Digitization of the National Archival Fond of Odesa Oblast is underway in Izmail

A large-scale project for the digital preservation of historical materials in the region has been launched in Odesa Oblast with the support of international partners. New technologies will allow researchers to gain convenient access to valuable documents of the past.

This was reported by the press service of the State Archives of Odesa Oblast.

The digitization of documents of the National Archival Fond, which are temporarily stored in the State Archives of Odesa Region, has begun in Izmail. The work is supported by the American corporation FamilySearch International in partnership with the State Archival Service of Ukraine.

On January 19, two scanners were delivered to the archival department of the Izmail City Council, which will be used to create digital copies of documents. The project plans to digitize about 1.7 million sheets from 11,256 metric books and civil status records, as well as other historical documents valuable to researchers of the history of southern Odesa region.

The goal of the project is to create an electronic fund for convenient use of archival materials.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the team of the Odesa Archaeological Museum made a critical decision to close the main exhibition and move the artifacts to a safe place. This step allowed to preserve the most valuable exhibits, and thanks to the support of the NGO Museum for Change, international partners such as UNESCO, Aliph, CER and other donors, the museum received the necessary packaging materials and technical equipment for further digital transformation.

From December 2023 to March 2024, with the support of UNESCO, a professional photographer carried out a large-scale photographic documentation of the collections. More than 20 thousand artifacts were documented, which is one of the largest projects of its kind among Ukrainian museums.

Also recently, the Verkhovna Rada supported the ratification of the Grant Agreement between Ukraine and Italy, which allows the launch of the program "Restoration and Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Odesa Region." According to the agreement, the Italian Republic will provide Ukraine with 32.5 million euros of non-repayable financial assistance.

Анна Бальчінос