Belarus plans to digitize 3 million pages of archival documents by the end of 2026

On October 5, a press conference dedicated to the Archivist’s Day was held at the National Press Center of Belarus. Representatives of the archival industry summed up the work and told about the plans for the near future. It's from sb.by.

The event was attended by Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of Belarus Oleg Voinov, Director of the National Archives of Belarus Elena Stukanova, Director of the Belarusian Research Institute of Documentary Science and Archival Affairs Andrey Rybakov, Director of the Belarusian State Archive of Cinema and Photo Documents Andrey Gonchar, Director of the Belarusian State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art Elena Makarenko and Director of the National Historical Archives of Belarus Mikhail Glushakov.

One of the main topics was the digitalization of archives. By the end of 2026, the industry plans to reach the figure of 3 million digitized pages. By 2029, at least 45% of the most valuable documents have been digitalized. In parallel, the archives continue the restoration of materials: more than 600,000 sheets are restored annually.

Separately, the participants focused on improving the work with documents in state bodies. Since 2025, the analysis of business processes and the preparation of recommendations for their optimization. In the first half of 2026, this allowed to reduce document circulation in 30 republican government bodies by more than 14%.

Artificial intelligence technologies are also beginning to be used more actively in the archival sphere. Specialists develop approaches to its use for document recognition, information search, formation of scientific reference apparatus and work with audiovisual materials. However, the implementation of such solutions requires appropriate regulatory and technical resources.

Equally important is working with society. Archives hold exhibitions, produce collections of documents and popular science publications, create documentaries. Special attention is paid to youth: in the first half of 2026, more than 1,200 events were held with the participation of more than 13,000 schoolchildren and students.

The press conference also presented specific projects of archival institutions, from new historical publications and documentaries to the development of electronic resources and expanding access to archival materials.

stepanchuk@sb.by