Private Archive in Turkey: Recommendations in the Context of Private Archives Practices in Scotland

Abstract

Private archives, which are not produced by public sources, enlighten the public, and are the continuation and complement of public archives, have an important place in domestic and foreign archive literature. These archives are generally created by families, individuals, legal institutions and organizations by natural or unnatural ways. Therefore, they are seen as hobby products that have a special and personal quality and are not subject to legal regulations. However, private archives have a supporting role to public archives in illuminating the issues affecting the state and nation life, especially historical research. There are various legal regulations regarding private archives in Turkey. However, although these regulations are insufficient, active and effective steps are not taken at the point of implementation. In this study, the current legal regulations and issue concerning private archives will be exemined and the National Archives of Scotland, which has important private archive applications, will be mentioned. Finally, some practice recommendations have been developed in order to make private archives more effective and functional in Turkey.