Structure of the Slovene archives sector, archival holdings and digital archive project
The six regional archives were founded by the state and also enjoy the status of public institutions. They are dependent on the
Ministry of Culture with respect of both finances and programmes.
Archival organisations in Slovenia are not organised according to the typical hierarchical structure, though the
Ministry of Culture supervises the work of the network. As far as the custody of archives is concerned, the ARS as an administrative institution carries out professional and administrative tasks which are of general importance for the Republic of Slovenia as a whole.
The seven public archives (the ARS and the six regional archives) keep 11,036 record groups and collections, amounting to 58,434 archived metres of written records. Public archives also hold 6,535 films, 1,673 video recordings, 12,072 rolls of microfilms, 8,311 microfiches, 367,511 photographs and 1,129 sound recordings. The oldest archival materials kept in Slovene archival institutions are manuscripts dating from the 11th century and a collection of charters from the 12th century onwards, both held by the ARS; charters from 1147 onwards, kept in the
Archiepiscopal Archives of Ljubljana; chapter charters from 1082 onwards, kept in the
Diocesan Archives of Koper; and chapter charters from the mid 13th century onwards kept by the Piran Unit of the
Regional Archives of Koper. Other archival institutions keep archival materials from the 14th century onwards. The greater part of the older material held by the Slovene archives is written in German using Gothic characters, because German was the official language of the territory until 1882.
Archival material held in Slovene archival institutions is generally classified according to time periods. Since most of the present-day territory of Slovenia formed the Habsburg provinces of Carniola, Styria, Carinthia and the region of Gorizia from the second half of the 13th century, archival material kept in both the ARS and most of the regional archives is grouped according to the historical periods pre-1848, 1848-1945 and post-1945. A notable exception is the archival collection of the Regional Archives of Koper (Piran Unit), which covers territory (the south Primorska region) controlled by the Venetian Republic until the end of the 18th century and is therefore organised according to the historical periods of the Venetian Republic from the 13th century down to 1797, the French period 1809-1813, the period under Austria 1813-1918, the period under Italy 1918-1943, the period of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia 1954-1991 and the period of the Republic of Slovenia since 1991.The small Regional Archives of Nova Gorica is the only archival institution housed in purpose-built premises. In general, Slovenia's archives are accommodated in older and often listed buildings which have been specially adapted for their new function. One highly successful example of this practice is provided by Regional Archives of Koper, which is accommodated in an old monastery building. The creation of a storage facility by installing a new steel structure within the existing walls of the monastery's old church successfully preserves the artistic and historical qualities of the space. The opening of new ARS premises at a refurbished ex-barracks in 2005 enabled the institution to rationalise its use of space; this new building houses storage rooms, the Conservation and Restoration Department, the Archival Centre for Professional Development and the Slovene Film Archives (including a new film screening hall).
The most important private archives in Slovenia are those of the Roman Catholic Church, which are currently housed in three institutions: the
Archiepiscopal Archives of Ljubljana in Ljubljana (
Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana), the
Diocesan Archives of Koper (
Škofijski arhiv Koper) and the
Diocesan Archives of Maribor (
Škofijski arhiv Maribor). The Archives Act of 1997 defines holdings of the Archives of the Roman Catholic Church as private archives. These archival holdings (totalling 2,163 metres) have been placed under a preservation order as a cultural monument and as an important part of the Slovene cultural heritage, the
Ministry of Culture also provides part-funding for their activities. The database of
KEY CONTACTS includes further information on the following archives: in the capital the
Seminary Library, Ljubljana, the
Ursuline Archives, Ljubljana and the
Franciscan Archives and Library, Ljubljana; in the Gorenjska region the
Franciscan Archives and Library, Kamnik; in Eastern Slovenia the
Minorite St Petrus and Paulus Monastery Archives and Library, Ptuj; and in South Eastern Slovenia the
Franciscan Archives and Library, Novo Mesto and the
Stična Cistercian Abbey Archives.
Another important Slovene archive is the
RTV Slovenia Archives and Documentation Service (
Služba za arhiviranje in dokumentacijo TV Slovenija, RTV Slovenija) in Ljubljana. This institution functions as a documentation centre for the needs of national radio and television.
The Slovene Archives and Archival Institutions Act of 1997 also permitted certain institutions to set up archival services for their own needs. However, only two organisations have thus far been established as a result of this legislation: the
University of Ljubljana Historical Archives and Museum (
Zgodovinski arhiv in muzej univerze v Ljubljani) and the Institute for Slovene Emigration Studies at the Scientific Research Centre of the
Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) (
Inštitut za slovensko izseljeništvo pri Znanstveno raziskovalnem centru Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti). Archival holdings of Slovene political parties are treated today as private archives, and public access or use of their material is still not possible, as the multi-party system in Slovenia has only existed since 1990.
Some smaller archival organisations relate to specific fields of activity, eg the Archives of
Institute of Ethnomusicology (
Glasbeno narodopisni inštitut), the Archives of
Slovene Philharmonics (
Arhiv Filharmonije) and the Archives of the
Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Ljubljana - Drama (
Arhiv SNG Drama). They have undergone considerable development to the point that even external users can now gain access to their archival collections (on the basis of a special agreement). These archives work within the organisational structure of their respective parent institutions.
The
National Manuscript Collection (
Nacionalna rokopisna zbirka v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani, NUK) is a special collection within the
National and University Library (NUK), functioning as a national literary archival institution with the most extensive collection in this field in Slovenia. Again, it works within the organisational structure of the University and is dependent on it as far as both funding and programmes are concerned. Specialised archival collections such as those of the
Studia Slovenica Archives Research Institute enjoy private status. There are relatively few smaller archival institutions of this kind.
Modern regional archives keep the archival material of state authorities and their organisational units and of bodies exercising public authority or performing public services provided by the state on the territory of one or more local self-government communities over which the regional archive has competence. Use and accessibility of archival holdings is contingent upon relevant legislation, internal regulations of archival institutions and, in the case of private record groups and collections, the stipulations of the persons who have transferred them. Changes in the socio-economic system and in property relations in the Republic of Slovenia have resulted in a massive increase in the use of archival material, mainly for the purpose of issuing various certificates for administrative and legal procedures.
Most public archives in Slovenia published new, up-to-date guidebooks from the 1990s onwards, and in recent years information from these guidebooks has also been published on the Internet, mainly in Slovene. Inventories, archival catalogues and lists of acquisition are also available. The spread of information technology over the last few years has substantially improved access to and use of archival material.
To date the ARS has carried out two digitisation projects: in 2002-2003 the Emperor Francis' Cadaster (land survey register and maps) of 1824-1867 was scanned in its entirety, covering 28,000 recordings or 2,800 recorded cadastral municipalities with 28,000 cadastral maps, which are freely available on ARS website. The second project in 2004-2005 was the scanning of the Charters collection (5,984 charters), the oldest archival material kept in the ARS (from 12th to 19th centuries), which generated 31,200 recordings. However, the database on Charters is currently available only in the ARS reading room.
In 2001 a project team consisting of IT experts and archivists from the ARS and six regional archives embarked on a project to create the Info-Arh application, which was later developed into the Co-operative Archival Computer Information System of Slovenia (AERISS), a state-of-the-art computer information system created on the basis of ISAD/G and ISAAR/CPF standards. (this presentation is available at http://www.sa.dk/sa/omarkiverne/english/activities/euseminar/mn.htm). This system will offer online access to the database of all archival institutions in Slovenia, containing information on archives and archive creators and allowing access to digital archives, as well as the possibility of ordering and viewing specific digital archives. The project forsees the creation of a comprehensive information system with several stages of development, so that international exchange of experience and practical work will be extremely important. A special team of experts from the Government Centre for Informatics, the Ministry of the Interior, the ARS and the now defunct Ministry of Information Society was assembled to prepare regulations containing guidelines for the acquisition and preservation of electronic archives, as well as to ensure the financial means for its implementation.
The ARS has presented its activities and organisation on a videocassette and CD-ROM and has issued a summary publication in three languages (Slovene, English and German). The
Slovene Film Archives has for the past five years organised 'Evenings of the Slovene Film Archives' in the
Slovenian Cinematheque once a month, with screenings on various themes (eg 'Distant Past', 'Films from the 1950s', 'Feature and Documentary Films', 'The Mirror of Time', 'Slovene Regions from Smithies from Kropa to Dances by Kolpa', and 'Dazzling Shine of Sports').
Exhibitions organised by the ARS have been predominantly domestic. Between 1993 and 2001 the ARS held three important exhibitions: 'Convents in Medieval Charters in Slovenia' (1993), 'Slovenia in Papal Charters' (1996, in honour of Pope John Paul II's visit to Slovenia) and 'From Dream to Reality' (2001, in honour of the 10th anniversary of the independence of Slovenia). However, in 2003 the ARS did mount an exhibition for overseas consumption entitled 'Slovene Towns Through Time' (the presentation of 16 towns in Slovenia), which was presented initially in Beijing, China. This exhibition has since been presented in Warsaw, Poland and Skopje, Macedonia in 2004; in Vienna, Austria in 2006; and in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in Munich, Germany in 2007.
The present-day Slovene public archives service comprises the