Protection of cultural heritage in Slovak Republic based on computerized
documentation
PhDr. Jana Bahurinská, Director of Information and Documentation Center of Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
In the Slovak Republic the most important institutions collecting and protecting cultural heritage are subordinated to the Ministry of Culture (Ministerstvo kultúry SR, Dobrovičova 12, 813 31 Bratislava, Slovak Republic). They are: Slovak National Gallery, Slovak National Museum, Institut of Monuments Preservation, Slovak National Library. Other museums (more then 80), galleries (18), libraries run and are financed by local state authorities (8 districts).
Protection of cultural heritage in Slovak Republic is based on following legislation:
- Law on cultural monuments and sites
- Law on museums and galleries inclusive rules for documentation of collections
- Law on libraries
- Law on archives
Only in last years cooperation of these institutions with Police force and National Interpol Central was initiated.
Slovak
National Gallery
Being the top national institution in Slovakia, the prior role of which is to protect and exhibit the most significant works of fine and decorative art, the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava owns more than 50 000 works of art in its present collections (paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, applied and decorative arts, craft, architecture, photographs). Till 1991 the information on works were recorded, processed and used in a traditional way. Except the documentation records of works, which were made by curators of individual collections of the Slovak National Gallery, the task of building a central information database of all works of fine art in galleries and museums in Slovakia was realized in the Slovak National Gallery in the 70's. In such a way there was built gradually a large information database - so called central catalogue. The data about the artefacts are stored on a paper medium - a card which contains text information, as well as a black/white photo of the artefact. The methodics for filling-in 17 fields has been developed by a collective of the Slovak National Gallery workers and have been accepted by other galleries and museums in Slovakia. At present the central catalogue includes data about 220 000 works of art which are the property of the Slovak National Gallery and of other galleries and museums in Slovakia.
The plans concerning computer processing of the data about the Slovak National Gallery collections were concretized in 1991 by founding the Gallery Information Centre which is responsible for the design of a complex computerized information system. Computer processing of the Collections Documentation System of the Slovak National Gallery - building of a database - was the most important task. Following effects are expected - well documented collections, comfortable inventory control, control and monitoring of loans, users friendly retrieval system of information. During the year 1991 basic hardware (personal computers - we have more then 50 at presents) and software (MS DOS, MS WINDOWS, micro CDS/ISIS, software for economic agenda, wordprocessor) were provided. After realizing training courses for users we started the realization of the collections documentation system "CDS".The Slovak National Gallery workers have prepared general methodics for filling-in individual fields of the documentation record.
The number of the fields of the documentation record used for central catalogue is not a big one - there have been selected about 20 basic data fields: artist, title, object name, inventory number, begin date, end date, material, technique, size, owner, source, date of acquisition, artist's origin, stage of completion origin degree, price, integrity of the work, etc. The plans concerning the "Iconographic description" have remained a proposal only.Inspite of the fact that the level of the quality of standardization was not satisfactory, in 1992 we decided to realize a total retrospective conversion of the data from paper cards into the machine-readable form. At the same time we have worked on the standard preparation for the documentation of works of fine art (data entry manual, dictionary, thesaurus etc.), which was accepted by the Ministry of Culture and other galleries and museums.
In 1992, when we were making the choice about the best database system to cover the needs of our project, we had enough information on the advantages and disadvantages of micro CDS/ISIS system, which we have received free of charge within the UNESCO programme. In order to start the project - data input, modification, unification of the data in fields, up-dating and revision - we decided to use application under CDS/ISIS.The cost was the most decisive factor.
Galleries and museums in SR received this application from Slovak National Gallery. They received also their collections retyped in the Slovak National Gallery from tha cards stored in central catalogue.
The retrospective data conversion from the paper cards was realized through retyping the data by hired operators. The database is available to the art historians and other users who could get known with the possibilities of data processing and data retrieving. The years 1993 - 1998 were devoted to revision of the data both from formal and subject points of view in the Slovak National Gallery and in all galleries and museums (collecting fine art collections) in Slovak Republik. One of the biggest advantages of the system CDS/ISIS is its vocabulary - a good tool to retrieve information from the database from manysided points of view. Data entry manuals, thesauri and/or vocabularies for individual itmes were prepared. The existing version of our standard represents basic framework good for the most urgent requirements of the project. The size and content of dictionaries for individual fields of the record is an open system and its development will take place according to objective and subjective working conditions.
Our standard is not only the data standard but it also represents a data dictionary. The emphasis of the material is concentrated on the creation of the work itself and includes the main principles of the CIDOC Project on Minimum Data Standard.
I have to stress that in the process of preparing the standard we have taken into consideration the methodics for documentation of fine art works and the terminology that has been applied in this sphere before.
The summary of core data elements in slovak Standard in the order we are using on the documentation cards traditionally and in our computerized database system:
1. Artist name
2. Title of work
3. Object name (category - type of fine art work)
4. Inventory number
5. Acquisition number
6. Number of photo, slide, image
7. Date
8. Owner of work - Institution name
9. Belonging of the artist - "school"
10. Origin of work - "history of the object"
11. Material (Support)
12. Technique
13. State of origin, e.g. original, copy
14. Dimensions
15. State of production
16. Inscriptions and marques of the artist
17. Integrity of the work - whether the object is an independent work or whether it belongs to a set
18. Acquisition method and date
19. Acquisition price
20. Iconographic description - only partly realised
21. Recorder, date
22. Curator
Inspite of the efforts made for the coordination of the procedure in building-up information system on cultural heritage in Slovakia, we have not been successful in achieving the consensus. There are more teams working on developing systems for museums (AMIS) and historical monuments and sites. Working group at the Ministry of Culture to coordinate all these projects was established. Now we try to find a way how to unify some main principles in standardization in our project for fine art works and in the project for museums. It is very important, because there are rather big collections of fine arts in museums and we need to cooperate in building our central database in SNG.
During the last year we have prepared a project of an image-text database using multimedia. We began to scan slides and photos of most valuable fine art works of the SNG collections. In the computer database the users find exept the text information also the image of the work. The images are archived on CD ROM.
The central database could be very
important for the police, custom-houses and Ministry of the Interior by the
protection of the cultural heritage.
Institut of Monuments Preservation
This institut builds very important databases:
- movable cultural objects (outside museums and galleries) - 30 000 records
- immovable monuments and sites - 12 000 objects
- documentation information system: research, conservation, slides, maps, project documentation
- information system on exploitation of immovable monuments and sites
- information system on reconstruction of immovable monuments and sites
In the Slovak Republic all movable objects inside churches have been photographed. The films are archived in the Institut of Monuments Preservation, local monuments institutions and in police districts.
Slovak
National Museum
This institution garanties the development and using the computerized information system called AMIS. There does not exist a central database of the museums collections in Slovak Republic (except of fine arts collections in museums). Each museum documents own collection.
Ministry of Culture of Slovak Republic initiated a new project - Register of cultural heritage. It exists only in a draft now.
I am sure that there are good
possibilities to realize cooperation between police, Interpol and cultural
heritage institutions. Protection of cultural heritage seems to be very actual
and important. Financial limits influence development.
Contact:
PhDr. Jana Bahurinska
Slovak National Gallery, Riecna 1, 815 13 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
tel. ++421 7 54434119
fax ++ 421 7 54433971