Pedagogical Training of Archivists in Pre-Revolutionary Russia: Institutions and Methods

This multidimensional analysis traces the history of archival education system in the Russian Empire from the late 18th century to 1917 as an integral socio-cultural phenomenon. The period consisted of three main stages: 1) archival education turned from apprenticeship to departmental schools (18th – first half of the 19th century), 2) it entered university curricula (second half of the 19th century), 3) it acquired education institutions of its own (late 19th – early 20th centuries). The Russian model of archival education organically combined fundamental academic training in auxiliary historical disciplines with practice-oriented education in departmental archives, creative adaptation of international experience, and early professional self-organization (Union of Archivists, 1905). The article describes the relevant state reforms (General Regulations, 1720; University Reform, 1863), the activities of major specialists (N. V. Kalachov, D. Ya. Samokvasov), and the gradual integration into the international professional community. By 1917, Russian archival education was a cohesive training system that eventually sprouted the Soviet model. Particular value belonged to such methodological innovations as V. S. Ikonnikov’s system of practical exercises, training archives, and the codes of professional ethics.