Source Practice at the Luhansk Regional Museum of Local Lore

26.5.2025

In May 2025, the first-year students majoring in “Secondary Education (History and Civic Education)” will undergo source practice at the Luhansk Regional Museum of Local Lore (LOKM) under the guidance of Assistant Professor of the Department of History and Archaeology E. Shevtsova.

The source study internship was conducted under the guidance of the assistant of the Department of History and Archaeology E. Shevtsova.  The purpose of the internship is to form primary professional competencies in the field of working with historical sources and to familiarize with the functioning of a specialized museum institution in the system of preserving historical memory.

Within the framework of the internship program, applicants are introduced to the structure of the LOKM, its functional units, the specifics of conducting scientific research, fund, exhibition and methodological work, as well as the features of classification, description, cataloguing and preservation of sources.

The key event of the source study internship was a professional meeting with the Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the LOKM, Oksana Bakshynska, who presented the report “Luhansk Regional Museum of Local Lore: Structure, Organization of Work, Sources, Documentation”.

The main attention was paid to methods of systematization of sources, regulatory and legal aspects of the museum’s activities as part of the state system of cultural heritage protection, as well as the use of the results of source analysis in historical education.

Students had the opportunity to ask professional questions related to the organization of thematic and exhibition plans, the specifics of working with an electronic archive, the formation of scientific passports of exhibits and the adaptation of sources for use in the educational process. The challenges faced by museum workers in wartime conditions and ways to preserve historical heritage in crisis circumstances were also discussed.

The meeting with Oksana Bakshynska became an important professional experience for applicants for the specialty “Secondary Education (History and Civic Education)” and allowed them not only to consolidate theoretical knowledge, but also to directly familiarize themselves with current practices in the field of historical and museum work. Source research practice at the LKM is an important stage of professional training of future history teachers, aimed at developing skills in critical analysis of sources, description of materials and use of empirical data in the educational process.

We express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Oksana for meaningful communication, openness to dialogue and significant contribution to the professional development of future historians and teachers.