Kazakhstan's National Archives digitizes over 110 million pages

The National Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan marks its 20th anniversary this year. Since its establishment, it has become the country's leading archival institution, preserving key documents on the formation and development of independent Kazakhstan.

The archives currently hold 404,950 archival units and maintain a 16-million-frame preservation archive. They work with 278 organizations and have steadily expanded their digital collections, increasing the share of digitized records from 3% to 26% and converting more than 110 million pages into electronic format.

The National Archives has established a laboratory for scanning large-format documents and introduced an AI-powered search system that can retrieve information from millions of records within seconds. It has also opened Kazakhstan's first standalone electronic reading room, giving researchers access to digitized documents through a network isolated from the internet, an approach designed to enhance data security.

The facility houses 19 specialized storage repositories equipped with climate control and gas-based fire suppression systems, as well as digitization and restoration laboratories. Over the past three years, specialists have restored 1,447 historical documents.

The National Archives also serves as the country's scientific and methodological center for the archival sector. In addition to managing the state archival holdings catalog, it helps develop regulatory documents, organizes scientific councils and works with the Institute of State History on the Scientific Laboratory project. Over the past three years, it has organized about 20 nationwide seminars, and its professional training center has issued more than 1,000 certificates.

Youth engagement remains another priority. Under the Archives and Future Generation project, the institution organizes open days, with the number of young participants rising from 500 to 2,000. It has also opened a History of Kazakhstan classroom in partnership with the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The National Archives has also broadened its digital public outreach. Since last year, it has operated the Eternal Memory portal, which now includes records on more than 705,000 World War II veterans. The institution also organizes over 200 cultural and educational events each year and publishes academic and documentary collections, photo albums, and methodological guides.

The archives also continue to strengthen international cooperation as a member of ICA EURASICA, working with archival institutions in Russia, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, Estonia, France, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan had deployed more than 50 AI agents as it advances its AI-First strategy, expanding the use of artificial intelligence across healthcare, business support, tax administration, and other sectors.