Visit by Representatives from the Nation’s Memory Institute of Slovakia to AIPN
On 3-4 December 2025, Prof. Martin Pekár, head of the history department at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Peter Mikle, director of the Archive of the Nation’s Institute Memory, Martin Kristel’ and Pavol Vrchovinský, representatives of the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN) of Slovakia visited the headquarters of the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw.
This was a working visit, the purpose of which was to present practical solutions utilized by the IPN Archive in the digitalization of archival materials.
Marzena Kruk, IPN Archive director, greeted the participants. The initial session was devoted to a discussion of issues related to the “Digital Archive” (Cyfrowe Archiwum) system and the central digital repository. Bożena Cisek, head of the Digital Archive Management and Development Department, with Marek Lipiński, head of the Digital Holdings Department presented the topics. Next, the “Digital Archive” modules were presented in detail, covering the digitization of files, the digitization and description of index cards, and the digitisation of multimedia. In this session, participants were also able to become acquainted with practical issues related to workflow in the AIPN Digital Holdings Department.
Digitisation and conservation workshops were presented in the second session of the meeting. ÚPN representatives were able to learn in detail about the methods used by archivists to digitize the archival materials gathered at AIPN, such as index cards, file documentation, large format documents, books, reel microfilms, microfiche, 3D spatial objects, and photographs, as well as audio and video tapes. In the conservation workshop, the principles and methods of securing paper documentation and photographs, among other things, were presented. Also demonstrated were the disinfection of archival materials, water baths, and pressing materials under weights, as well as the protective packaging used.
The presentations of archivists’ workstations raised many practical questions about the benefits and risks of selected working methods, formal requirements, the capabilities of individual scanning devices, and the possibilities for process automation. At the end, a selection of the most interesting films from the IPN archival collection were screened.
The exchange of experiences between two institutions operating in the same field, allows for a focus on similar problems and the possibilities for solving those through joint activities. This meeting will certainly contribute to the development of both institutions and strengthen their exceptional cooperation.
The Institute of National Remembrance and the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN) of Slovakia are members of the European Network of Official Authorities in Charge of Secret Police Files.