Nadja Plazar1 Peter Pavel Klasinc2 RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Abstract Purpose: The aim of the research is to review the seminar assignments in two methodological study courses of the 3rd cycle programme in Archival Sciences at Alma Mater Europaea Maribor (AMEU Maribor) and to find out whether the students were oriented towards researching historical topics, challenges of the contemporary archival profession or researching questions about further de- velopment of the archival profession. Method/approach: After a detailed review, the paper topics of all 20 students of the 3rd cycle postgraduate programme in Archival Studies were classified into: historical topics, topics of the contemporary archival profession and science and topics dealing with the development of archival science and profession. Results: It is found that the largest proportion of students, 11 out of 20 (55%), have chosen a topic in contemporary archival studies, while most of these top- ics also cover a development aspect. Another group, 8 out of 20 (40%), with seminar topics purely on the development of archival practice and only one seminar topic had a purely historical theme. Most students continue to develop the topic they started in the first year of their PhD to a doctoral thesis. Conclusions/findings: As the PhD students are mostly already employed in the profession, it is therefore considered that the implementation of their research findings will contribute to the advancement of the profession of archival studies. Keywords: archival science, doctoral studies, seminar essays. 1 Assoc. Prof. dr. Nadja Plazar, lecturer at the PhD study programme of Archival Sciences at AMEU Maribor, nadja.plazar42@gmail.com. 2 Assoc. prof. dr. Peter Pavel Klasinc, Director of the International Institute of Archival Sciences Trieste-Mar- ibor in Trieste (Italy). Dean of the study programs of Archival sciences at AMEU ECM, peter.klasinc@al- mamater.si, +386 41 673 785. RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc 101 1. INTRODUCTION The Alma Mater Europaea Maribor (AMEU Maribor) website defines Archi- val Studies as an independent, academic, multidisciplinary and interdisci- plinary science, which is facing new demands in the handling of archival material as the information society evolves. Under existing legislation, it is no longer just cultural heritage, but also a means of ensuring legal pro- tection for individuals (AMEU, 2023). In his article “Through some periods of Archivistics to the founding of the Institute and the journal Atlanti to the present day”, Peter Pavel Klasinc writes that the beginnings of Archivistics can be considered to be the records (drawings) in the caves of Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France (Klasinc, 2020). These were intended to provide information not only on how to hunt large animals and how to overcome fear, but at the same time the records were also a calendar. In the article, the author divides the development of Archival Science into eight periods, with the last period - in Slovenia - be- ing marked by the establishment of the International Institute of Archival Sciences and the beginning of all three cycles of Archival Science studies, with the most important for the development of Archival Science as a sci- ence being the beginning of the doctoral studies (Klasinc, 2020). At the same time, the AMEU Maribor website states that PhD students in the Archival Science programme will acquire the skills to use complementary sources to objectively understand, present and interpret archival content, and to take responsibility for and manage complex and challenging pro- cesses of archival theory and practice in both business and non-business, public and private sectors. (SAA, 2023) It should be noted that PhD students will also acquire research compe- tences in the field of archival science, which is particularly important for the development of archival science as a research discipline. Archivists’ education: There are many scientific articles in databases that show active research in the field of Archival sciences. Often, the authors of scientific articles are researchers working at high-profile universities who also participate as course instructors of archival studies. Interest- RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc102 ingly, the Society of American Archivists publishes recommendations on the design of objectives for graduate degree programmes in archival ed- ucation on its website, and even proposes a draft curriculum that forms the basis of archival studies programmes at educational institutions in the USA (SAA, 2023). Ljudmila Varlamova of the Russian State University for the Humanities notes that there have been many changes in the curriculum over the 90 years of archivist education, but that until now, education has always fo- cused on two types of archivists: historian-archivists working in state his- torical archives and practitioner-archivists working in other archives. Both types could be trained at the Faculty of Archival Studies of the Moscow History and Archives Institute (MHAI), as well as elsewhere in Russia and in countries under its influence. The author argues that the ongoing de- velopment of science and technology is creating a need for different ways of archiving documents, and archival studies must adapt to this new situ- ation. The author believes that the future of archival education lies in in- terdisciplinarity and, consequently, in the integration of some educational programmes (Varlamova, 2020). Similarly, Magdalena Marosz believes that changes in archivist education are a consequence of the development of archival science as an academic discipline and the development of other sciences, information technol- ogy in particular. She believes that, in addition to archivists-historians, it would make sense to educate archivists at university level who will have knowledge and skills in modern documentation and who will also be fa- miliar with sectoral legislation, as well as with administrative manage- ment. This would enable archivists to acquire greater competences in the field of information preservation (Marasz, 2020). Magdalena Marosz (2020) also argues that the changed educational land- scape also requires a different teacher-student relationship, where, in ad- dition to the transfer of knowledge, it is also important to foster creative and critical thinking, which allows the problem-oriented learning. The teacher encourages students to search for information independently and gain the knowledge on how to solve problems (Marosz, 2020). RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc 103 An interesting article by Karen J. Trivette (2022) entitled Archival Science? Existential Questions and Proposed Answers, in which the author challeng- es whether archival science is a real science. Through a literature review and a short qualitative study, the author confirms the hypothesis raised. She argues her claim by comparing research methodologies in archival sci- ence and other applied sciences and concludes that they do not differ. At the same time, she notes that archival science also brings together other sciences, such as: information science, media studies, history, etc.; she says that archival science is an ‘amalgam’ of many sciences (Trivette, 2022). Alma Mater Europaea Maribor also offers studies in Archives and Records management at all study cycles, including doctoral studies from 2019. Since the beginning of the PhD in Archival Science, authors were partici- pating in the programme as a lecturer in two courses: The Methodology of Scientific Research (20 ECTS) in the first year and the Methodology of Pre- paring, Writing and Editing Scientific Papers (10 ECTS) in the second year. In the first course, the student chooses the area of research that they intend to develop in the framework of the doctoral thesis and prepares a written thesis that includes a brief assessment of the research in the chosen area, as well as the purpose and objectives of the planned research and possible research questions or hypotheses. The written work shall cite at least 30 scientific works, of which 20 shall be from journals with an impact factor. In the second-year course, the student develops the topic chosen in the first year and complement it by describing the possible methods of work and the expected results and indicating the possibilities of their applica- tion. Most students continue to develop the topic they started in the first year of their PhD to a doctoral thesis. Archival profession is facing many challenges with the development of informatics and other related disciplines, the aim of the present paper is therefore to review the topics of the student seminar papers in the previ- ously described courses of the 3rd cycle programme in Archival Studies at AMEU Maribor and to find out whether they follow the challenges of the contemporary archival profession. Attention is paid to the question if the students are focused on researching historical topics, challenges of con- RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc104 temporary archival science or on research questions about the further de- velopment of the archival profession. 2. METHODOLOGIES DESCRIPTION OF THE SAMPLE Since the beginning of the study programme Archival Science at AMEU Maribor in 2019, 21 students have enrolled in it. In the academic year 2019/2020, ten students were enrolled in the first year, four students in 2020/2021, five students in 2021/2022 and two students in 2022/2023. Lectures were held at the faculty and, during the Covid 19 epidemics, on- line. Lectures and seminars were held in Slovenian and partly in English, with individual consultations in English for students who did not under- stand the language. In the first course, the student chooses the area of research that he/she intends to develop in the framework of the doctoral thesis and prepares a written seminar paper that includes a brief assessment of the research in the chosen area, as well as the purpose and objectives of the planned research and possible research questions. In the second year, students of the Methodology of Preparation, Produc- tion and Editing of Scientific Papers course continue researching their cho- sen topic, only some of them changed the topic after reading the scientific literature, reflecting and analysing the possibilities but most of them con- tinue with the same topic. As in the first year, the now more developed topic, which included research questions and hypotheses, they present to colleagues and, after presentation and discussion among colleagues, turned into a seminar paper. After a detailed review, the papers topics of all students of the 3rd level postgraduate programme in Archival Studies were classified into histori- cal topics, topics of the contemporary archival profession and science and topics dealing with the development of archival science and profession. Seminar papers that cover the field of contemporary archival studies usu- ally also contain elements of development (hybrid form). RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc 105 The grouping took into account the seminar assignments in the course Methodology of Preparation, Production and Editing of Scientific Papers, a second-year study subject. 3. RESULTS 21 students enrolled during the four academic years (2019 to 2023), only one student did not meet the criteria for progression. Most students (15) continue to develop the topic they started in the first year threw second year and then to the doctoral thesis. Only five students changed their re- search topic in the second year of study, therefore the grouping took into account the seminar papers in the course Methodology of Preparation, Production and Editing of Scientific Papers, a second-year study subject. Table 1: Research topics for students of the PhD in Archival Science at AMEU Research topics Number of seminar papers Historical 1 (5%) Contemporary archival profession 11 (55%) Development of the archival profession 8 (40%) After reviewing the research topics, we found that only one student chose a purely historical research topic. The majority, 11 students chose a topic in contemporary archival profession and science, while a still large propor- tion of students, 8, chose topics exploring the development of the archival science and profession. 4. DISCUSSION To identify the topic of the seminar thesis, the topic in the 2nd year was taken into account, which is likely to be the topic of the PhD dissertation project proposal and consequently of the PhD thesis. Interestingly, in the second year of studies, 75% of students continued researching the same topic from the beginning of their studies and continued with it to the doc- toral dissertation. RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc106 In their seminar papers, students address a number of challenges in con- temporary archival science, such as: the security of special archives, how to ensure the effective preservation of medical records, how to ensure the long-term preservation of e-materials in pharmacy, how to efficiently re- trieve archival material from documentary material, the direction in which archival science will evolve to keep pace with the development of new technologies, about public administration metadata and UI deployment options, security elements in special archives, about methodology of creat- ing and managing digital historical representations in an objective way and others. The students are predominantly working as archivists, so the selec- tion of their research topics is based on their knowledge of the profession and the challenges that come from the profession’s skills. It is anticipated that the results of their research will be implemented in the profession. In an interesting article written by Karen J. Trivette (2022) entitled „Ar- chival Science? Existential Questions and Proposed Answers “, the author challenges if archival science is a real science. From the current findings we can deduct that archival science is a real science, as it is based on a well-es- tablished profession beginning in prehistoric times and has evolved to the present day (Klasinc, 2020). Archivists have been trained at universities (Campanelli et al., 2020; Varlamova, 2020) for more than 90 years and have been responsible for the development of the profession and scienc- es. Archivists are involved in a large amount of research, some of which is also carried out at AMEU Maribor as part of the Archivists in Science doctor- al study programme. 5. CONCLUSIONS Students of the Archival Science programme at AMEU Maribor start their research work already in the first academic year. The content of the semi- nar assignments has been reviewed in the courses Methodology of Scien- tific Research and Methodology of Preparation, Production and Editing of Scientific Papers, regular subjects of the first and second year of the study programme. It was found that the predominant topics deal with the chal- lenges of the contemporary archival profession and its development. This RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc 107 finding is important because in the seminar assignments students deal with the topic they usually choose for their doctoral dissertation. As the students are mostly employed in the profession, it is assumed that the implementation of their research findings will contribute to the develop- ment of the archival profession. REFERENCES Alma Mater Europea – ECM (AMEU). 2023. Archival Science. Retrieved at https:// en.almamater.si/archival-sciences-c31 (accessed November 2023). Campanelli, G., Nemore, F. & Villani, G. (2020). From the Archive to the Chair: First Reflection on Ninety Years of Archival Studies in Sapienza. Atlanti, 30(1), 53–62. Marosz, M. (2020). Archival Education – Last Changes and Prospects. Atlanti, 30(1), 62–68. Klasinc, P. P. (2020). An Overview of Selected Historical Periods in Archiving up until the Foundation of the IIAS Institute and the Atlanti Journal all the Way to the Present Day. Atlanti, 30(1), 15–34. Society of American Archivists (SAA). (2023). Retrieved at https://www2. archivists.org (accessed on November 2023). Trivettte, K. J. (2022). Archival Science? Existential Questions and Proposed Answers, Atlanti+, 32(1), 50–64. Varlamova, L. (2020). Archival Education in Russia: Past-Present-Future. At- lanti, 30(1), 41–52. TYPOLOGY: 1.01 Original scientific research RESEARCH OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN ARCHIVAL SCIENCE AT AMEU MARIBOR, CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIVAL SEMINAR WORK BY STUDENTS OF ARCHIVAL SCIENCES AT AMEU MARIBOR Nadja Plazar, Peter Pavel Klasinc108 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3rd BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME Aavailable at: https://en.almamater.si/archival-sciences-c31#overview) APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME 109 2 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME110 3 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME 111 4 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME112 5 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME 113 6 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME114 7 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME 115 APPENDIX: BROCHURE ARCHIVAL SCIENCE 3RD BOLOGNA CYCLE, PHD STUDY PROGRAMME116