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PRESERVATION PROJECT AND FUND
One of the Society's primary concerns has been the safety of the records in the Slovenian Archives, and the ability of individuals to access the holdings. There is no question that the records are getting older and are being subjected to immense wear. Add to this mix, increased use due to more and more individuals asking for access, and the problem becomes apparent. The records, especially those prior to 1900, must be preserved to enable the researcher to have access to the books and the information they contain.
I would like to prepare a plan that will, in consultation and cooperation with the Archbishop's Archive in Ljubljana and other archives in Slovenia, to arrange for either microfilming the records in Slovenia or scanning them in a digitized format. Before a plan is presented and accepted, however, there are some things that can be accomplished immediately. In order to achieve success in this venture your support and finances are needed if this venture will be successful. Part of your membership fee is going directly to a fund to support this effort.
Webmaster's Note: Many of you may not be aware to how the Archbishop's Archive in Ljubljana came to hold the vital statistics records for the Republic of Slovenia. This occurred at the beginning of the reign of Franz Josef, Emperor of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Franz Josef instructed the Roman Catholic Church to maintain birth, marriage, and death records since they were in a position to do so. These records are now held at the Archbishop's Archive in Ljubljana, near the Archbishop's residence. Reverend Doctor Bogdan Kolar is the Archivist assigned to the Archbishop's Archives. Some of you will recognize the name perhaps since you have requested certificates from that institution. The records post 1900 are maintained in the local churches, and some are maintained in Civil Archives in Maribor and Ljubljana. Most Americans of Slovene descent are interested in those records from 1800 to 1900 before their ancestors immigrated to the United States, Canada, South America, or Australia.
First, I would like to donate a scanner to the main church archives in Ljubljana. We will work with the Genealogical Society in Slovenia and make the offer to donate the scanner through proper archive authorities This would allow them to scan some of the most fragile documents if and when they determine the need. It also may help ease concerns they would have about the scanning process. Scanner are now less expensive than in the past and a black and white scanner with very good resolution should be within the Society's budget. Nothing will happen on this issue until the archive suggest we begin the process.
If you would like to offer technical expertise or help cover the cost of this donation, please respond to Al Peterlin, 52 Old Farm Road, Camphill, Pennsylvania 17011-2604 or by E-mail to Al at apeterlin@panetwork.com.
Second, each year, the church archive budgets about $1000 for microfilming their most fragile documents. This actually breaks down to about $1 a page, so about 1000 pages a year are microfilmed. I propose to film an additional 1000 pages a year, which would require the Society to raise $1000 each year to accelerate the microfilming. If we could find a corporate sponsor to help allay costs, provide funding, or offer equipment, we may be able to proceed at an even faster pace.
Al Peterlin
The following is an excerpt from the SGS Newsletter of January, 2000
RESEARCH EQUIPMENT GOES TO SLOVENIA: ARCHIVES MICROFILM PROJECT ONGOING
Our largest, most expensive, long term project is to help save all the vital records in Slovenia and elsewhere. Saving means making copies of original text, microfilm and digitally, and preserving the original documents. We are trying to accomplish this in coordination and cooperation with officials in Slovenia and other countries that have records on Slovenians. There is no question the records are getting older and subjected to more wear. Add in increased use because of more and more individuals asking for access, and the problem becomes apparent. The books, especially those pre-1900, are aging, wear is increasing, and something must be done to preserve the books themselves and our ability to access them. We need your help, and we look forward to working with you.
On May 24, 1999, SGS member, Char Pueppke, met with Dr Bogdan Kolar, Archivist and Director of the Archbishop's Archive in Ljubljana, Slovenia and donated $500, which will be used to purchase a flatbed scanner for the archives. This scanner is meant for archive staff use, and is not for use by visiting researchers to the archive. The following day, Char met with Peter Hawlina, President of the Slovenian Genealogical Society, our sister Society in Slovenia, and delivered a HP Capshare 910 Handheld Scanner for use by members of both societies. The Capshare cost SGS $710 with an additional $100 fee for a three year warranty.
If you would like to make use of the handheld scanner when you visit Slovenia, please contact me as early as possible and make arrangements to use the Capshare when at the archives or a local parish. Remember the handheld scanner is an electronic instrument. You will need to spend some time getting familiar with it before you can take advantage of it's strengths. Also, our sister society in Slovenia offers only to deliver the product to you for your personal use in Slovenia. They are not able to assist you while you are at the archives. My recommendation is to read up on using the Capshare before you leave the States. We have learned the hard way that the batteries in the machine are prone to age quickly and coat the electrical leads. You are responsible to provide new batteries and it would probably be wise if you carried them with you while filming. You need to check the contact points if you have troubles working the scanner. Technically, the Capshare holds 50 pages of scanned text at a time. To download the data, you will need access to a laptop computer. We are talking to the archives to determine if we can donate a laptop to be held at the archive to facilitate the use of the scanner. The Capshare is a wonderful tool, makes crisp clear copies quickly and is gentle enough to minimize any risk of damage to aging pages. At the same time, it is part of our modern computerized technology, can be as difficult to work as some of our VCRs, and can be a source of frustration to those of our members that try to make use of the tool but run into technical or physical problems. The alternative is to purchase a Sony digital-camera, with good magnification. The Sony writes directly to a computer disc and would be another possible short-term solution to making a small number of pages available to our members. The difficulty, of course, is money. On an alternative note, the Archives themselves are looking into electronic applications to preserve their data. By combing our resources we can preserve and capture these records. That is why it is extremely important to donate to the Scanner Fund initiated by the Society.
The long-term solution, of course, is a microfilm project, and we are making headway there also. We have finally received some cost estimates and we should be able to move a camera onsite to Slovenia during the year, if we are given permission by the archives. A full microfilm camera costs as much as $10,000 accompanied with the cost of film and film processing. Yes, it is expensive, but it is the best way to preserve the vital pre 1900 records and making the information to all of us of Slovenian ancestry. John Penca has been working with a microfilm company and we should be able to purchase a minimal setup capable of later incremental improvements. This would allow us to donate a unit we can afford and work toward upgrading it over the next several years. We are about to sign a contract for a reconditioned Kodak MRD2/30 Micro film package, a lot of renewal parts, a new Art A4 Reader (16mm) and export packaging for an approximate cost of $4500.00. Included is a day or two of training for someone to setup and operate the equipment. One of our members has recently moved to Slovenia, and we are hoping she can take this training and act as project manager for us in Slovenia.
We have received many, many donations for the microfilm/scanner project, too many to list here. If you would like to receive a full list of donors, contact John Leskovec, the Charitable Status Director for the Society.
Once again, E-mail requests are easier, faster, and less expensive for us. We are particularly pleased to report that the Frances and Jane S. Lausche Foundation, James V. Debevec, President, has donated $2000.00 towards the microfilm camera/scanner project. Combined with the American Slovenian Catholic Union (KSKJ) $250.00 Cultural Grant and our individual member donations, the total reached $3875.00. Thank You! Of course, we still have so much to do, we will have to continue collecting for the foreseeable future. We have used a total of $1310.00 so far, leaving our balance for the year at $2565.00. With the $4500 commitment, we still have to raise an additional $1935.00, and there will be ongoing film and processing costs once we become expert at using the system. We will also have to cover the price of a ticket to Houston, Texas for the training. I know we are expending much time, energy, and money on this project. However, the Society's Executive Board feels that it is necessary if the archives are to remain available for research by Slovenian s and their descendants. Our next issues will not be devoted to fund raising to the extent of this issue, but you will always find an update in forthcoming newsletters about our efforts to preserve Slovenian records. Please send me an update on your research and your visits for inclusion in future newsletters.
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