[Kari Lumppio]

What constitutes an open archive?

Estonian National archive - Riigiarhiiv - as it is today is a Soviet product. The archive holds also all the Soviet era material, including some military, for example 22. Territorial Corps documents (though likely not all). Material is organized in the true and tried Soviet way: fond-nimistu-säilik (IIRC in Russian the same is Fond-opis-list?).

My first trip to Riigiarhiiv was few years ago when Estonia was not yet EU member, so I had status of "foreigner". I walked in morning at the minute the archive was opened. Walked to the administration lady, introduced myself and said I wanted to register. Provided the ID (passport), filled some blanket (IIRC research interest area was asked, but AFAIK was not compulsory). It took less than fifteen minutes to get the "reader's card". Walked to the 2nd floor, put my jacket and baggage away and walked to the desk. I had the necessary Fond number (I would have found them quickly using the archive cataloques too) and was given the appropriate nimistus (cataloque). Quite soon I had found the interesting säiliks (folder) and ordered them. IIRC one could order dozen or so folders of which five could be on your desk at one time. Within half an hour I had the folders. It didn't take long to sort out the interesting and uninteresting. Returned the uninteresting ones and could order more folders if necessary. One can easily go through four-five of such ordering cycles during a workday. One also could order photocopies of the material and copies were provided during the same day!

After such experience of an essentially Soviet-type archive and then reading here words: "paperwork itself took quite a while; one year was usually required to prepare for a lengthy research trip", "to obtain the necessary forms and stamps", "one folder per day" and "fee" makes me really wonder if the idea of open archive is similar in all places.

Of the material in Soviet archives. Couple of Finnish books of Northern Luftwaffe (of all things!) do use work of Juri Rybin at TsAMo etc. to give picture of the other side, 7 VA and VVS SF. It seems loss list, unit histories, accident investigation reports etc. etc. are readily available as they should. Complete picture of Soviet VVS can be created unlike Luftwaffe. The problem with Russian archives seems to get one's foot between the door, so to say.


Regards,
Kari