In 1988, Ilgūnas presented nine units of documents to the Lithuanian SSR Central State Archive of Literature and Art. Among them was the manuscript of his biography of Vincas Pietaris. It formed the beginning of the collection. Lithuania was still formally a Soviet republic, but society and some state institutions were changing dramatically. Sąjūdis groups were very active in most state institutions, especially those involved in cultural policy. Because of the changing situation, Ilgūnas decided to present his collection to the state archive.