings, if the archive has several buildings. Therefore, it takes time to find cases. In addition, employees, before issuing them, must look through each case one page through and record the presence of all documents. Only after this will the cases be able to get into the reading room.
You also need to be prepared for the fact that certain documents may be closed for users. This is due to the secrecy of some information (state secrets, personal information, etc.). Restricted documents can only be viewed by archive staff. If the researcher needs certain information from such documents, he can order a certificate (socio-legal or thematic inquiry), which will be executed within the established time frame.
In addition, sometimes the limitation can be attributed to the poor physical condition of the document.
After being issued to the reading room, the researcher has the right to work with documents, make extracts from them. Copying (photographing, scanning, photocopying), as a rule, is a paid service.
After the researcher has done the necessary work, the files are handed over to the employee of the reading room, who transfers them to the archives. The archivists check the presence and condition of the documents one page at a time, and then put them in place.
Certain rules have been developed about what can and can be done in the reading room. So, for example, it is strictly forbidden to bring food to the reading room, to come in outer clothing, with large bags and packages. It is better to work with documents with gloves - this way you can prolong their safety and protect yourself from dust. The fact is that after flipping with your fingers, sweat-fatty traces on the paper remain on the sheets, which also destroys it. You cannot, of course, tear the sheets, tear them out of the case, write on them. After all, every archival document contains a history. He is unique in himself. The longer we can save documents, the longer they can serve us for our benefit.
