The Church Archivists as Cultural Centres

Abstract

In this work the author gives special emphasis to the issue of Church Archives seen as cultural centres. The work is divided in seven chapters i.e.: The Church Archives as Cultural Heritage: an Ecclesiological Path; What Kind of Cultural Profile for the Church Archivist? The History of the Funds as History of the Culture and the Spirituality of Church Communities; For an Up-To-Dated Cultural and Professional Identity of the Church Archivist: An Archival Description and Information Technology Systems of the Church Cultural Heritage; The Church Archives and the World of Universities: Collaboration for a Common Research, Teaching Methods; The Demands of the School: Didactics of Archives and Didactics in the Church Archives; The New Public and the Training Process of Adults: Church Archives, the Identity of the Memory; I am in front of the door and I am knocking. The intention of the author can be well seen from the titles of the chapters. By describing the activities of the Archives and the Church archivists in the last twenty years the author makes us aware of the importance of Church Archives and of an even major collaboration between the Church Archives and the world of universities, academies, primary and secondary schools. It is the responsibility and duty of the Church Archives not only the preservation of the documents as magnificent heritage showing different ecclesiastical realities, but also its cultural utilization and promotion. The above mentioned Archives do not contain only a spiritual dimension in their documents, typical for the Church, but also data for the history of the territory, for its artistic and architectural heritage, as well as the source for the history of its economy and the social and demographic history and much more. There is a wide public already knocking at the doors of Church Archives. The author clarifies the possible ways of providing collaboration between the Archives and the public and the necessity of an appropriate training of the archivists for meeting the numerous demands of the public.