Archives professional staff have the right and the duty of professional advancement, therefore the Society enables them:
– to continually monitor the development of archival sciences,
– meetings of members of the Society to resolve outstanding professional issues,
– occasional practical training, and
– to partake in professional excursions.
However, these activities are not limited to archives employees but are also intended for other citizens, legal entities and associations interested in the archival profession. We invite the public to gatherings, conferences, seminars, lectures, professional meetings, round tables, occasional training and professional excursions.
CONVENTIONS
The Society, in cooperation with the Slovene archives, has been organizing annual or biennial conventions on current topics of Slovene archival science since 1962. At the end of each one, the conclusions of the convention are published, as well as the convention proceedings.
EDUCATION
The necessity of educating archives staff was discussed in 1946 at the Historical Society of Slovenia meetings, but no concrete proposals were made. The Society sought to address the absence of a formal education programme in archivistics by organizing courses, seminars and lectures.
With the development of the archival service, the need for the introduction of studies at the highest level had increased, which the Society had been striving for since its inception. Eventually, their initiatives fell on fertile ground – in 1974, a Society led by Ema Umek drafted a proposal for the introduction of a college degree. In 1975, the Society and the Community of Archives of Slovenia proposed the introduction of a study of archivistics to the History Department of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, which accepted the proposal. In 1977, the study of archivistics was introduced as an optional subject in the field of historical studies, and later on as a compulsory subject for an independent history group. Two years later, it was also possible to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate in archival science.
The subject of archivistics is currently (2019) in the second degree History Study programme at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana) and the programme of the first degree Cultural History at the University of Nova Gorica. In Slovenia, at Alma Mater Europaea – ECM in Maribor it is possible to enrol in the study of archives management on the first level from 2017, the master’s degree of archives and records management was accredited in 2016, while the doctoral study of archival sciences is possible from 2018.
PROFESSIONAL EXCURSIONS
Ever since its foundation, the Society has provided members with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the organization of archival services at home and abroad, as well as the work of archival staff and conservators. Professional excursions led participants around Slovenia, to Yugoslavia, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, Austria and Germany. The Society regularly organizes professional excursions, usually in late spring or early autumn. We invite both members and non-members to partake in professional excursions!