English guide to archival documents—Abbreviations and Explanatory Notes

Abbreviations

AVČR - ASCR   Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

AV - AS   Academy of Sciences

ČSAV - CSAS   Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences

SVU - SSA   Society for the Sciences and Arts

KČSN - RCSS   Royal Bohemian Learned Society

ČAVU - CASA   Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts

ČSNRB - CSNRC   Czechoslovak National Research Council

SAV - SAS   Slovak Academy of Sciences

MAP - MAL   Masaryk Academy of Labour

Sign.   signature

ser. no.   serial number

b.   box

Explanatory Notes

CSAS sections (1952-1961) and boards (1962-1992) organized and managed the scholarly activity in individual fields (esp. research planning, relations with foreign countries, the training of scientists, and proposals for new CSAS members)

In the description of the record-groups and personal papers the name is followed in brackets by the individual's lifetime or the period the institute was in existence, the second figure indicates the quantity of documents (mostly in terms of numbers of boxes, containers, files, card-files etc.), the third information is on the period to which the documents relate, the fourth is for getting your bearings among the documents, i.e. on the degree of organization and on any orientation aids.

The code being as follows:
unarranged - the material has not been processed at all, it is disparate, not easy to survey and there is no orientation aid
arranged - the documentation is divided up according to the archive system for record groups or personal papers but there is no written orientation aid available
take-over list - a summary made at the time the documents were handed over usually without any hierarchical arrangement and without any more detailed characteristics
inventory list - the documentation is sorted but has no introduction, characterization of the processed material or any other accompanying material
inventory - the documentation is arranged and provided with all requisites, the introduction includes a history of the institute or a biography of the person involved, a description, possibilities for using the documents, further literature etc
catalogue - the archive documents are described in brief abstracts.

Explanation for the part Some prominent figures: Sources on the history of American-Czech scientific contacts - Some prominent figures - data on correspondence: The figure or figures in brackets after the names of respondents indicate the numbers of letters. If there is only one figure in brackets then this is the number of letters which the record-group originator received from the indicated individual, and if there are two figures, the first one indicates the same information while the second one after the + sign, gives the number of drafts or copies of the letters which the record-group originator sent.