Outreach activities of the Military Archives in Oleśnica in 2011–2015

Abstract

The article presents a series of outreach activities undertaken by the Military Archives in Oleśnica in 2011–2015. It shows the use of the institution's website, which was an important tool for reaching users directly. Among others, scans of selected files along with short articles were presented there. Occasional publications on the Internet were inspired by events falling at a given time (i.e. Polish Army Day, Cursed Soldiers Day or Veteran's Day). It also contained information on acquisitions of more interesting files. In addition, the article describes the course of the Open Door Days of the Military Archives in Oleśnica, which started in June 2013 and became a regular event. The author lists files that military archivists used for various outreach activities. Through documents and photographs, they tried to show the course of military service in the People's Republic of Poland and to refer to important events in the history of Poland: the fight against Germany during World War II, fighting the Cursed Soldiers, the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 or the course of martial law in 1981–1983. Archives showing the participation of Polish soldiers in peacekeeping missions and the pilgrimages of Pope John Paul II to Poland were also used. The author points out the important role of the resource guide by the Military Archives in Oleśnica publication in 2014 in the outreach process. During its preparation, efforts were made to list files that may be useful for people interested in the history of the Polish Army and the communist repression apparatus. The willingness of employees of the Military Archives in Oleśnica to popularize the holdings among recent history researchers was showed through participation in meetings and scientific conferences.