Lithuanian Central State Archive
By Mr Dalius Zizys

Lithuanian Central State Archive introduces itself as a new member of the International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA). We are glad to be involved in international co-operation.

Background

On October 19th 1921, the Minister of Education of the Republic of Lithuania ratified the statute of the Central State Archives. This date is considered the official date of the establishment of the Lithuanian Central State Archive.

Lithuanian Central State Archive is the biggest one within the state archival service. It comes under jurisdiction of the Lithuanian Archives Department at the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The main mission of its activity is collecting and safeguarding of paper based and audiovisual documents to future generations, providing permanent public access to its collections.

There are departments of Paper based documents, Image and Sound documents, Registration and Description, Copying and Microfilming, Restoration, Usage department and Department of Housekeeping Equipment. 160 employees take care about the documents (25 archivists take care of image and sound documents).

Collections

The collection consists of paper-based materials, microfilms, photographs and audio-visual recordings. The paper-based materials constitute the largest group in the collection. Archive's holdings comprise of approximately 31 000 linear meters of records (more than 3 million files) for the period of 1918 through 1990.

Audiovisual collection

The division of Image and sound is the main repository of audiovisual heritage in Lithuania.

Film documents (around 35.000 cans) contain Lithuanian movies timeline from 1920s to these days. The oldest film document dates back to 1895. The visitors can see the copies of the first in the world film shots made by brothers Lumiere. There is a big collection of Lithuanian movies shot in the period of 1918-1940. We also preserve film documents of German occupation during WW2. The biggest part consists of documentaries shot in Lithuanian film studio and TV, in 1946-1990. The first Lithuanian feature films are preserved in our archive as well. The newest newsreels of Lithuanian chronicles and other documentaries of these days are also housed at depository. Film documents are in the following formats: 35 mm film, 16 mm film, 8 mm film.

Sequences from the first Lithuanian short sound puppet film "The Dream of a Fatty" made by famous Lithuanian animator Stasys Usinskas in 1938 (from the film collection)

Photo documents (more than 525.000 archive units) - the negatives and positives, albums, the negatives based on the glass - are the pride of our collection. The oldest documents - portraits photos made at different ateliers - are from 1860. Mostly photos from the period of 1918 - 1940 are about Lithuanian Military Forces. Many photo documents made by our famous professionals of the past are preserved at the archive. The biggest part of the complex consists of the documents of the whole Lithuania's newspapers editorships from the period of 1945-1997. The photo documents of our days are being accumulated as well.

Members of Lithuanian aviators' flight across Europe through 12 states with 3 ANBO IV planes en route Kaunas, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Paris, Marseilles, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Kiev, Moscow, and Kaunas again. June 25, 1934 - July 19, 1934 in airport of Brussels. June 27, 1934 (from the photo collection)

Sound recordings (around 18.000 archive units) - gramophone discs, magnetic tapes, cassettes, compact discs. The oldest gramophone discs - Lithuanian songs - are from 1907, produced in Riga. We can hear again the voices of people famous in Lithuanian politics, culture and public life from the old gramophone discs, magnetic tapes. Recordings of 1940 events are preserved as well as fragments from Radio broadcasting during wartime in Kaunas, collection of Lithuanian radio "Margutis" in Chicago of 1950-1996. There are a lot of musical recordings. Chronicle sound recordings as well as the video ones are continually being made by our sound and video recordists.

Video documents (more than 1.500 archive units) - are being collected since 1988. The biggest part consists of archive cameramen topics. There we can see today Lithuania's history - Sajudis, first meetings, restoration of Independence, events in January 1991, other important moments of political and cultural life. Video documents are in the following formats : VHS tapes, DVCAM, Mini DV, DVD.

Public services

The archive is open to public. It has reference rooms where, observing the regulations, one can research free of charge archival records. Documents transfered to the state archives by individuals and non-state institutions are accessible on the terms set by the owners. Reference rooms provide access to archival documents through data retrieval system: card catalogues, inventory lists and reference materials describing archival holdings, computer database systems. There are specially equipped rooms for the convenience of the researchers, consultations of experienced archivists are available here, too.

Analogue and digital document copies are made at archive, paper-based files are being restored, bound, microfilmed and pasteboard boxes and other articles for files necessary for storage are being produced as well.

The search for inquiries, the receipt of copies of documents is a service one has to pay for a fee according to the price list.

The archive provides its collections through a variety of activities such as film retrospectives and previews, meetings with film producers and the others. Film documents can be seen on TV or festivals as well. The photographs are constantly on exhibitions at the schools, libraries, museums and the archive itself. One can find archival photos in the schoolbooks, studies and other publications being published in Lithuania and foreign countries.

Storage, preservation

The premises, where the archival materials are stored were specially built and equipped for an archive in 1975. In 1998 the reconstruction of the repository began. It was completed in 2003. All the equipment for climate maintaining and control was renovated, and now we have an air-conditioned repository (its space is about 516 square meters) with temperature and relative humidity controlled vaults suitable for a long-time preservation of audiovisual documents. Special designed for film cans shelves help for better disposition of the archival material. This year arrangement of additional storage space for archival documents will start. It will be completed in three years. An archival repository with climate-controlled environment recommended for preserving archival documents will enlarge in about 1052 square meters.

Buildings of the Lithuanian Central State Archive

The film repository after completed reconstruction

Problems

Lithuanian Central State Archive like every audiovisual archive due to the technologically based nature of its stored media depends on development of technology. All functions of the archive constantly need rather high financial investment.

Lithunian Central State Archive is financed from the State budget. The yearly funding from the Government is not sufficient. It is the biggest problem.

The main problem in the field of long-term preservation and access of technologically based audiovisual documents is the great amount of old carriers, which need restoration, transferring to new carriers and special care. There are the following carriers endangered by deterioration which need immediate migration :

• 154 titles of unstable nitrate films.
• 60 titles (1.330 cans) old (1954-1975) fading colour film tapes.
• 1.035 cans of magnetic triacetate film tapes (1965-1973).
• 5.000 photo negatives based on glass (1920-1970).
• 1.600 old (1962-1975) magnetic sound tape
• 500 video tapes on VHS (1988-1995).

They should be restored and transferred onto new modern carrier, and the copies both for access and preserving purposes should be made.

Yet the first and foremost aim of our archive is to find means and help for the transferring of nitrate films.

No catalogues of Lithuanian film documentary being stored in Archive are published. Now the first steps in compiling our catalogue are being done.

The main problem in the field of description is the following : our national integrated archival information system based on the "fond" concept is being created. It consists of information of 15 archives where written documents are being held. We are the only archive where image and sound documents are stored. Soon our image and sound documents should be included to the general data retrieval system as well. All our audiovisual documents are described only at "item" level. The problem is : how should we "make" fonds or "create" other bigger level of description ?

Dear Colleagues, could you help us by your advice from practice ?

Future Plans

The nearest task of the Archive is to organize and modernize the actual Lithuanian Central State Archive infrastructure and services.

The main aim of our strategy is to create a digital infrastructure consisting of computer data based information system and migrated onto digital carriers analogues of audiovisual documents both for access and preservation purposes.

Since 2000, the Lithuanian Central state Archive has begun to digitise part of its audiovisual collection. Our data base system of photo documents holds about 50. 000 pictures with description for access. Every year it enlarges in about 10.000 digital photo copies converted from analogues and about 500 "digitally born" pictures made by our photographs. Four computer data bases ("Film documents", "Photo documents', Sound recordings" and "Video recordings" are being created daily. They facilitate access and cataloguing and are available through our server and the local area network as well. Recently digitalisation of audiovisual recordings to CD and DVD has begun. We started from the materials of such poor physical condition that need to be digitised immediately to retain quality of sound and picture. About 450 old discs are already converted to CD. "Digitally born" sound and video recordings made by our cameramen and sound recordists are converted and are being converted to CD and DVD as well.

Unfortunately, we lack the necessary technical equipment and experience in all fields of hardware and software specifications. We hope now with the help of our colleagues archivists from the countries of Europe Union and members of FIAT/IFTA due to the international cooperation we will get knowledge and advice we are lacking.

Dalius Zizys
Director of the Lithuanian Central State Archive
O.Milasiaus 21,
LT - 10102 Vilnius
Lithuania

Tel.: (+370 5) 2 47 78 11
Fax: (+370 5) 2 76 53 18
E-mail: lcva@takas.lt

"We in Europe", from our newest photo collection