Dear Readers.

It is with satisfaction and hope that we present the 120th volume of “Archeion”. With satisfaction, because we have given the publication a new formula, which we hope will meet the archivists’ expectations for a modern, progressive scientific journal. Its thematic profile remains unchanged, despite the new editor-in-chief and some personal changes in the composition of the editorial office. We wish to continue the good traditions of our journal and inthis respect, we count on cooperation of the entire archival community. In 2019 “Archeion” was entered on the list of scored scientific journals of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, obtaining 70 points. Therefore, we are obligated to implement the guidelines for evaluation of journals. Consequently, starting from this current volume we have introduced new editorial rules. We also reinstituted the practice from several years ago of having a leading theme, to which at least 1/3 of each volume is to be devoted. We have simplified the structure of sections, which currently includesection devoted to the leading theme, and sections: “Studies and materials”, “Discussions and reviews”, “Scientific Chronicle” and “In Memoriam”. We are convinced that the changes we have introduced in the journal will be accepted by the readers of “Archeion” and will serve to maintain a high academic standard. Thus, we are hopeful in looking forward to reactions from the readers and hope for their approval of the undertaken challenges.

Volume 120 focuses on social functions of archives and their position in public space. The choice of the leading theme is the result of a panel discussion entitled “Archives in Public Space” which took place during the 20th General Congress of Polish Historians in September 2019 in Lublin. The articles, included in the first section reflect the discussions held during the Congress and the topics raised during the discussion. Four articles, including Paweł Pietrzyk’s keynote paper Contemporary conditions and prospects for scientific activity of state archives – an attempt at diagnosis, are devoted  to the issue of scientific research carried out in archives and by archivists. The paper presents an analysis of the formal and legal conditions of scientific activity at state archives and discusses the most important, according to the author, research needs of a modern archive. Study by Waldemar Chorążyczewski and Paweł Gut (History in archives and archives in history. State archives’ share in development of Polish historiography) provides an in-depth analysis of methodological relations between archives and study of history, on one hand constituting archives as scientific institutions and on the other, guaranteeing archival science its status as a discipline of science. Development of archival personnel and scientific research over the last few decades, as well as their current state, was presented by Dariusz Magier in The curse of Bogdan Kroll. Researchers and scientific activities in Polish state archives in the light of archival literature from the 20th and 21st century. The final paper devoted to reflections on scientific aspects is the work by Krzysztof Skupieński Polish archival science versus documentary science and development of inter-, multi- and transdisciplinarity. The article is a discourse exploring the directions that Polish archival science might take in order to make broader forays into modern interdisciplinarity. The second theme, which was not only the subject of debate at the Congress of Historians in Lublin, but is the subject of current interest and discourse of the archival community, is the issue of audience for the archives. The following articles are devoted to this issue: Joanna Chojecka Open archives. On presence of state archives in public space in context of assumptions, implementation and results of State Archives Strategy 2010–2020 and Marlena Jabłońska Archives in space. People, places, activities. Introduction to presence of archives in public space. The first one is a summary of implementation of the public access principle by state archives in the passing decade 2010–2020; the second provides a broader reflection on contemporary presence of Polish archives, with particular emphasis on state archives, in public space. The summary of this discussion against a broader background of reflections on presence of archives in public space, seen as implementation of their functions or social roles, is presented in the final article of this section – paper by Agnieszka Rosa entitled Social roles of archives in contemporary archival discourse in Poland, as an addendum to the panel discussion “Archives in public space” during the 20th General Congress of Polish Historians. The “Studies and materials” section includes works of both archival and interdisciplinary nature. Archival science is represented by Barbara Berska, Wanda K. Roman and Janusz Łosowski contributions, thematically linked to the celebrations of restoration of Poland’s sovereignty, and resulting from many scientific conferences and events that accompanied these celebrations. Articles by Grzegorz Wrona, Radosław Gaziński and Karol Nabiałek are an important contribution to the development of archival science, codicology and knowledge about polonica of the modern era. There is also an interdisciplinary work in this section, by Bartosz Drzewiecki and Anna Pieczka, devoted to modern education of archivists.

The texts in the “Discussions and Reviews” and “Scientific Chronicle” sections refer to publications and current events that have taken place over the past 2–3 years. We try, as much as the publishing cycle allows, to provide information that is not outdated, to make sure it is relevant for the Reader. A justified departure from this principle has been made in the present volume, to include a review of a monograph by Wiesława Kwiatkowska Achievements of Polish archival science in scope of archival fonds processing methodology (Warsaw 2014), a work important for the archival methodology and not previously reviewed. We would like “Archeion” to become a keystone for the main research fields of modern archival science, understood as interdisciplinary science concerning modern archives. To this end, subsequent issues are to focus on the leading themes – matters of major importance for the development of archival science and archives. The leading theme of planned volume 121 is the subject of contemporary archival law in Poland. It covers theoretical and empirical premises for modernisation or reform of contemporary archival law in Poland, necessary changes in most important areas of archival activity, in particular the handling of documentation, providing access to archival materials, the structure and operating principles of the state archival network system and its subsystems, amendments to the Act on National Archival Resources and Archives of 1983 in the context of systemic transformation in Poland after 1989, as well as analyses and comparisons of contemporary archival law systems in Poland and in other countries. The prelude to this subject scope is the article by Marek Konstankiewicz, concluding the “Studies and materials” section, entitled Development of the legal basis for archival activity in Poland at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, in which the author outlines the most important areas for in-depth examination of archival law, emphasizing their interdisciplinarity and the need to use the expertise of archival science as well as methods used in legal sciences.

Please enjoy reading the volume thoroughly; we will also welcome your cooperation.

Editorial Team

The scientific activity of the state archives has been visibly regressing for several years and it has been regarded critically by the archival community. The article outlines the current state of scientific  activity of the state archives. The most important problem areas requiring in-depth analysis and a discussion within the archival community have been proposed. The author presented the priority research needs of contemporary archivistics, in which scientific research is essential for the further development of archives. These are: contemporary electronic office and methods of shaping the documents accrual (management of large archival data sets, metadata standards, creation of information retrieval models, selection and evaluation of electronic and mixed documentation, issues of permanent storage of documents created in electronic and hybrid documentation systems); institutional development of state archives (IT systems for fonds management), smart buildings systems for archival buildings, modern methods of preventive maintenance and conservation; archival methodology (boundaries and research tools of contemporary archival methodology, taking into account the diversity of forms and types of documentation). Moreover, the need to undertake interdisciplinary research in the field of digital humanities was indicated, as well as to develop a modern dictionary of terminology of archival science and works developing the principles of editing 20th and 21st century archival sources, taking into account their new digital and Internet forms. Proposals of preferred organizational solutions in the area of scientific activity of archives were discussed, taking into account the new organization of science in Poland resulting from the 2018 reform: establishment of an archival school and a system of academic grants in cooperation with the Association of Polish Archivists.

The objective of this study is to capture the deepest methodological relations between archives and study of history, on one hand constituting archives as scientific institutions and on the other, guaranteeing history’s status as a discipline of science. Polish state archives are, for us, the space in which it is easiest to observe phenomena and trends we are interested in, and at the same time an opportunity for broader consideration, as in probably every country the state archives determine general direction for the development of the entire archival field. We treat Polish historiography in the same way, understanding that no discipline, even humanist or social, is ever national; it is only being practised in one or other country. Source base for such study are of course first and foremost texts, published traditionally or on the Internet, expressing the positions and views of persons particularly active in scope of reflection over the past, present and future of the archival field.

The mutual discovery of history and archives took place during the Enlightenment and Romanticism eras, and resulted in reinforcement of history’s position as a discipline of science, pursued predominantly at the universities, and emergence of new type of archival institutions, increasingly linked with administration and the judiciary (although these links have never disappeared), but first and foremost with study of history. The professional ethos of archivists has emerged, no longer as lawyers and clerks, but university-educated historians. On occasion, a university professor, who at the same time was the director of archives, would deliberately employ his students in the archives so they could obtain a scholarly polish. Archives became the training ground for academic scholars, and at the same time they were happy to employ historians with appropriate recommendations from University professors. History faculties at universities educated either archivists as such, or skilful archive users, who understood well the specificity of archival work. Next to scientific libraries, archives have become a natural working environment for historians. Archival fonds were used for scientific research at the same time, or frequently even jointly, by historians employed at universities and historians employed as curators of archival materials. Archives, and in particular the research facilities, have become places of meetings: of historians with people from the past, speaking through archival materials, with archivists and with other historians. Professional ethos of an archivist emerged, as that of a person scientifically competent to find desired archival materials, read them verbatim and interpret them, i.e. conduct complete critique of the source.

20^thcentury brought on one more area of activity for the archives, which is pivotal for the study of history, namely shaping the archival fonds, including determination of what would constitute historical sources available in archives and allowing construction of learned structures of the past. Many controversial decisions are made in this field. Theory of selection born within the modernist, processual history, is not satisfactory to current historians of everydayness, mentality and microhistory. State archives are trying to somehow keep up with the transformations of the study of history, not entirely successfully though. Social archives, geared specifically to document the life of small social groups, are of assistance here.

In the era of postulated broad availability of archives to everyone, including the unskilled users, many methods and principles of archival work are subject to revision. It will not lead to disappearance of educated historians from archives. Their very background will always put them in a privileged position in archives. The archives will be able to use their knowledge and experience in work with archival materials to fulfil their mission in the information society of the future, especially if not all archivists are going to be historians, which seems a probable turn of events.

From the very beginning, archival institutions in Poland were perceived as scientific institutions, while archivists were considered researchers, who by necessity also performed official functions. The archivist’s scholarly tasks included organizing files, preparing inventories, repertories, indexes, making files available and preparing archival materials for printing. The old term ‘core activity archive worker’ meant an archival researcher . Based on archival literature, the article describes the process of departing from scientific activity in the state archives in Poland in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries, and the accompanying phenomenon of a decrease in the number of researchers and their replacement by personnel, which for completely different reasons was requested at the end of the 1950s by the then employee and subsequent director of the Archive of New Records in Warsaw, Bogdan Kroll, namely auxiliary archival staff. This fact, provocatively described by the author as a curse that is now being realised, becomes for him an opportunity to trace the transmutation of the archivists of the Polish state archives from researchers to officials.

The article is a discourse, proposing one of directions that Polish archival science might take in order to make a broader foray into the modern interdisciplinarity. In the first part, the general framework is indicated, based on philosophy of science and the new Oxford manual. Discussions of Polish philosophers, political scientists, pedagogists, and others analysing various types of interdisciplinarity were taken into account. Archivistics textbooks were the source for, mainly, reflection on its scope and relationship with other sciences, with particular focus on Tadeusz Grygier’s concepts.

The second part is an initial attempt to recognize certain directions of interdisciplinarity development, in particular in both North American, and Australian branches of archival science, in search for potential inspirations for Polish archival science. An attempt is made to derive a general view from selected works by Sue McKemmish and Anne J. Gilliland et al., with focus on importance of evidentiary value as the main feature of documentation to be of interest to archivists and records managers.

Subsequently, Livia Iacovino’s 2004 article was analysed. Emphasis was put on the topic of need to renew strong ties between archival science and legal sciences. Luciana Duranti also calls for that, recognizing diplomacy’s primary importance for archival science. The author agrees with those views, reiterating his proposal to place the document as a phenomenon at the centre of archivists and record managers education concept. Some of the most interesting examples of archival interdisciplinarity in Anglo-Saxon countries are also presented. 

Policy of open access to the fonds, conducted nowadays by the archives, first and foremost allows them to satisfy broad information needs of individuals and communities. Thanks to their unique potential, archives are increasingly able to consciously create social needs, initiate events, influence the community. The principle of public access to archives has become one of the fundamental principles of modern archivistsics. Its assumptions determine the activity of archives, which increasingly often shift the centre of balance of their work from internal work to public. A modern state archive is a space for meetings and people, in which the archives are present in at least three dimensions: real, virtual and emotional. The emotional dimension of archives has a strong impact on their perception and assessment, determines the character of the institution and its image in the society. In order to make 21st century archives organizations that are increasingly aware, perceived positively by the society, they require good management, professional approach and strategic planning in all areas of activity. The archives should consciously aim to be perceived positively by the society, actively participate in current events in local communities, in which they operate, actively joining the events organized by others, not just focusing on their own ideas. The archives are a unique collection of historical sources, connected into a network of state archives; this should make them an attractive partner for many institutions and organizations, for schools and local authorities. Building a positive public image is a real challenge, in a manner of speaking a to be or not to be of the archives and archivists working there. A change regarding their image could make it easier for the archives to operate in face of oncoming challenges. Nonetheless, the need for such a change must be first accepted by the archivists, and they must start the process of change with themselves.

The objective of the article is to introduce the deliberations on contemporary presence of Polish archives, and state archives in particular, in public space. Drawing attention to their environment and importance of undertaken activities, while inviting discussion about areas of their activity, used instruments as well as the prospect of mental and organizational changes. Presence of archives in public space is undisputed. It is guaranteed first and foremost by their physicality: the building, people, the holdings. But they are also present in the virtual dimension – as digital archives, binary data clouds, electronic repositories of digital resources. They use the virtual reality to communicate with stakeholder groups and to derive information about the world and people, their real and potential users. They develop electronic archival aids to make them accessible in the digital world and create a multidimensional information system about archives and their resources. Finally, archives are present in the emotional sphere – as archives of memory, thesauri of memories, sources of identity, self-determination and sense of continuity. These are the relationships that people build and discover while researching archival materials. These three dimensions, physical, virtual and emotional, intersect, complement and co-create the environment in which the archives function. They create the public space of the archives. A very important element of this space are its surroundings. People and institutions that interact with the archives, create an audience, form an opinion, review activities. An environment that should have a real impact on the functioning of the archives, the tasks they carry out and their organization, and which the archives are influencing by shaping awareness, affecting attitudes, and evoking needs. The presence of archives in public space is visible through activities and information about them, cooperation with other entities, building relations with the public and skilful use of modern means of communication, including the media.

The objective of the article is to summarize the reflections on presence of archives in the public space, perceived as realization of their functions or social roles as debated in recent years in Polish scientific archival discourse, with particular emphasis on the discussion of the “Archives in public space” panel during the 20^th General Congress of Polish Historians which took place in September 2019 in Lublin. Data was collected using the qualitative text analysis method and analysed using the literature analysis and critique method, as well as deduction method, which allowed evaluation and verification of collected information. The article touches upon the topics discussed during scientific archival conferences over the past year, analyses most recent and basic papers on functions and social roles of archives, published in Polish periodicals and monographies, as well as modern anthropological-paradigm research within the framework of archival science. Based on collected data, a commentary was offered on general conclusions from the “Archives in public space” panel discussion in Lublin. First and foremost, discrepancies were indicated regarding the perception of functions and roles of archives between the archives (archivists employed there) and the persons in their environment (mostly users and collaborators of archives), as well as between practitioner archivists and theoretician archivists.

The 2018 centenary of restoration of Poland’s sovereignty and the country’s reinstatement on the political map of Europe after 123 years is a popular research topic among historians, regionalists and students. Therefore, it seems important to indicate source materials for research on the subject in one of the largest Polish archives, the National Archive in Cracow.

In the National Archive in Cracow, many documents allowing for investigation and even reconstruction of a number of events related to the restoration of independence in Cracow have been preserved. The event is very well documented thanks to, inter alia, the interests and actions of the then Director of the Cracow Archive of Historical Records, Dr Adam Chmiel. The extraordinarily interesting research material comprises various types of reports, testimonies of takeover of structures of strategic importance, such as railway stations, barracks, hospitals, fire brigades by the Polish command, as well as reports of individual formations submitted to the City Command. Another interesting source for research on this issue are the diaries, which are a lively and often current account of events. Legacies also constitute invaluable source material for research. Complementary to the file documents are the photographs stored in the Photographic Collection as well as posters, broadsides, proclamations, announcements, notices, preserved in the Posters and Broadsides Collection.

The Polish War Archive (PAW) today is a somewhat forgotten example of the phenomenon which is extremely popular nowadays: grassroots civic initiatives which result in establishing social archives. It was created as a result of a social initiative of a group of Polish historians, archivists and librarians, initiated in January 1915 in Vienna and formally completed in 1921 in Warsaw. The Committee and the Board of PAW managed the work related to documenting the broadly understood participation of Poles in the World War I and its influence on the economy, culture, customs, state of mind and moods. The action was carried out through field committees, delegations and field units of PAW (both in Poland and abroad) and was supported by intensive propaganda in the form of thousands of proclamations and leaflets. The result of several years of social work was the collection of several hundred manuscripts, several  thousand volumes of magazines, almost one hundred thousand press clippings, several tens of thousands of proclamations and posters, several thousand brochures and maps, postcards and films, which were to serve as testimony to the wartime effort of Poles for future generations. In the interwar period the collections were stored and developed in the Central Military Library (CML). The PAW collection burned down together with CML’s collection and the building itself as a result of the German bombardment of Warsaw at the end of September 1939. The meticulously preserved memory of one war was annihilated during the Second World War.

Kazimierz Konarski (1886–1972) was a preeminent Polish archivist in the interwar period and in afterwar years, with rich archival and academic legacy. In 1965, his memoirs were published, providing a valuable source of knowledge to researchers of Polish intelligentsia. However, from these memoirs one chapter was removed, depicting the future archivist’s service in the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Polish Legions in 1917. Communist censors prohibited its publication, as stated by Konarski’s handwritten annotation on the typescript of the chapter gifted to his colleague, Piotr Bańkowski. The excised part of the memoirs was found by the author of this article in Konarski’s legacy, preserved in Warsaw archive of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The part of the memoirs which pertains to the archivist’s-to-be time in the Legions are an interesting historical source. It contains a number of valuable details regarding Konarski’s service in the regiment named above. After the losses suffered in July 1916 in the famous battle of Kostiukhnivka, the unit was sent to Ostrów Mazowiecka near Warsaw to regroup and replenish the ranks. At the beginning of his service, Konarski had problems with getting accepted by his colleagues, as he was several years older than them, was better educated and had more life experience. However, he was not haughty and tried his best to serve as a private, which earned him respect of the legionnaires. In the removed chapter, the author vividly described the commanding officers, who subsequently became military leaders and politicians, including Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski, Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski, Stefan Grot-Rowecki, Tytus Filipowicz and others. There is also a lot of valuable information about daily life of the soldiers in the regiment.

Archives of the Griffins in modern times. In the modern period, six ducal archives were formed in Pomerania. The first two (Stettin and Wolgast) were created as a result of the division of the Pomeranian state in 1532. After 1557, the archives of prince-bishops were established in Koszalin. However, after the formation of ducal courts of justice as separate institutions (after 1575), three court archives were added to the three above-mentioned ones (the Wolgast, Stettin and bishopric). They were all under the authority of respective territorial chancellors. They were most often headed by an educated clerk in the rank of court counsellor or secretary of the office. Ducal archives were located in the capitals of particular jurisdictions in the main residences of the Griffins (castles in Wolgast, Stettin and Koszalin). They were closely guarded and access to them was limited. Ducal archives not only preserved the legacy of the Griffins, but also supported their domestic and foreign policy. Moreover, the dukes were aware of the importance of the archives as a treasury of knowledge about the dynasty, which could be used (through publications) to strengthen the prestige of the House of Griffin in Europe. Despite rather slim staffing, the archives were kept in good order, and the records of the stock were also taken care of. Evidence of this can be seen in fairly frequent inventory scans of individual archives recording their current holdings. It should also be added that besides the state and court archives, each of the Griffin dukes had a larger or smaller private archive (usually correspondence and bills), which after the death of each of the dukes was incorporated into the archives of the given jurisdiction. After the extinction of the Wolgast line of Griffins in 1626 and due to the danger of war in Pomerania, Boguslav XIV decided to centralize all the ducal archives in Szczecin. In fact, however, except for small portions of documents and files from Wolgost (1628) and Koszalin (1635) transferred to the Szczecin castle, the ducal archives remained scattered until Boguslav XIV’s death (1637). It was not until 1639 that the Swedes took them to Szczecin, and subsequently sorted and arranged them in 1642. After the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1648), the Brandenburg side began to demand that the Swedes hand over the post-ducal records necessary to manage the captured part of Pomerania. The Swedes initially resisted. It was only the full normalisation of mutual relations and then the border recession (1653) that convinced the Swedish administration to separate a batch of archival records from those stored in Szczecin and to hand them over to the Brandenburgers in late 1653. Since then, there have been two archives in Pomerania preserving the post-ducal records: the Swedish one in Szczecin and the Brandenburg one in Kołobrzeg.

The article discusses source materials on Sambor crown estate, preserved in Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv. The archival documents assembled there, differing in volume and content, constitute an important source of information on the functioning and organization of Sambor crown estate. They cover the 16th through 18th century, although 18th century documents are clearly predominant. Of the surviving manuscripts, most constitute court records which are the products of the activity of castle courts, royal appointment courts, council courts and mining courts. They provide a basis for analysis of the operation of the justice system, the position of the inhabitants of towns and villages of the royal estate, their problems of everyday life and the various causes of conflicts with tenants, mayors, aldermen, representatives of the clergy and the nobility. The court procedure is also reflected in numerous extant reports of witnesses’ testimonies (so-called interrogations) and appeals filed with the assessor and referendary courts. Archival units stored in the archives include also royal decrees and privileges concerning administrative, agricultural, milling, and clergical land endowments, protocols on the activities of inventory committees and manuscripts relating to Sambor guild organisations and the Jewish population. The collection of materials is supplemented by a few fragments from the crown lands inventories and – shedding a lot of light on the functioning of saltworks – decrees of mining courts, excerpts from saltworks inventories and lease contracts on salt warehouses on San river.

The article is a preliminary study of Proszowice town records. Proszowice was a royal town located in the former Cracow voivodeship, classified into 2nd tax category. The town charter was granted in 1358 by Casimir the Great. Codicological descriptions of 10 extant and identified manuscripts were prepared. Moreover, an inventory was  prepared of dispersed fragments of bench records, council records and bench/council records of 17th–18th century. The oldest book of town records (1418–1456) includes mostly the council entries, in part made with participation of the mayor and aldermen. One of the volumes is an accounting ledger from 1768–1786. The remaining manuscripts are bench records, i.e. the documentation of the magistrate court (1449–1588) and the book of criminal records, which comprises entries from 1581–1686 pertaining to criminal cases examined by the town court. The mayor/aldermen records can be essentially divided into two series, kept from 15th century. The first was initially composed of unbound folded sheets, the other comprises codices, i.e. bound manuscripts. Other than the oldest four manuscripts, Proszowice town records were hereto not known or used in literature.

For many years there has been a discussion in Poland on the evolution of the model of university education in the field of archival science. First of all, a need was recognized in the classical, historybased curriculum to emphasize the role of documentation management, and more recently – in connection with the development of the information society – there has been more and more discussion about the need to increase the share of information science in the didactics of archival science. The experience of other countries shows that education of archivists can be successfully based on centres associated with library science and information science. In order to meet the needs of the labour market, the Institute of History and Archival Studies at the Pedagogical University of Cracow since 2014 has been offering bachelor’s (and since 2017. master’s) studies in the field of archival science, but the main emphasis of education is put on records management and to a fairly large extent – as for the studies that are still linked to the centre for educating historians – on the practical application of information sciences. Thus, a course of study called Information brokering, records management and archival studies was created. This article is an attempt to assess the relevance of decisions taken several years ago. It includes a discussion of the curriculum of the studies. Among the offered courses, following thematic blocks are distinguished: historical (with additional emphasis on the history of state system and administration), archival, information science, and a block of records management related subjects. The conclusions that emerged after the completion of the first two cycles of studies are presented in the central part of the article. Based on those conclusions, the authors try to objectively demonstrate the advantages of the adopted solution, but also to point out its shortcomings, leading to frequent changes in the curriculum, and ultimately (in 2017) also to change of the name of the major.

The legal basis for archival activity in Poland is established by the Act of 14 July 1983 on National Archival Resources and Archives, which has undergone numerous, albeit fragmentary, amendments. Regulations regarding protection of cultural assets are also of significant importance in this respect. The changes in Polish archival law resulted from systemic transformation after 1989, including reconstruction of the legal system and structures of public administration. The law still takes the growing importance of private entities in all spheres of social life into account only in a very limited extent. On the other hand, the spread of information technologies had a significant impact on the principles of shaping the growing archival stock and in the area of access resulted in taking digitalization of archival materials into account. The issue of access to archival materials fits into the current line of regulations establishing rights of access to public information and re-use of public sector information. This is related to changes in the models of participation in social, cultural and scientific life or contacts with the authorities, influenced by the development of technology. At the same time, it raises new challenges related to the protection of privacy and personal data, especially in the context of European Union regulations in this area. A complex body of legal norms contained in numerous interconnected legal acts is a significant professional challenge for archivists. It also affects the situation of users of archives by determining which documents are to be preserved as archival materials and to what extent, and on what terms they will be accessible. This justifies the need to carry out interdisciplinary in-depth research on archival law, using the expertise of archival science and legal sciences methods.

The review pertains to the publication which in a synthetic manner presents the achievements of Polish archival science in 1951–2010. The author of the publication has analysed methodological guidelines pertaining to diverse archival materials and different types of archival fonds, their practical application and depiction of the matter in emerging literature of the topic. The notions of “official” methodology and “official” methodological publications used in the text were perceived by the reviewer as lacking clarity, however the very fact of summarizing the normative achievements of Polish archival science indicates that this scientific discipline has reached the maturity stage.

In this volume of studies and papers, an attempt was made to look at the principle of provenance in the practice of state archives, in a changing reality. Does the principle formulated at the end of the 19^thcentury and announced at the beginning of the 20^thcentury have a chance to remain a  universal principle? Will the 21st century with its digital revolution and electronic documents make it a  relic of the past?