LRT archives preserve Lithuanian television history

Journalist and LRT archive editor Tomas Vaitelė is working with decades of television footage to preserve Lithuanian history. A doctoral student at Vilnius University, Vaitelė focuses on the history of television, specifically during the Soviet era and the early years of independence.

Through the ‘Missing Tapes’ campaign, LRT is encouraging the public to share private television recordings that are not currently held in the national archives. Vaitelė emphasizes that while major political events are significant, the small details of daily life—such as how people dressed, spoke, and lived—provide essential historical evidence of how much the country has changed.