Abstract

Historians today operate in an environment where the volume of sources is rapidly expanding, and access to them is increasingly determined not by physical visits to archives but by the availability of digital infrastructure. The ability to quickly locate documents, compare data, and formulate new research hypotheses directly depends on how well archives are integrated into the information space. Thus, the way archives provide access to their holdings becomes a decisive factor for the advancement of historical scholarship.

Archives find themselves in a situation where the need for digitalization is evident, yet a unified infrastructure for access to documents has not been established. Despite the ongoing “E-Archive” project in Kazakhstan, in practice many archives are compelled to develop local solutions independently in order to provide researchers and society with information. This results in numerous fragmented systems, each functioning in isolation, but collectively demonstrating the determination of archives to move beyond their traditional role as custodians.

In Russia, for instance, by 2018 the number of state archive websites had tripled, yet more than 90 archives remained without their own resources, with their activities reflected only on ministerial websites. Kazakhstan shows a similar pattern: by 2021, 223 state archives and over 800 local bodies had been included in the “E-Archive” system, but a fully functioning unified search platform has not yet materialized. Currently system is working, but not fuctional as promised. Consequently, individual archives create their own websites and databases to work with.

The comparison of these facts reveals that the development of the archival sphere proceeds through parallel initiatives: state projects set the framework, but the actual work of ensuring access is carried out locally. For historians, this means that source retrieval requires familiarity with multiple isolated systems and platforms. The prospect lies in transitioning from fragmented practices to a unified access system, which would transform archives into a full-fledged element of the information infrastructure and provide researchers with documentary memory in digital form.