«To ensure the preservation of our documentary heritage, we are working to digitize archival documents. For example, this year alone we have digitized more than 1,500 files and created over 560,000 digital pages. This work will continue,» Mikhail Glushakov said.

«The archive regularly prepares files for restoration, rebinding and microfilming. The Central Laboratory for the Preservation of Documents of the National Archival Fund of the Republic of Belarus restores and rebinds approximately 50,000-70,000 sheets every year. The documents undergo mycological examination to identify biological damage,» he added.

The National Historical Archives’ collection features more than 1 million archival units. They include the oldest and particularly valuable documents, many of which have no analogues and contain information that cannot be recovered if lost. The archive is currently housed in a specially equipped building with optimal conditions for preserving documents. It has five storage facilities. The archive accepts documents from religious institutions for permanent storage, primarily metric books transferred from civil registry offices, and other documents from organizations and private individuals.

«We do not want documents simply to stand on our shelves and racks; we want them to be actively used. Along with receiving visitors in reading rooms and handling biographical, thematic and genealogical inquiries, one of our important areas is organizing exhibitions and guided tours. Some virtual exhibitions are prepared as part of thematic virtual projects such as ‘Cities of Belarus’ and ‘Outstanding People of Belarus’,» Mikhail Glushakov said.