Archival Vademecum

The Archival Vademecum provides an overview of all archival holdings, collections and aids stored at the Masaryk Institute and the Archives of the CAS. It offers searches by the names of fonds and collections, by their originators, by subject groups and in the records of finding aids. It also allows full-text search. The information contained varies according to the processing status of individual collections. A comfortable search of the collection is possible if it is equipped with an electronic aid. The searched inventory record can be ordered for study in the research room via a basket.

How to work with Vademecum?

Take a look at our holdings

All archival materials (e.g. documents, files, official books, maps, photographs) form fonds or collections, usually according to the provenance principle. Archival aids are used to help you navigate through the processed fonds and collections that are open to the public. Their basic type is the inventory, containing a list of so-called inventory units, an introduction with a study of the history of the fonds and its originator, etc. Inventory units may represent individual archival materials, but they are usually a group of archival materials. It is therefore necessary, with knowledge of the originator’s activities and on the basis of the content and time span, to estimate the units that can provide the information sought. Other types of finding aids are catalogues, describing each individual archival item, and partial inventories, made for only part of a fonds or collection. Temporary finding aids are handling lists and provisional inventories.

Locate a fonds or inventory record directly

The Archival Vademecum provides clear instructions for searching under the "Help" tab. When browsing records or after a search, a "Direct Record Link" can be generated at each level of description.
If the archives are digitised, they can be directly displayed in the corresponding inventory record.

Order archival materials for study

Place the inventory record you are looking for in your basket. You can then order the contents of the basket for study in the research room using the "Book" button.