Gintaras Dručkus (Kaunas Regional State archives)
The aim of the report is to reveal and emphasize some certain aspects of the formation of the state archives’ system in the Independent Lithuania since the beginning of the 20th century. Since the very beginning of 1918, in parallel with regaining Independence Lithuania started laying foundations for the state political power and governance, including the management of archives’ field at state level. As the formation of Independent Lithuania State Archives System was closely related to the formation and development of the Lithuanian Statehood, the main focus in this report is concentrated on Lithuanian state authorities’ attitude towards the state archives’ field.
An analysis of the three-year period (1918-1921) during which the Central State Archives was established, along with its subsequent development, reveals that, despite the recognized importance of the state archives in the 1920s and 1930s, this sector did not receive adequate attention from state authorities.