An Appeal For Collection

 Czech Republic Section of the Czech Information bureau 
of National Archives in Prague, Czech Republic

Dear Colleague Archivists,

On our journeys to Europe's national, district, municipal and various private archives, we have noticed a very interesting detail: Each National Archives uses different kinds of boxes and folders for preserving records and documents.

The shapes, colors and sizes of the archive boxes have genuinely astonished us as well as their varied closing and handling mechanism for taking boxes out of the shelves (fabric handles, holes, etc.).

Even the means of storing the boxes are very distinctive, for instance in Vienna's National Archives three boxes lay upon each other, whereas in Prague's National Archives the boxes stand next to each other horizontally. As in Prague, boxes in Paris National Archives lay horizontal, but they are sorted in exactly the opposite way.

Currently, there is a worldwide aspiration for digitizing archival documents; however, traditional storage of archival records and documents in boxes is not unified and each national archive has developed its own boxes along with a system of preservation and storage.

To record this phenomenon of variety, we have decided to establish an institution where we would gather archive boxes. Consequently, we would offer them for studying and exhibition if interested.

In Czech Republic there is an effort to save some of the oldest archive boxes, which would be disposed of in exchange for new ones. Therefore, the collection of archive boxes will have two departments: 

We are asking you to send us one or more typical exemplars of archive boxes and folders used in your archive, if possible with a technical description. If you cannot send them, please at least send a picture for our website.

We hope you will support our collection and someday visit our archival exhibition.

With regards and archival greetings The Death to Fungi! 

Guardian and keeper of the collection Mgr. Ivo Durec 
Section of the Czech Information bureau of National Archives in Prague 
Czech Republic

Contact for collections:

Mgr. Ivo Durec 
Moravský zemský archiv v Brně 
Státní okresní archiv Brno-venkov 
Klášter 81 
664 61 RAJHRAD 
Czech republic 
Europe