Which contemporary testimonies are in the right place in which archive? And how do archivists decide what to keep permanently and what to release for destruction? These questions are the focus of the 2nd Lower Saxony Archive Day, which takes place on 18 and 19 April in the University Library.
In cooperation with the Association of Lower Saxony Archivists (VNA) and other local archives, the Oldenburg University Archives are co-organising the conference.
The programme also includes a public lecture: Prof. Dr. Gerd Steinwascher, Head of the Oldenburg site of the Lower Saxony State Archives, will give a talk on Monday, 18 April on the "History of Oldenburg in selected documents from the Middle Ages to modern times". The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the reception hall of St Lambert's Church (Markt 17).
During the rest of the conference, the experts will primarily discuss and exchange information on the "formation of records", a core task of archivists. On the one hand, this involves developing and defining structures according to which the various archive divisions - such as state or municipal archives, church, association-owned or privately organised archives - take over the archive material that is relevant to them. Inextricably linked to this is the appraisal of written material, i.e. the question of which archive material should be permanently preserved. The Archive Day in Oldenburg is intended to reflect the current state of research in this area and to enrich the professional discussion.
University President Prof Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper, Oldenburg's Mayor Germaid Eilers-Dörfler, the President of the Lower Saxony State Archives Dr Christine van den Heuvel and VNA Chair Dr Henning Steinführer will speak at the opening of the Archive Day. The VNA emerged from the working group of Lower Saxony's municipal archivists in 2014. Its aim is to preserve and promote the diverse archive system in Lower Saxony and Bremen as an essential part of the cultural heritage.
The Library and Information System (BIS) maintains the University Archives on behalf of the University of Oldenburg. Its central task is to document the history of the University and its predecessor institution, the College of Education. A wide range of documents from the university administration, the academic and student self-administration, the central research institutions as well as the Schools and affiliated academic institutions are used for this purpose. These official collections are supplemented by documents from individuals, societies and associations from the university's environment as well as photos, posters and flyers relating to the university's history.