Archives – a vital space for the development of historical science. About the collection of papers: The Role of Archives in Information Support of Historical Science. A collection of articles / E.A. Vorontsova (auth.-comp.); V.Yu. Afiani, Yu.A. Petrov (eds.). Moscow: Eterna, 2017. 1000 p.

The article analyzes the content of the third collection of articles of the project “Museums – Libraries – Archives in Information Support of Historical Science”. The paper presents the characteristic of the main issues raised by the authors of the project. The author defines views of the authoritative representatives of the historical and archival community on the issue of archives functioning in the digital information space. The author expands on the high relevance and the scientific and practical importance of the discussion under consideration. The conclusion is formulated about the continuing high value of archives as primary repositories of historical sources. At the same time, the author points to new research opportunities in the conditions of digital technologies penetration into the archival environment. In the consolidation and the development of the interaction between historians and archivists, the author emphasizes a special role of such research centers as M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Institute for History and Archives of the Russian State University for the Humanities and the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Attention is drawn to the need to continue such a dialogue between the representatives of the scientific community, to increase attention to the applied issues of the relationship of historians and archives, taking into account the experience of not only central but also regional archives. The discussion on the pages of the collection of articles is very promising in terms of expanding the research horizons. They will make it possible to keep current the potential of separate archives as well as documentary complexes, to outline the vectors for the further development of research thought, and also through dialogue – to develop some common models of the interaction between historians and archivists. According to the author, the archives are essential in the formation of cultural and educational space necessary for researchers and for the development of modern educated society.

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