Access to archives: recent legislative trends in Lithuania
ENLithuania’s law on the country’s documents and archives took effect on January 1, 2005. The legislation established a legal foundation for access to the documents of state and municipal institutions, agencies and enterprises. Ever since the implementation of the law, however, people who engage in historical research have been debating regulations related to access. After two years of intensive debate, Parliament revisited the issue of the politically sensitive Special Archive, which is where documents from the KGB and other former Soviet services are stored. The law was amended in January 2007 to establish new regulations on access to that particular archive. The focus of this article is on legislation and regulations which govern public access, as well as restrictions in this area. The author will discuss problematic aspects of this right of access, particularly insofar as specially regulated sections of the national system of documentation are concerned. He will also consider data protection and historical aspects of scholarly research.
