The opening of the Stasi Records was a unique act following the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 turning the archive into a role model for many post-dictatorial societies. With the enactment of the Stasi Records Act on January 2, 1992, citizens for the first time were able to view their files in order to clarify the influence the Stasi had on their fate. The former Stasi headquarters meanwhile was turned into an educational site addressing issues of dictatorship and resistance, as well as a learning space for democracy. This unique location will be host to the fifth edition of the “Open Archives” conference in Berlin on 4^th and 5^th of November 2019, on the 30^th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution.

Keynotes and lectures

Part of the programme are thought-provoking keynotes and short lectures and a panel discussion on archives, digital and cultural policy on November, 4^th :

• Roland Jahn (Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records)
• Gerald Maier (President of the State Archives of Baden-Wuerttemberg)
• Helene Hahn (Wikimedia Germany)
• Erhard Grundl (MdB, spokesman for cultural policy of the Alliance90 / The Green party’s parliamentary group)
• Martin Rabanus (MdB, spokesman for culture and media, SPD parliamentary group)

BarCamp

But the programme has more to offer! A BarCamp allows participants on both days of the conference the opportunity for low-threshold, but also intense discussion. Topics can be contributed spontaneously. Established ways of thinking in the traditional world of archiving can be challenged!

For further information and regular updates, please visit the event website.

Open Archives Conference flyer

Conference language: German