Archives and volunteering: cooperation in preserving history

Today, volunteers are a powerful force in the development of US archival institutions, making them more flexible and open, providing access to and use of historical documents. In the article, the author provides a comprehensive analysis of the activities of volunteers and provides successful socially significant practices in the implementation by archives of various public projects for the preservation of historical heritage with the participation of volunteer helpers. Familiarity with foreign experience of archives working with volunteers is of great importance, since such practices can be used as examples of organizing volunteer work on the sites of domestic archival institutions.