Archivists and machines

Abstract

The history of archives is also the history of technical equipment used by archivists. In last decades the role of machines has grown excessively, although archival science developed interest in their advanced models relatively late. The development of archival tools (machines) took evolutionary lead. In the pre-partition and the early-modern periods they were used mainly for storage, transportation, maintenance, and providing access to archival materials. Just in the 20^th century the Polish lands saw machines used for easing office works and maintaining contacts, which are typewriters and telephones. They enabled faster and more readable writing in several copies at once, as well as connecting archives to the outer world. The second half of the 20^th century led to significant development in technical capabilities in conservation, preservation, and reprography. The technology was developing, and even though it did affect the work of archivists, it was unacceptable to have changed its clue. The situation lasted until there emerged computer technology, which was a revolution in archival tasks and still has essential influence on work and awareness of archivists. The machine started to impact the methods of archival work. Under the influence of the machine the system of archival information started to change, which slowly imposed changes in practical works. There emerged a lasting tendency to force on archivists some changes in traditional methods of archival works. The work and experience of past generations were subdued to newly developed description standards, adapted to the language and operational possibilities of the machine. The article reflects on the role of machines in archives, which is also a pretext for contemplating the evolution of the place and role of an archivist in contemporary archives.