The General Directorate of Archives ( sq, Drejtoria e Përgjithshme e Arkivave) is the national archive of the

Republic of Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares l ...

, located in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. Under the former control of the

Party of Labour of Albania The Party of Labour of Albania ( sq, Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSh), sometimes referred to as the Albanian Workers' Party (AWP), was the ruling and sole legal party of Albania during the communist period (1945–1991). It was founded o ...

, the directorate houses the papers of the former

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

, and papers that were held by citizens prior to the regime. Completely modernized to archival standards as of 2004, with help from the Swiss Federal Archives, the archives also houses the Codex Beratinus and the Codex Beratinus II.

History

During the country's time as the

, the collections and facilities fell into disrepair. Collections catalogues were written by hand, and the archives had no formal collection management system. Upon the fall of the regime, the archives were looted. In 1994, the archives was contacted by the Swiss Federal Archives, who offered aid in conserving collections and updating the facilities. For ten years, ending in 2004, the Swiss contributed 1.9 million Swiss francs to the archives. The archives also started to significantly expand their collections. The Swiss funds went to digitizing almost two million records from

card catalogue A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...

s and to create an online search system for the records. The search system was released online in 2017. In 2003, the archives hosted the second Islamic Civilization in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

conference.

Collections

There are two primary archives locations, the primary being in Tirana, and the second being district archives throughout the country. The archives receives almost 25,000 requests from the public and approximately 100 academics and students visit the facility yearly for materials and research. In 2011, the archives became a partner with the

World Digital Library The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress. The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...

. The Albanian National Archives collects private archives, including content from political organizations, Albanian organizations located outside of the country, national exhibitions and

aid agencies An aid agency, also known as development charity, is an organization dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government, between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizatio ...

. The Tirana location houses the archives of the

. The archives also holds deeds and contracts, which were placed in the archives when property was taken from landowners by the Party of Labour. Specific collections include correspondence between the People's Socialist Republic of Albania and the Swiss Communist Party. Notable pieces in the collections include the Codex Beratinus and Codex Beratinus II, both which are listed in the

Memory of the World Register Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered ...

. The archives also holds the Elbasan Gospel Manuscript, which is a primary document for those interested in the Elbasan alphabet.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Archives in Albania

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Government agencies established in 1949 1949 establishments in Albania World Digital Library partners

History

Collections

See also

References

External links