Byelaw and Rules
BYELAW
METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP Katowice, 17 April 2009
OF KATOWICE
Byelaw for the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice
I. General rules
1. The Diocese of Katowice, according to kan.486 K.P.K., has its own archives which is called the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice.
2. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice is a diocesan institution governed by this Byelaw and Archives’ Rules.
3. In financial and budget matters the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice are considered by Financial Departament of Metropolitan Curia in Katowice.
II.Tasks
4. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice fulfill following tasks:
a/ storing, securing, and conserving files;
b/ ordering and lacking files; stocktaking, complying and studying files;
c/ making archival materials available to organs of diocese and people or clerical and scientific institutions and others accordingly to the Archives’ Rules;
d/ supervising file storages of the Metropolitan Curia and those of parishes and deaneries in the Diocese;
e/ conducting own scientific studies.
5. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice possesses – apart from the storages containing collections of files – a reading room (collection sharing studio).
III. Archival resources
6. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice includes:
a/ archival materials produced by clerical institutions and offices in the Diocese of Katowice since 1921, that is since the creation of the Ducal-Bishop Office for Upper Silesia, transformed in 1922 into Apostles’ Administration Office, and in 1925 into the Diocese of Katowice;
b/ archival materials concerning Diocese’s nowadays area, especially visitation files, clerical institutions’ files, schools’ files, and local parishes’ files (including files from The Archdiocesan Archives in Wrocław);
c/ deaneries’ and parishes’ files;
d/ orders’, covenants’, and monasteries’ archival materials from the area of the Diocese of Katowice.
7. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice enrich their collections by the income of more recent archival materials from the storages of the Metropolitan Curia, as well as from parishes and deaneries, especially materials dating before 1945, deposits too.
IV. Archives organization
8. The Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice are directly dependant on the Diocese Bishop in the Diocese of Katowice who appoints a managing director of the archives.
9. The managing director of the Archdiocesan Archives holds direct internal and external powers over this institution, namely:
a/ represents the Archives;
b/ is responsible for the whole collection ;
c/ fulfils the tasks mentioned in p. 4 & 7 of this Byelaw;
d/ directs the reading room (collection sharing studio) and manages the now available book collection;
e/ writes a yearly report, as well as ordered reports to the Diocese Bishop.
10. Employees helping the director in the Archives are assigned and approved by the Diocese Bishop.
11. The Archives use an oblong and a round seal of the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice.
* * *
RULES OF THE ARCHIVES
METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP Katowice, 17 April 2009
OF KATOWICE
Nr VC II – 6582/09
Rules for using archival materials at scientific workroom of
the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice
§1
1. A person who starts to use archival materials at scientific research workroom of the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice applies for a status of archival resource’s user. It contains user data and characteristics of intended archival research.
2. It is obligatory for everyone using the archival materials to specify chronological, territorial, and factual areas of their work. Before starting a search query a form must be filled in (User application form) in which there should be for example: names of units & file signatures, work’s title, a name of the institution represented by the user along with its address and advisor’s data.
3. Additional statements about using the information found in our materials may also be added to the user application form, that is when using them is subject to legal restrictions (preservation of personal data).
4. Archives Managing Director is responsible for issuing authorizations to use the archival materials, as long as for their state and preservation.
§2
1. All the information on the archival materials necessary to ask for queries is to be found by the users themselves.
2. Filing means & bulletins held by the Archives are a basic help in finding the archival materials.
3. Filing & information help may be accessed before filling in user application forms.
4. The Archives’ staff who are on duty at the scientific workroom give general information on the Archives’ resources, accessible help, and rules of using the materials.
§3
1. Archival materials or their reproductions can be accessed based on order (reverse). Orders are to be made separately for each archival unit. They should be filled in legibly (in capital letters).
2. Accessible archival units are marked with register of access forms (?). Resource’s users are obliged to fill in their data in appropriate places and also state the topic of their research.
§4
1. Archival materials ordered are given to legible users from the science studio’s deposits every time they use archives.
2. When it comes to especially valuable materials users pausing their work for a while and leaving the science studio may be obliged to leave them with duty worker every time they leave.
3. Users may order 5 archival units at a time, after using them they may order next ones. In special cases these limits may be changed.
4. In special cases (i.e. lots of orders, conservation, etc.) time for executing parts of orders may be extended.
5. Each time users finish their work on archival materials in the science studio they must return them to the duty worker, with a purpose of returning them to the store room or saving them as a deposit.
6. If the break in working on files extends to more than two weeks, they are returned to the store room automatically. Users need to order them again if they want to work on them.
§5
Archival units which include loose files are achievable one after another: after returning used unit to the duty worker users may get another one. Exceptions from this rule are acceptable in well motivated cases.
§6
Because of archival resources safety policy users may be asked to show the contents of their bags etc. to authorized personnel in justified cases. Things taken outside of the science studio may also be controlled, including users’ notes. Duty workers and their supervisors are regarded as authorized personnel.
§7
1. Users may work on archival materials according to their orders, it is forbidden to interfere in their contents and arrangement. Users are obliged to take care of the materials’ state and safety.
2. It is forbidden for users to:
a) change the arrangement of used archival materials,
b) put any notes, remarks or signs on the materials,
c) take notes on paper lying directly on the materials,
d) give other people access to the materials or leave the materials on the table after finishing working on them.
3. Using the materials should be dealt with in a way that doesn’t disturb other studio’s users.
4. It is forbidden for users to remove the archival materials or storing and information help from the science studio. In such cases users will be denied further access to the files and they will face legal sanctions.
5. Substances and objects which may cause damage to documents (food, paint, and flammable materials), bags, briefcases, etc. are forbidden in the science studio. Only laptop cases may be brought inside, all other exceptions must be consulted with duty workers. Mobile phones mustn’t be brought inside, too. All those items may be stored in safe closets within the Archives.
6. Users mustn’t copy archival materials on their own. Taking photos, filming, and scanning are described separately. For such actions the Archive’s managing director’s permission is necessary and users must motivate such requests.
7. It is not allowed to copy entire (100%) archival units.
8. Pausing work on archival materials for more than a year causes orders to invalidate.
§8
Users are entitled to:
a) use storing & information help (the record and pages of units, inventories, indexes, and computer data bases),
b) order copies of the archival materials (photocopies, scans, Xerox) with payment.
§9
Users not applying to the rules mentioned or completely unprepared for independent research may be denied access to archival materials by the managing director.