Archival Heritage Council

Introduction

In order to support their activities in November 1998 the Minister of National Education appointed the Archival Heritage Council. Since May 2000 due to reorganisation of the government administration, it fell within the powers of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. It is composed of the representatives of Poles in Poland and abroad.

The Council appeals to private persons, organisations and institutions which collect or possess archive materials or knowledge of endangered materials, to contact it in order to register, and possibly secure the collection including it in scientific circulation. Please promote the goals and rules of the Council among our compatriots in the world.

We have to protect the memory of our history, our ancestors and ourselves for the future generations.

Ryszard Kaczorowski
President of the Archival Heritage Council

Our mission outside of Poland

We want to remember the persons and events who served the Polish cause outside of Poland, protect the evidence of activity of institutions and possessions of persons active in the diaspora who as strong pillars marked the foundations of Polishness and promoted the good name of Poland and Poles in the difficult and dangerous times for the Polish nation.

What should be protected and why do we need the Archival Heritage Council?

We have to do our best to preserve the memory and not waste the achievements of persons and generations who fought for independent Poland and Polishness, to preserve private collections, especially of activists, persons of merit for Polish communities, scientists, engineers and writes, but also all these who gathered private archive materials documenting the fate of political refugees, emigrants and those who felt connected with Poland. Particularly endangered are personal and family archives often due to lack of interest of the heirs or legatees.

Thanks to the effort of many generations part of the collections and legacies has already been gathered in a dozen or so emigration and Polish community institutions as well as veterans’ organisations, parish communities, cultural and charity organisations, youth organisations and archives of Polish magazines and publishing houses, etc. This work of many generations cannot be lost, concern and efforts of emigrants and Polish communities should be supported by Poland.

After ideological barriers disappeared, and independent Poland was formed, conditions to join the efforts of emigration, Polish community circles and Poland in order to take care and save national archival heritage scattered almost around the entire world occurred.

The Archival Heritage Council created in 1998 by the decision of the Minister of National Education and since 2000 subject to the Minister of Culture and National Heritage is precisely such an organisational plane for collaboration between Poland and Polish emigration. Operating under the Minister responsible for preservation of national heritage but autonomous in its actions, it is composed of representatives of various circles who are not indifferent to preservation of Polish documents.

The Council intends to support preservation of all Polish collections and legacies composed of archive materials, works of art and other objects, such as militaria, saving it for the benefit of future generations and helping to make them more accessible.

The Council is a working body so perforce its composition is limited. However the Council invites to collaboration all the persons who share its concerns and principles. The Council declares the readiness for close collaboration with the Standing Conference of Polish Museums, Libraries and Archives in the West which for nearly two decades has effectively and with great dedication supported the preservation of Polish mementoes in the Western Europe and North America.

Aid will take on the form of:

• professional advice,
• training of qualified curators,
• possibly, raising financial help for specific goals.

If you wish to donate materials to one of the institutions which guarantee appropriate conditions for storing, describing and making the collection available, in Poland or abroad, the Council can help you in finding the right partner.

What are the tasks of the Archival Heritage Council and who should it help?

The Council intends to help all the institutions and private persons who need or expect such help and who care about preserving the archival mementoes of the past for the future generations.

The first task of the Council is to collect and promote information about archive collections regarding Poles and Polish institutions operating outside Poland.

The second task of the Council is to organise professional help. This help is to support preservation and description of Polish heritage including in particular but not limited to archive collections.

The third task of the Council is to help in obtaining resources necessary for description and/or securing the collection. The Council’s activity is based on resources obtained from public, social and private institutions.

What is the programme of the Archival Heritage Council?

Drawing up and holding a register of institutions and persons storing and collecting materials regarding Poland and the Poles abroad.Inspiring and if possible harmonising the organisational, inventorying and research programmes aiming at:

• setting up Internet sites with basic information of all the registered institutions and persons,
• preparing a guide (PDF file 117 KB) on collections, including institutions of the Standing Conference of Polish Archives, Libraries and Museums in the West [The guide was published in 2004]
• creating inventories for the most important archival units, legacies and collections,
• determining methodological bases and describing the remaining archival units, legacies and collections, including general description of their content, and information about the number of units and period in which they were created.

Promoting among the emigration and Polish community circles awareness of the need to protect the collections gathered by institutions and private persons for the future generations and informing them about the possibility to obtain help from the institutions working with the Council.

Promoting the Council’s goals and information on collections:

• in mass media,
• through organisation of exhibitions,
• through publication of albums, folders and facsimile publications of the most important documents,
• promotion of goals and actions undertaken by the Archival Heritage Council.

Helping in improving the qualifications of persons responsible for gathering, storing and preservation of collections through:

• training and traineeships, also in Polish institutions,
• publication of manuals and professional guides.

Initiating and supporting the drawing up of plans and organisation of protective and supplementary microfilming of the most important collections, supporting the exchange of microfilms between emigration institutions as well as between the emigration institutions and the Polish ones.

Supporting conservation and creation of appropriate conditions for storing of collections, acquisition of appropriate technical means (e.g. air drying units) and investment necessary to save the collections.

Organisation of collaboration with foreign state, private, museum and university institutions and private persons who possess Polonica in their collections in order to learn more about them, as well as copy and promote these collections.

Addresses for correspondence:
Eugenia Maresch, Secretary of the Archival Heritage Council
2 Hoveden Road, London NW2 3XD
Ph./Fax: 00-44-020-8452-0793
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Technical secretariat:
Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych
02-517 Warszawa, ul. Rakowiecka 2D
Attn.: Anna Krochmal
Ph. (+ 48 22) 56 54 621
Fax (+ 48 22) 56 54 614
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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