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| Association of German Archivists | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of German Archivists |
| Native name | Verband deutscher Archivare |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Headquarters | Berlin |
| Region served | Germany |
| Membership | archivists, archival institutions, records managers |
Association of German Archivists is a professional association for archival practitioners and institutions in Germany that engages with archival administration, preservation, and access. The association interfaces with national institutions such as the Federal Archives (Germany), regional bodies like the Bavarian State Archives, international organizations including the International Council on Archives and the European Archives Group, and academic partners such as the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Cologne.
Founded in the late 19th century, the association emerged amid administrative reforms involving the German Empire, the Prussian State, and the North German Confederation, aligning with contemporaneous professionalization movements exemplified by the Royal Society and the American Historical Association. During the Weimar era the association interacted with entities like the Reichstag and the Weimar Republic cultural ministries, while in the Nazi period it navigated relationships with the Reichsarchiv and the Reich Ministry of the Interior. Post-1945 reconstruction saw collaboration with the Allied Control Council, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and institutions such as the German Studies Association to restore archival networks and collections. In reunification contexts the association coordinated between the Bundesarchiv, the Stasi Records Agency, and regional archives in the Free State of Saxony and Thuringia to harmonize practices inherited from the European Union accession era and the Council of Europe frameworks.
The association is governed by an elected executive board that liaises with ministerial offices like the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany), advisory committees drawing expertise from the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association, and the German National Library, and regional sections representing archives in the Free State of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. Operational departments coordinate with professional bodies such as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Bundesarchiv, and the Austrian State Archives; specialist commissions convene experts from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Saxon State and University Library, and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
Members include individual archivists trained at institutions like the University of Marburg, the University of Münster, and the Technical University of Munich as well as institutional members from municipal archives, ecclesiastical archives such as the Evangelical Church in Germany, and corporate archives linked to companies like Siemens and Deutsche Bahn. Membership services provide continuing education certificates recognized by the German Rectors' Conference, placement facilitation with archival employers including the Hamburg State Archives and the Bavarian Archive Administration, and insurance or legal advice coordinated with the German Bar Association for copyright issues involving works held by the German National Library.
The association organizes annual conferences that attract presenters from the International Council on Archives, the European Commission, the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, and research centers such as the Centre for Contemporary History (ZfZ). It runs training programs in partnership with the Federal Institute for Cultural Heritage Conservation and workshops addressing digital preservation with collaborators like the German Research Network (DFN), the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, and technology providers serving the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Collaborative projects have involved the European Union-funded initiatives, cross-border exchanges with the Austrian State Archives and Swiss Federal Archives, and internships with museums including the German Historical Museum.
The association publishes professional journals and bulletins that disseminate research by scholars from the University of Leipzig, the University of Göttingen, and the Free University of Berlin, and hosts monograph series featuring contributions on provenance research linked to the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program and restitution debates engaging the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. It partners with academic presses such as the De Gruyter and the Mohr Siebeck publishing houses, supports doctoral research funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and collaborates on digital catalogs with the German National Library and the Europeana platform.
In advocacy the association engages with legislative processes involving the Federal Archives Act, data protection frameworks related to the Federal Data Protection Act (Germany), and cultural policy deliberations with the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany. It develops and promotes standards in cooperation with the International Organization for Standardization, the DIN German Institute for Standardization, and archival standard bodies that include protocols referenced by the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration (United States). The association issues guidelines on provenance, access, and digitization aligning with the UNESCO conventions and European directives.
The association administers prizes and recognitions awarded to archivists and institutions, echoing honors like the Gerda Henkel Foundation grants, the Max Weber Prize in historical administration contexts, and awards coordinated with the Federal Cultural Foundation and the German Historical Institute. Recipients have included curators affiliated with the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, and projects funded through collaborations with the European Research Council and national foundations.
Category:Archives in Germany Category:Professional associations based in Germany