'Dispersed Archives' conference
The scientific conference “Dispersed Archives of the Solidarity Trade Union” was the first meeting to comprehensively discuss the state and the variety of documents and other archive resources dedicated to "Solidarity"’s activities in Poland and among Polish émigrés.
During the conference archivists and librarians of the "Solidarity" Trade Union from foundations commemorating the opposition in Polish People's Republic, from State Archives, and from Institute of National Remembrance’s Archives presented information regarding the "Solidarity"-related resources collected by these institutions. The sessions of the conference were facilitated by, i.a. Dr Andrzej Biernat (Deputy General Director of State Archives), Dr hab. Mirosław Golon (Director of Institute of National Remembrance Gdańsk Branch Office) and Mr Stanisław Flis (Archives of the National Commission of the "Solidarity" Trade Union). The event gathered archivists and historians from outside of Gdańsk and the region, as well as representatives of Senate Archives, National Library, State Archives from Warsaw, Elbląg, Słupsk, Koszalin, and Scientific Libraries.
The speakers presented information on different collections managed by by the Archives of National Commission of the "Solidarity" Trade Union. Thus the Archives joined the mainstream of archives dedicated to Solidarity’s legacy and presented itself as a fully professional body boasting substantial and structured resources. The discussion during the meeting also focused on the need to elaborate a printed guide and an internet portal dedicated to the contents of the collection related to the "Solidarity" Trade Union. At the time the Conference took place, "Solidarity"’s activities became not only a subject of political science’s analyses but more importantly, a subject of scientific research for historians or sociologists of social movements. The conference, apart from serving as a platform for discussion on the available Solidarity-related materials, also presented a variety of angles and contexts for studying the phenomenon of democratic opposition in socialist times.
2017-12-16 13:01:29