Vitebsk archivists were the first to implement an electronic database for genealogical researchers

February 22, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. A unique electronic database "Name Lists" has been implemented in the State Archive of the Vitebsk Region. This will allow for prompt assistance to genealogy researchers and citizens actively interested in their family history, the director of the regional archive, Tatyana Svistunova, told a BELTA correspondent. She noted that in recent years there has been a surge of interest in genealogy. At the same time, the existing scientific and reference apparatus does not contain data on documents that can be used to fulfill biographical requests. Vitebsk archivists decided to significantly simplify search activities, speed up the execution, and increase the effectiveness of such requests. Over the past five years, archive employees have carried out a set of works to identify documents that may be in demand for confirming biographical information. The lists of documents compiled in this way were entered into the electronic database "Name Lists," developed by order of the regional archive. "Now, upon receiving a request about a person, an archive employee enters the surname into the database and receives information about which collections contain documents about this person," explained Tatyana Svistunova. The electronic database includes a list of personal files of nomenklatura party and Komsomol workers of the Vitebsk Governorate, District, and Region for 1917-1941, a name list of Vitebsk residents who submitted declarations and applications to the Vitebsk Governorate Financial Department in 1918-1924, a list of personal and pension files from the collections of the pre-war state complex, and a number of other lists. In total, these lists of documents contain personal information on almost 56,000 citizens. In addition, materials from the 2009 population census are now being stored in the state archive, and information from them is also being entered into the electronic database "Name Lists." During the creation of the lists of personal files, the personal files of Ivan Alferov, the father of Nobel laureate Zhores Alferov, Belarusian composer Mikhail Antsev, renowned entomologist Vladimir Plyushchik-Plyushchevsky, and fairy tale writer Grigory Shakulov were identified. These materials can be used for various research works. In 2010, the regional archive fulfilled over 200 biographical and genealogical requests, which is more than double the figure for 2009. For example, archive employees identified documents and prepared an archival certificate regarding the relatives of the famous Russian TV presenter and actor Sergey Svetlakov, who lived in the Sennensky district until 1931. -0-