The dust from the battle has settled, so it’s time to sum up our cooperation with the Diocese of Tarnów and the Polish Genealogical Society.
The first digitization session lasted three days. We performed approximately 30,000 scans using six workstations. It could have been more, but the material was not easy. We focused mainly on copies of vital records from the present-day dioceses of Rzeszów, Sandomierz, and Tarnów. Generally, these were loose pages and brief bound documents (numbering no more than several dozen pages) in various states of preservation. We photographed real gems, such as the book of births from the Tarnów Cathedral, kept since 1579, as well as records of confirmations, wedding banns, and supplemental marriage documentation. The process of publication has already started on the Skanoteka site.
Warm thanks to Father Krzysztof Kamieński, Ph.D. – director of the Archive – who shares our vision regarding the use of these resources for genealogical purposes, and persuaded the bishop that digitization and publication is the right path and will allow for the effective protection of these materials.
We are particularly pleased with the efficient cooperation between the Association of Polish Professional Genealogists and the Polish Genealogical Society, both as we worked out our formal agreement and then during the actual work in Tarnów. I would like to thank the Management Boards of both organizations for their commitment and support, as well as those of us who, despite other professional commitments, took time off to join us.
Michał Jan Marciniak, Mariusz Michalak, Michał S. Zieliński, Tomasz Sączawa, Marcin Kiwior – you are a professional, efficient, and focused team, and it was fantastic working with you.
To be continued 🙂
