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Departments of the National Archives
Since 1 January 2005, the National Archives is an administrative office and central
state archives directly controlled by the Ministry of the Interior. Being an organizational
constituent body of the state and an account unit, its budget is part of the Ministry
budget chapter. The seat of the National Archives is in Prague, with the directress
at the head, all the departments are subordinated to her. Each department has then
its own head.
Organizational division of the National Archives
Department of self-government and state administration fonds until 1848 and of religious
institutions
(1st department)
The 1st department of the National Archives administers, arranges and makes accessible
archival fonds of political, financial, judicial and church administration, land
self-government from the period of feudalism, arisen from activities of central
state offices, bodies and institutions of the old Czech state (i.e. the Crown of
Bohemia Lands) and the Bohemian Kingdom from the 12th century to mid 19th century.
It administers 202 archival fonds, mostly of the Category I, whose size is about 13,500
linear metres.
The department has gained more assignments after issueing a new archival Act, mainly
for the pre-archival care, not only in connection with the secular or monastic institutions
whose records are administered by the department as the deposits, but also with
other supreme bodies and institutions of religious character. The department comprises
a research room regularly opened for the whole week (ca 6,000 research visits per
year). A library B serves to the department staff and researchers from the public,
keeping books and journals aimed at topics of archival collections held by the 1st
department, as well as literature related to national history and geography.
Department of self-government and state administration from 1848 – 1918
(2nd department)
The department is focused on records of state administration and land self-government
from 1848 – 1918. Nevertheless, the time limitation in connection with the entrusted
records has been exceeded. The department is responsible for 117 archival fonds,
the volume of which has been almost 16,000 linear metres, from the 16th to 20th
century (the deeds and charters also date back to the13th century). There prevail
archival fonds of greater volume, closed and arranged, with different systems of
record file manipulation and with heterogeneous contents.
Department of state administration from 1918 – 1945
(3rd department)
The department of state administration from 1918- 1945 (1948) is responsible for
:
it administers records arisen from activities of central offices of state administration
and land administration for the Czech Land, mainly from the period of pre-war Czechoslovakia
and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, including fonds on the
German occupational offices and the fonds of the Czechoslovak exile state bodies
abroad between 1939 – 1945. It ensures access to individual archival fonds and enables
their administrative and research use. The 3rd department keeps 164 archival fonds,
the range of which is 26,000 linear metres. Approximately 18% of the records has
been left unarranged. At present, the department rerely accepts any new paper documents
from registries. New inventories are being made on archival fonds from the period
of nazi occupation or amendments to individual fonds of central offices of state
administration.
Department of state administration fonds from 1945 – 1992
(4th department)
The department is responsible for vast archival collections from unitarian central
offices of state administration from 1945 – 1968 and Czech and federal central offices
from 1969 – 1992 including their establishment with nationwide and republic competences.
Altogether there are 336 archival collections in the range of more than 44,000 linear
metres. The department selects documents in the appraisal proceedings or outside
of them at the originators where the documents which had arisen before 1992 are
deposited.
Department of pre-archival care, fonds of state administration after 1992 and electronic
documents
(5th department)
The department was established on 1 January 2005 by amalgamation of the Department
of Informatics and the specialized department of pre-archival care and administering
of archival fonds of state administration after 1992.
The department deals with all archival activities in relation to a legally stated
circle of record originators on one hand, and on the other it offers complex services
to the archives in the basic registration of archival documents, is responsible
for conversion of finding aids onto electronic format and guarantees development
and implementation of an information system, as well as administration of applied
archival programmes in the National Archives.
The department up to now administers 77 archival fonds, accepted from the originators
at the appraisal proceedings, mostly from the period after 1993. Apart from that,
the department is responsible for the two important archival fonds arisen from the
activities of the predecessors of the National Archives : the Archival Registry
and the Central Agriculture and Forestry Archives.
At the beginning of 2005, a new workplace was established in the section of informatics,
specialized in acquisition, archiving and making electronic documents accessible,
those which arise at the originators in the scope of the National Archives. Initially
the staff has to prepare source materials for the project, and following implementation
of the technological equipment of the workplace. In the future, the workplace is
supposed to ensure especially methodically a long-term storage of such kind of records
on a national scale.
Department of non-state provenance fonds and archival collections
(6th department)
The sixth department of the National Archives collaborates with the given private-legal
originators and keepers of records and gives them an advisory service. Upon request
of originators and keepers of records, it helps them register in the scope of the
National Archival Heritage and after mutual agreement it may acquire selected records
either in permanent or temporary professional administration.
The department then selects, and after an agreement with the owner also accepts
archival documents from the supreme and similar bodies of political parties and
movements, organizations with an international aspect, civic associations, trade
union organizations, employer organizations, professional chambers (with the exception
of those established by law and thus belonging under the reponsibilities of 5th
department), then foundations, foundations funds, and public welfare societies.
The collaboration with organizations of Czechs living abroad, is also worth mentioning.
The 6th department systematically collects personal private archives, of those who
significantly influenced or documented the history of our country, archives of the
top politicians, high-level state officials, journalists, publishers, functionaries
of associations and national organizations, not least historians, archivists and
researchers whose specialized interest is in close connection with archival collections
of the National Archives. The rich archival collections of the department are being
systematically completed.
Department of research services and usage of records
(7th department)
The department is responsible for the course of research rooms and provides an advisory
service to the researchers, in collaboration with other departments.
Department of photo-,phono-, and cinedocuments and public relations
(8th department)
The department is specialized in the care of photographic, acoustic and cinematographic
archival documents and was outlined in 2002. The department is responsible for 116
archival fonds kept in specially designed repositories, air-conditioned to create
optimum storing conditions for different kinds of media. The department also fulfills
quite a number of duties. Its registry deals with registering all accepted documents
and the archive´s own documents, conducts searches abroad, thus organizing administrative
service of the archives. Besides, business trips of the NA employees are organized
here.
The editorial and publishing section produces publications edited by the NA from
their pre-press, to press and binding, and their distribution. Since 2005, photographic
studios are responsible for all photographic work for either internal usage (e.g.
exhibitions, catalogues, editions, reproductions of the records before and after
the conservation, study copies of negatives, etc.)or for the needs of researchers,
digital reproductions included. Security copies of archival documents is a long-term
target – on 35 mm microfilms, large-size negatives and their study copies.
The department also guarantees specialized and social events organized by the National
Archives, takes part in exhibitions, either as authors or helps organize them, as
well as gives specialized seminars or organizes them, holds home or international
conferences (also in collaboration with other academic workplaces of the Czech Republic);
prepares visits for those interested from students and scholarly public. Projections
of cinematographic films chosen from its rich archival collections are aimed at
the general public.
Library
(9th department)
The National Archives library is a specialized archival library, the books of which
are depicting the multithematic character of archival fonds, and specialized and
professional needs of the National Archives.The library houses 462,000 volumes from
the field of archives, public administration and law, history, auxiliary historical
sciences and informatics, i.e. mainly from the social sciences, selectively from
the natural or technical sciences and from the documents of general-purpose character.
Yearly it subscribes 400 titles of periodicals either from home or abroad.The library
is open to readers older than 15 years who may get there basic (standard) librarian
and information services.
The library takes an active part in present and retrospective bibliography from
the field of archives, and makes additional bibliographic inventories of literature
from the library collections. Accompanying documentary databases are being created.
In the scope of the National Archives the library takes part in an international
exchange of publications with archives and institutions of a similar nature, fulfills
other tasks arising from legislative duties, or from collaboration with libraries
in the Czech Republic (interlibrary loans and other interlibrary services, taking
part in nationwide projects, and the like).
Department of care of physical condition of the records
(10th department)
The department is responsible for the complex care of preservation of records deposited
in the National Archives. The care comprises conservation and restoration of archival
documents, research projects connected with records conservation, testing new methods
and materials used in conservative and restoration practice; then follows preventive
care, research into the physical condition of records, evaluation of hygienic regime
in repositories, as well as problems with disinfection of archival fonds.
The department consists of two sections – conservation and restoration of records,
and scientific research.
Economical – administrative department
(11th department)
Keeps all the National Archives going as for economy, management of the premises,
computer network and information technology servicing.
Directorate
Comprises a personnel official, lawyer, internal auditor and an assistant.
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