At the present stage of development of society and communications, the most important and demanded resource is information. It has become a necessary element for getting acquainted with the past, planning the present and predicting the future. Each industry develops from a basic foundation, but constantly reinforces it with new means, in the accumulation of which informative knowledge plays a potential role. The flow of information currently comes from a variety of sources, among which retrospective materials are distinguished by a high content of reliable data. Among these, mention should be made of archival documents that contain evidence of events of past years. The study of information from archival documents makes it possible to clarify many little-studied aspects of the history of the development of states and societies, which is also important for determining their place and positions in the world community today and in the future.
In Uzbekistan, special attention is currently being paid to the development of science, including the strengthening of such research as archiving, archival source studies, and the creation of electronic copies of hard documents. In this regard, a large indicator is the process of an objective analysis of archival documents reflecting the history of the Soviet period, extracting private studies that really implement the specifics of the activities of the Soviet government in the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Bukhara People's Soviet Republic, Khorezm People's Soviet Republic and the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.
This collection, dedicated to supplementing and digitizing the Archival Guidebook of the National Archives of Uzbekistan on the funds of the Soviet period, to a certain extent, serves to implement the tasks noted in the following government legal documents of the country: Decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated September 20, 1919 No. DP-5834 " On measures to improve archiving and office work in the Republic of Uzbekistan”, Decree of the President dated January 28, 2022 No. DP-60 “On the development strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026”, Resolution of the President dated September 20, 2019 No. RP-4463 “On improving the activities of the Uzarchive Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated March 19, 2020 No. RCM-174 “On approval of certain legal documents in the field of archiving and office work”, etc.
A large number of archival documents and their constant accumulation require their orderliness in the archives, which, in turn, ensures the systematic nature of the study process. In this case, the main role is given to informative reference books of the archival institution, such as a guidebook, inventory, catalogue, index, list, etc. As is known, in the aggregate they constitute the scientific reference apparatus of the archive. Each of these types of reference books has an appropriate structure, subject to a certain principle of classification and systematization of materials. The most complete picture of the archive can be obtained from the information of the guidebook, since it usually contains brief information about the largest archival funds. It should be noted that the current level of development of science and technology requires the creation of electronic types of directories of archival institutions, as a means of quick access to archival funds and the provision of operational information to users from archives. This process is already being successfully implemented in many countries, with digitization proceeding in stages from early documents to the present. Archival guidebooks are reliable sources of information content of each archive, which increases their appreciation and relevance in conducting scientific research, fulfilling social requests, disclosing controversial issues between citizens, legal entities and individuals, holding cultural events, implementing various programs of international cooperation in the field of science, culture, education, healthcare, etc.
Among such significant informative sources, should be noted the guidebooks of the largest archival institution in Central Asia - the National Archives of Uzbekistan. Its scientific and reference apparatus contains 5 guidebooks: 4 - on the funds of the Soviet period (1917-1991), 1 - on the funds of the period of independence (from 1991 to the present), each of which is important in terms of obtaining information about the structure National Archives. Familiarization with the content of these guidebooks will allow the researcher to quickly find the information required by the user and successfully solve the tasks set by him to solve the problem. In connection with such an actualization of the issue of the content of the archival guidebook, this work outlines the goal - to supplement the "Guidebook of 1960" of the National Archives of Uzbekistan and its digitization. It should be noted that this electronic guidebook today is the first electronic directory in this archival area of the country.
The guidebook of 1960 (hereinafter referred to as the Guidebook) of the National Archives of Uzbekistan is the first comprehensive scientific and reference publication, which most fully reflects the structure and content of the department of the October Revolution and socialist construction of the Central State Administration of the Uzbek SSR. (ORSC CSA UzSSR). Some clarification should be made here: this department was formed as an integral archive - CSAORSC UzSSR on May 20, 1931 by the decision of the Central Executive Committee of UzSSR. As of January 1, 1935, 455 funds with a total of 173,230 storage units were concentrated in this archive, by January 1, 1941 - 742 funds with a total of 248,872 storage units. In 1940-1945, the archive included: The Archive of the professional movement and labor of the Uzbek SSR, the State Military Archive and the archives of a number of institutions that ceased to exist. And in 1958, the archives of the Central State Archives of the Uzbek SSR became part of the newly formed Central State Archives of the Uzbek SSR as a department. The last transformation allows us to call it "ORSS CSA UzSSR", that is, a department within the CSA of the republic.
This Guidebook, including its digitized electronic version, has some differences in structure and content from the archival guidebook of 1960. In particular, the funds have changed the systematization of funds in administrative terms: the classification of archival documents of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic, Khorezm People's Soviet Republic and the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, these materials are placed in 23 chapters. Reviews of the funds of the Guide are prepared in Uzbek, Russian and English.
Brief characteristics of archival funds, in the chapters of the Guidebook, reflect valuable information about the governing bodies of the Uzbek Republic in the Soviet period, the structure and main sectors of the national economy, the structure, activities and main directions of the judicial and legal industry, institutions and organizations of healthcare, education, social protection, trade unions of workers. A systematic approach to the study of the materials of the Guidebook, in turn, contributes to the formation of the most holistic view of the population of the region, and objects of the national economy in the Soviet period.
