Registers of Archive Fonds (A the Czech Republic
and Information Sy Czech Archives
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After accessing the retrieval apparatus in
three other world languages the popularity of
this information system still increased, which
was i.a. demonstrated by incorporation of the
database into European Networking Projects.1
This relative success of the Czech archives was
due both to the long lasting work of many archi
vists and to the specific development of archive
record management in Czechoslovakia or in the
Czech Republic.
Though a number of important archives
already existed in the Czech lands since the
19th century (Moravian Regional Archives in
Brno, Archives of the National Museum etc.),
the core of the current archive net in the Czech
Republic arose in 20th century '50s and '60s, i.e.
within the communist era. At this time the legis
lative instruments were developed which enab
led, at least on theoretical level, orientation in
the vast archive wealth, which was concentrated
in the Czech Republic archives i.a. due to the
nationalization process. Its core was the obliga
tory registration of archive fonds (archive
groups) regardless of the stage of their arrange
ment or inventarization. Archive fonds (archive
groups) in Czech archives are traditionally of
two types. First the archive fonds created under
provenance principle, i.e. files of records arisen
through the selection for scientific, administra
tive and other reasons from written and other
documents captured by the activities of their
creators. To a lesser extent also archive collec
tions exist arisen on the basis of pertinance prin
ciple, i.e. by intentional file capturing activities
regardless of originators of the records. Both
types of these archive groups are since the fifties
registered in individual archives and concur
rently in central Mol registration. All records on
Czech Republic territory, which were incorpora
ted into this register, under the Archive Act
became a part of so-called Unified Archive Fond
(hereafter UAF), and under this Act were protec
ted.
UAF has its origins in Government Decree No
29/1954 Coll., on archives, on the basis of
which a network of archives was established and
whose 2 stated that 'files of records and docu
ments of archival nature, arisen by the activities
of state agencies, their institutions and facilities,
socialist legal entities, in particular nationalized
and other enterprises managing national pro
perty as well as their legal predecessors, if sorted
in accordance with the direction on retention,
constitute the Unified State Archive Fond.' 3
stated that 'the Unified State Archive Fond shall
be concentrated: a) in Central State Archives in
Prague, b) in Slovak Central State Archives in
Bratislava, c) in state archives, d) in other archi
ves.'2 Mol was authorized to run the register of
the Unified State Archive Fond 7 letter c). This
Government Decree undoubtedly reflected the
contemporary effort of the totalitarian regime to
control information; but its main aim was also
in the trivial attempt to map the mass of archi
val records, which in different ways inclusive of
nationalization got into the emerging net of
archives. The register of the Unified State
Archive Fond took the form of increment-arran
ged card index with an auxiliary card apparatus
thematically structured (so-called auxiliary card
index). The register served exclusively for the
internal needs of Mol and archives.
Act 97/1974 Coll., on archives, brought a certain
change by defining the UAF in a more general
way as 'Records kept in register on Czech
Republic territory, are part of the Unified
Archive Fond.'3 UAF thus applied not only to
documents deposited in archives but to all docu
ments of archival nature registered in UAF. The
inclusion of the records in UAF resulted above
all in their elementary protection. The records
could not be exported except for the purpose of
exhibitions, and in such case with Mol approval
8 par. 2, 10 par. 4). The records were protec
ted by the state 7); this also applied to records
and documents in private possession (§10 par.
1-3). The inclusion into register resulted also in
obligations for record owners (§7 par. 2), and
theoretically also in the state assistance 7 par.
2). The main object was thus both protection
and registration. Though the directive on pro
tection of records by the state was a hardly prac
ticable declaration, with assistance to the
owners not much in mind, UAF register asserted
itself in principle as a model, and formally also
the structure of the monitored data partly
improved.4
The system was, nevertheless, not too
effective. UAF registers were in different
periods and different archives managed
with differing intensity, and its applica
bility was i.a. also limited due to the rat
her rough nature of many provisions in
register. The UAF register quality usually
improved after one of the general inven
tories made once in a decade, but in the
meantime the interest in its manage
ment declined. In particular the central
UAF register was poorly managed; it deci
dedly failed to provide a survey of archi
ve groups in the Czech Republic and thus
did not serve either as a source of infor
mation or as a control instrument.
The situation changed at the beginning
of 20th century nineties. The informa
tion system, which served exclusively to
the internal needs of Mol and archives,
opened gradually up and after change of
regime started to serve the research com
munity as well.
Radical turn came in the years 1993-
1994, when i.a. due to bad experience in
initial cooperation with private firms a
small team of new employees was for
med at Mol Archive Administration
including a systems engineer and a pro
grammer, which not only started to solve
methodical problems and improve the
database of the UAF, but primarily started
to create its own software. The software
proper at first created an electronic paral
lel to paper card files, but later developed
into a much wider alternative. This data
base system, known as PEvA - Program
for Archive Registers was developed by
programmer J. Hora in cooperation with
O. Macek, with author of this contribu
tion and with archivists of all archives in
the Czech Republic. Since 1998 the sys
tem routinely operates in all archives of
the country. National databases of archi
ve fonds (archive groups) and archive
collections are periodically compiled
each year. At the time of inception this
was a unique system but also today,
when similar systems exist e.g. in
Sweden, Poland, Spain or in the UI<,
PEvA is one of the most complex systems
of its kind in Europe and is continually
developed.5 As regards the quality of the
database, general inventory of archive
fonds (archive groups) and collections of
2001 was of fundamental importance, in
which most archives of our republic par
ticipated.6 The system is preserved even
in the new circumstances launched by
public administration reform in the
Czech Republic (1999-2002) and, above
all, by the new Archive Act. In it the exis
ting term 'Unified Archive Fond' was
replaced by 'National Archive Heritage',
yet the basic parameters of this institute
have been preserved.7 Based on the new
Act and implementation regulations
PEvA program was at length also redraf
ted. The basic change was in the new
structure of archives in the Czech
Republic.8
The data is loaded into individual files of
the program by the staff of individual
archives on the basis of methodology
specified by Mol. Via the National
Archive and regional state archives also
the data on documents archived in
museums, libraries, memorials, facilities
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, uni
versities (so called 'cultural and scientific
institutions') and documents stored by
private persons (documents stored outs
ide the archives) get into the system.9
The data is yearly periodically updated.
By the end of February each year the data
is concentrated at Mol Administration of
Archives Department in Prague where
national database is compiled, which is
then passed to individual archives. Each
archive is thus informed in detail about
the records in the other archives.10
Besides the key register of archive fonds
(archive groups) and collections the regi
stration of finding aids plays an impor
tant role. The system permits to ascertain
whether finding aids exist for a given
archive fond, of what type and where
such aids are available. Duplicates of
important finding aids in national dis
trict archives are submitted to head offi
ces of relevant regional national archives
and also to Mol Administration of
Archives Department in Prague. All other
types of archives send there the duplica
tes of aids as well.
The set of finding aids at Administration
of Archives Department in Prague con
tains approximately 26279 finding aids.
This library is also intensively used by
different researchers. They can thus find,
before they visit the archives, whether
the documents searched for actually are
in the relevant fond. Mol can thus spare
at least some citizens time and financial
expense linked with unnecessary travel
ling to archives situated across the terri
tory of the republic. In future also the
data on individual records, contained in
finding aids, should be integrated into
the system.
Lees verder op pagina 25
W'.
23
Door Michal Wanner*
In the year 2002 the database known as archive
fonds (archive groups) in the Czech Republic was
placed on the Website of the Czech Republic
Ministry of the Interior (hereafter Mol). The acces
sing thereof met with public's positive response
and the monthly number of visits soon reached
several thousand. This interest is understandable if
we bear in mind that the database has accessed
information to the whole archive wealth of the
Czech Republic. The database registers 146.833
archive fonds (archive groups) totalling 711.653
shelve meters and 144.435 finding aids. This archi
ve material is located in 43 archives (115 work
places) across the territory of the Czech Republic.
Registers of archive fonds (archive groups) in the
Czech Republic and its history
PEvA database system
Archievenblad-redacteur Peter Sijnke voor het stadsarchief van Kolding (Denemarken)— f
J N 1
22
archievenblad
September 2005
September 2005
archievenblad
£52=2»
