The 1st scientific conference of the State Archives took place on Tuesday, on the topic "Archives in Cyprus. Organization - Expectations - Perspectives". The conference was held on the occasion of the International Archives Week, celebrated this year between 6 and 10 June 2022 and dedicated to the memory of the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Zeta Emylianidou.
As stated in a press release from the GSF, the aim of the celebrations, at an international level, is to highlight the usefulness of archives for society, good governance and to raise public awareness of their importance and value.
The State Archives of the Republic of Cyprus, in its effort to promote the archival institutions operating in Cyprus, to acquaint the public with the archival documents preserved in them and to record their perspectives in the new digital environment, organized the scientific conference, inviting the most important archival management institutions in Cyprus.
The conference was opened by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Stefi Drakou, who praised the importance of archives for good administration and historical research, stressing at the same time the contribution of the State Archives to this end.
The Minister of Justice noted that during the years of its operation, the State Archives has preserved more than 17 kilometres of shelf-length archives, both of the public and wider public sector and private, which it preserves, conserves and digitises.
He added that the aim is to preserve the wealth it presents on the history of Cyprus, as it preserves records from 1893 to the present day.
The State Archives, he then said, provides important services to the Government and the general public, now serving citizens electronically.
At the Conservation and Photographic Reproduction Laboratories, hundreds of documents are preserved, proactively and completely, annually, most of them in poor condition, he further said adding that these documents include maps, pictures, photographs, letters, architectural drawings, which are immediately digitized to avoid further deterioration.
Drakou announced that following a proposal by her Ministry to the Council of Ministers, the researchers in the Reading Room were approved to photograph the archives free of charge, using their own resources, which had been a long-standing and persistent request of the researchers. It will be implemented as soon as the relevant regulations are prepared.
Referring to the loss of the Minister of Labour, Drakou said that our beloved Zeta, after 3 weeks of a hard and uneven battle with death, began her journey into the light. She added that Zeta was for the entire society a moderate, hardworking, determined, intelligent and pioneering person.
She also noted that the loss is great for the country, since Zeta for 9 uninterrupted years selflessly offered her services to the country and to each and every citizen individually.
An excellent Minister, a worthy mother, a model woman has passed away, she continued, expressing condolences to her family.
In his speech, the Deputy Curator of the State Archives, Christos Kyriakides, after welcoming the participants, presented the important role played by the State Archives in preserving, preserving and making available to the public the archives produced, for the most part, by the public sector, the expectations for its development and the prospects that appear in the new environment that electronic archives impose.
RIK Director General Thanasis Tsokos, Director of the Press and Information Office, Aliki Stylianou, spoke about the contribution of their organisations to the preservation of their respective archives, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Scientific Research, Kyprianos Louis, for the Centre's Oral Tradition Archive and the Scientific Director of the Pattihio Municipal Museum - Historical Archive and Study Centre of Limassol, Mimis Sofokleous.
In particular, the Director of the Press and Information Office (PIO) said that the PIO manages two very important archives: The Press Archive and the Photographic Archive.
She added that the Press Archive currently has 1,291 newspaper and magazine titles in Greek, Turkish and other languages and is the richest collection of newspapers and magazines published in Cyprus from 1878 to date and the only one that can comprehensively cover the needs of the country's research community.
The Photographic Archive dates back to the 1950s and includes material from the daily coverage of the CPS photographers, as well as private collections donated or purchased by the CPS, he added, adding that it is a highly comprehensive depiction of the political, social, economic and cultural life of Cyprus, including crucial aspects of contemporary history.
The second session featured presentations on private archives operating in Cyprus and abroad. The Archivist of the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus, Constantinos Theodotou, spoke about the Archive of the Archbishops of Cyprus, while the Researcher at the Centre for Studies of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, Kostis Kokkinoftas, spoke about the Cyprus-related documents of the Archive of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Scientific Director of the Centre for Studies, Tassos Papadopoulos, Associate Professor of Contemporary Greek History, Petros Papapolyviou, for the archive kept at the institution, and finally, the Curator of Collections of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Christodoulos Hadjichristodoulou, for the Historical Archive of the Foundation.
The press release states that the most important conclusion that was drawn is that the challenges facing archival institutions are common, and the cooperation of all stakeholders is essential to address them.
It is added that the State Archives is also striving to establish the conference on an annual basis.
Source: CNA
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