Fund Management: Archive Unit as an Artifact and its Super­normative Nature

მართვის სისტემებიდან კულტურული მემკვიდრეობის მართვა წარმოადგენს ერთ–ერთ უმნიშვნელოვანეს და ურთულეს სისტემას. მენეჯმენტის უმთავრესი საკითხი სწორი სტრუქტურირება და სტრუქტურათა ჰარმონიზაციაა. კულტურული მემკვიდრეობის მენეჯმენტის თვალსაზრისით, ყველაზე მნიშვნელოვანი უშუალოდ ფონდების მართვა და მათი სწორი პრინციპით კოლექცირება, ერთეულის თუ მთელი ფონდის სწორი სააღრიცხვო სისტემის შექმნაა. კოლექციის მართვის თვალსაზრისით, აუცილებელია ფონდის თუ საფონდო ერთეულის წარმომავლობის შესახებ ინფორმაციის დაცვა და, ნების-მიერი საფონდო ცვლილების გათვალისწინებით, ამ ინფორმაციის შენარჩუნება; ამ მიზნით ხდება სპეციალური ლიტერების შემუშავება (ლიტერი – როგორც ძირითადი მონაცემის აღმნიშვნელი). ფონდების დაცვის ეფექტიანი მექანიზმების დანერგვა, შესაბამისი სტანდარტებით აღჭურვილი ფონდსაცავების შექმნა, კოლექციების მოზიდვა, ფონდების გაზრდა და კოლექციებზე საკუთრების უფლების მოპოვება, კატალოგიზაცია, მონაცემთა ელექტრონული ბაზების აპრობირება - მენეჯმენტის უმნიშვნელოვანესი მიმართულებებია. აუცილებელია მძლავრი სარესტავრაციო-საკონსერვაციო სამსახურის ამოქმედება და დიგიტალიზაცია – როგორც ორიგინალების დაცვის საშუალება.


Fund Management: Archive Unit as an Artifact and its Supernormative Nature
Gloveli Shalva Mania Esma National Center of Manuscripts Management of Cultural Heritage represents one of the most important and complex directions among all management systems.The collection man agement system as the key component is a very important area of the cultural heritage management.
One of the important aspect of collection management and in general, of the cultural heritage management is its correct structuring.To further imple ment an effective management system it is necessary to create structures.Enactend structure shall be flexible and interstructural activities shall be maximally harmonious.
As we mentioned, from the point of view of cultural heritage management the most important is a collection management (collection curation).In this respect correct principles of collecting of cultural heritage should be applied.It is necessary to create correct accounting system for each unit or entire fund, which means the following: keeping of information on provenance i.e. on origin of the collection or on each collection item and preserving it through any change that may take place in collections; (this means keeping of all documents on provenance i.e. origin in the united registry on incoming artifacts, as well as in a file for each item).Littera is a main source of infor mation on collection provenance and other related information.Littera shall be not only innercollection search tool, but also an information (provenance, ownership, content, collection etc.) source on collection (or specific collection item), for example: Littera H -denotes collection of the HistoricalEthnographic Society (Na tional Center of Manuscripts) and it gives information on provenance of a collection (and its specific items) preserved in the National Center of Manu scripts and provides us with the reference, that this collection was saved for the State by the Historical Ethnographic Society i.e. the exemplary and patri otic contribution of HistoricalEthnographic Society in collecting and search ing for the collection items, their consolidation in one collection, and its further transfer to the state for the purpose of saving and preserving the manuscripts has not been lost.
The same can be said about the other collections:

Lineage and owned collections and their signs (litteras):
A signi�ies ecclesiastic museum collection (National Center of Manu scripts) S -signi�ies collection of the Society of Literacy Spreading Among Geor gians (National Center of Manuscripts).G. Ts. signi�ies the private library collection of Grigol Tsereteli (Iv.Javakhishvili Institute of History and Ethnology).
D signi�ies the private library collection of Varlam Dondua (Iv.Javakhishvili Institute of History and Ethnology).

Thematic and Content Collections and their signs ( Litteras):
RAR signi�ies raritate editions collection ( National Center of Manu scripts, Iv.Javakhishvili History and Ethnology Institute). Rp.
Ak.Ts.-signi�ies collection of Akaki Tsereteli (National Center of Manuscripts) Hebr The Hebrew Manuscripts Collection (National Center of Manuscripts) etc.
The importance of Littera is especially obvious during double denotation, or when the material moves from one to another collection, or from one fund to another.In these cases Litteras convey not only information on speci�ic units but also on entire history of a movement, for example: unit can have two (or more) denotations: H 1496, also Ak.Ts N623 (National Center of Manuscripts).These denotations already give us information that speci�ic item comes from the Historical Ethnographic Society (H), and then it moved to the fund of Akaki Tsereteli preserved in National Center of Manuscripts with the number 623.The importance of meaning of correct denotations is out of question and shouldn't need any further explanations.Today there is a tendency of not making imprints on the original material and instead placing an unit in a special box or an envelope and place collec tion denotations on it; of course any extra influence on a material is imper missible but we think that a fund cipher (Littera) shall be placed exactly on an unit and this way we would make sure that a main information won't be lost in future.This is substantiated by the statutes of the Ministry of Culture and we think that this position and existing norm shall not be reconsidered in the future.
It is necessary to save fund materials and collection catalogues in special database programs for searching and application of an information in various ways.One of the most important directions of the management is an imple mentation approbation of new technologies in this direction.
When we talk about the collection curation and collection management it is necessary to touch collection protection system too; In this respect the most important is: foreseeing the peculiarities of collection unit's materials, creation of collection depositories equipped according to standards; imple mentation of the newest technologies; effective management of the powerful restorationconservation service; digitalization of the manuscript heritageas an effective form of the original conservation.
Collection curator, as an expertconsultant who is highly knowledgeable about a material, has a main role in cultural heritage management.This is why we envisage this position for a highly qualified scientist.Organization or specific structures within the organization which own materials of a cul tural heritage fund shall be a scientific unit and not a service or fund reposi tory unit, as observed most times.Cultural heritage management shall be directed to not only preservation but also to popularization and most impor tantly scientific research.
Management of cultural heritage includes application of effective and safe means of popularization of a collection material, applying exhibitions as an educational mean; special lecture courses with visualization of material etc.
Collection raising, increase and enriching of collections and acquiring of ownership rights on collections are important directions of the management.In this respect protection of ethical and moral norms in the frames of the leg islation is an essential factor.The archive collection, as a part of cultural her itage can be found rather interesting in this respect and we will cover the peculiarities of it in more detail below.
Structure of the archive funds is very specific in any types of depositories throughout the world.Each archive represents one unique unity.This is caused by the original private virtues of public figures.Value of private archive funds can be defined using two different perspectives.On one hand, it is considered as declared autographic, heritage of public figures and pri mary source of information, as exhibit relics and on the other hand, it is en visaged as a research category which has no less importance as a source of personalized information.Personi�ication as a phenomenon, is a characte ristic of archival units.
Archive documents carry personal data or so called "psychological signs" on public �igures.Personi�ication of archive unit represents not primary but secondary process and it takes place beyond the consciusness.This means that a person reveales herself/himself in graphological form of reasoning product.The complex psychical trace of a personal re�lection: dispositions, physiological conditions, factors depending on the environment, personal skills and habits, inclinations, atypical activities as a result of the con�lict between the consciousness and subconsciousness, leave an imprint on a specimen.Personi�icated information is a "mirror re�lection" of personal infromation.As a source of personal portrait, it is more deep and reliable analytically, than data collected from biographies and autobiographies.
Finding of personalized information is possible in content ganra -the matic data as well as in technical data.Archive unit, which can preserve and maintain ethnical memory, at the same time contains research niuanses mentioned above, represents artifact and thus is a cultural heritage ("any objects created by a human being or through the human in�luence on the nature having �ictional, esthetic, historical, memorial value... objects related with the country's history or with the civilizations existing now…" Law of Georgia on Cultural Heritage; "any item or concept having esthetic, historical, scienti�ic or spiritual value…" Code of Museum Ethics of ICOM).
General politics on accessibility of this kind of heritage is de�ined by normative acts.
In Georgia's Law on National Archive Fund and National Archive is stressed that "usage of the documents of the National Archive Fund is free.Inte-rested parties can find and view a document or its copy from National Ar chive fund by means of information search system, also can make extrac tions, and use information service of the archive".
According to the Museum Ethics Code by ICOM, " Governing organ shall be constantly trying to make accessible for everybody all the collections pre served in museums at convenient time.It shall show the special attention to the persons with special needs." These legislative tendencies are fortified by the fact that prohibition, as a phenomenon, is a complex psychological and legislative notion.In General, imperative never causes positive disposition.It always causes suspicion and interest and leads to opposition.Beside of the general attitude to prohibition, this concept in postmodern environment is even more atrophied.Prohibition, as a procedure, shall have theoretically substantiated objective reasons, be sides refined, temperate and exact systems of sanctions.Besides of this ge neral attitude towards prohibition, in post modern environment this concept became more atrophic.In the current model of socialpolitical system, where all the subjects having appropriate selfperception are considered as equals in rights, prohibition is not considered as an accepted and recognized form of social relations.
Naturally, there are the legal prohibitions, which are controled by law, nor mative acts and ethicalmoral prohibitions, which are based on human nature and are controlled by the inner world of human being.Here we shall discuss one aspect: specialists of law frequently oppose to the verbal shablons and ideal forms which became surrogates.Term like " Rule of Law" is paradoxal.Law created by a human is never supreme and universal.It has no ability to overcome each tentative situation, It has no ability to overcome each tenta tive situation, legal casuses appear correspondingly.
Correspondingly it is unable to respond to ethical complexities, which are encountered in personal archives of public figures.
During many years Institute of Manuscripts were ideintified as "classified" number of archive units on the basis of not too diverse criteria for prohibi tion.
At some point among the documents prohibited to be handed out for rea ding were: appeal of Ivane Javakhishvili, dated with 5th of February of 1921, to the Presidium of Founding Meeting of Democratic Republic of Georgia re garding the legal acknowledgement of Georgia's independence, Application by Ivane Javakhishvili on resignation from the position of professor of Uni versity, dated 21st of December of 1936; Petition of Georgian nobility to Hague Conference preserved in the personal archive of Ivane Javakhishvili (dated by 18th of june of 1907); Reference on ArmenianGeorgian war was classified too.
Many other documents were in the same situation: Memoirs of Irodion Sonlughashvili in 5 volumes; notice issued by the SocialistFederalist Revo lutionary Party on the name of Ivane Jamutashvili on creating of mother land's deffence detachment (1918, 24th of December); "Brief history of Georgia's Catholicos Church" by Meliton Kelenjeridze; Archive units of any content created by emigrant georgians.Clearly it is not dif�icult to establish criteria for prohibition of these archive units.
On the other hand, it is signi�icant that due to the consideration of the authority of famous public �igures and existing positive public opinion about them, and their good reputation, their tollerant correspondance with leaders of communist party and initiators of revolution which had imprints of conjuncture of those times was wiithdrown from circulation.This is natural and points to the high professional and ethical level of archivaria of Institute of Manuscripts.
Two categorically different criteria of prohibition grif are logical in context of the fundamental principle of archive curation which is humanistic reasoning.
Each epoch has characteristical socialcultural environment.This environment conditions not only contextual, expressive, compositional speci�ics of texts but creates distinct forms of social interaction, different signi�icant social roles characteristical exceptionally for that epoche and cultural context.Form of interaction which we discuss here is a result of the second half of the XX century which was characterized by bureaucraticprotectionist reality.This result becomes especially evident in so called "new" archives of the public �igure of XX century.This touches recomendation protection relations, which took place not only in private immediate contacts, but were especially developed in private corresondance due to the delicacy of this issue.This form of relations from that epoch is not given the due attention which actually is required considering the real nature of the problem and its results.If we judge by the percentage ratio of these types of letters, we can assume that this type of the interaction had an universal nature then.This is proven by the fact that public �igures kept this type of correspondance in their personal archives (instead of destroying it), which can only signify that they didn't bid to hide these relationships seeing nothing alarming in them and considering them absolutely neutral.
In this communications the several common aspects can be singled out: 1. Shows unceremonious relationship style; 2. In the majority of letters the obligations existing between the addressee and sender are stressed; 3. Promise of "gastronomical feedback" as of sign of gratitude is quite free quent; 4. Forms of anonimity like "bringer of the letter", "writer of the letter" etc. are used.
5. Intellectual and professional abilities of the letter objects are excessively overestimated; 6. Mainly touches admition into the highest education institutions, par-tially facilitation of a career advencement.These aspects, if we don't say anything else, opress the psychological environment.
Archive circulation system is absolutely open.It is natural that in legal context, any citizen can request to use this material (this concerns described, systemized and catalogized archives).Together with the dif�iculties described above, any public instutition preserving this type of material, among them National Center of Manuscripts, face ethical problems not only due to the good reputation of addressees of these letters, but also identities of senders and people who these letters are about.It must be noted that these people are frequently well known to public.Since the law doesn't regulate these is sues, organizations have to resort to alternative ways in such situations.
As the samples we will bring here several examples of communications (personnas, toponims, or other data revealing personal identities are closed with special technical signs): "Hello Mr. ******!We wish you long and happy life.Although belated but with whole heart we congratulate you with your last success.It is unfortunate that you do not like to visit Kutaisi.
Mr. ******, the bringer of this letter is a prominent philologist, and makes a very important job for teachers and generally for our culture.
Please listen and help.We will appreciate if you will visit Kutaisi.
Respectfully ****** 24 th of June of 1974" "Hello, ********!As we know from reliable sources, you are an examiner in Medical Institute on 15 th .I ask you please pay attention to Giorgi *******, who takes exams there for the third time.Father is not here, his brother passed away and mother is very sick.Pediatric faculty, XI group, exam ticket 273.
With brotherly love Your K. ****** 14 th of August of 1969" " ******!Please!In this kind of case there are no various answers: "we couldn't", "situation didn't let me" etc and etc, which are cause by their own reasons.But my *******, this is a plea for help related with the name of my relative (especially with the name of my sister, which is very much obligated by the parents of this kid).Please try your best.If you won't do this, explanations will be untimely?If our brotherhood has some value, please try.Now it is up to you and your conscious heart.
Without date" "Respected ****, Hello I friendly ask you to help my former magistrate student in publishing this letter.He is in Batumi now and works in pedagogical institute there.
Please do not deprive your attention him and the person who asks you this.
Respectfully M. **********.1969 year" "Deeply respectful Mr. *********!It is very dif�icult for me and I understand that it is not convenient to bother you, but what can I do, I thought that my child had an ability and love of a literature since the early childhood and I thought that I wouldn't need to bother anybody.….I thought that everything would be alright around him.I couldn't think that I would need to bother you.But **** is very sad, as he (she) found out that there won't be positions since this may.I don't know and do not understand how to help him.….Maybe as a mother I am mistaken and he (she) doesn't deserve this kind of attention and maybe has some kind of fault.He (she) is not poor spiritually and as a human being is very bright.I am sorry maybe this is very funny, that I am saying this, as I am his (her) mother…I could visit you personally but it is not convenient and **** too wouldn't forgive me.Now he (she) can not �ind out that I ask for help on the distance.
I will feel obligated to you during entire my life.
With deep respect **** 19 th of February, 1973" In the National Center of Manuscripts there is a letter from 1955 sent on the name of the deputy minister of education of USSR -Stiletto, in which the famous academician ask him to help his son (daughter) to be admitted to TSU History Department regardless of the fact that he (she) couldn't accumulate the required points on entrance exams.
In the National Center of Manuscripts we frequently use the method of assigning status "of private nature" to such letters in order to solve similar issues and to de�ine the essence of private letters.Evaluation of the so called protection process is complex because this method completely hushes up the real content of an archive document, and in the eyes of a reader transforms it into a document of no interest, presumably unceremoneous, ultimately describing a daily life and falsi�ies the relationship between the sender and addressee and status of the circumstances.On the other hand, this method has an ethicaleducational and somewhat ideological function and keeps of�icial image and dignity of a public �igure as it has been accepted in a society.By doing so center of manuscripts protects society from nihilistic sentiments, and allows right on private intimate cognitive space.
We encountered a very speci�ic situation while dealing with Ivane Javakhishvili archive.In this particular case the basis for prohibition of material to readers was not an existing socialpolitical system, but the request and will of the daughter of Ivane Javakhishvili -Natela Javakhishvili, who proces sed and handed over the archive to the institute.This is one of the most delicate cases, when offsprings do not consider appropriate to open parents' sensual and emotional relationships to the public.
According to the law of Georgia on "National Archive Fund and National Archive", information can be used only after 75 years from the creation of a document containing personal data of citizens, if other term is not approved otherwise.
"person has a right to demand from the National Archive not to let the usage of his/her personal documents and not to expose it to public for the term de�ined by him/her.However this is in effect for 75 years after the document creation.
Despite of the fact that the time both philosophically and legally (75 years) transfers almost any document to the public domain, request on keeping a document as classi�ied requested by children remains constant and unchangeable.These types of issues naturally can not be regulated by legislative acts thus requiring from archivaria speci�ic, optimal, appropriate with time and situation approach.
ICOM Museum Ethics Code mentions one category: "Material which requires a delicate handling".In this category are included human remains and sacred items, which need respectful treatment and corresponding protection.The archive items discussed above can be easily included in this category.
This quite complex and multilayered issue points to archive speci�ics, represents personalized information, as an alternative source of information and reveals dif�iculty and necessity of complex research.
There is a notion "Public Interest".It naturally has a social, cultural character and correspondingly, is not only legally recognized but has prevalence.Public interest in many respects stands higher than corporative interests and of course is over private interest.It is more important when a case touches ethnic memory of a nation.The prevalence of this term makes the issue discussed by us more delicate.
Archives' scienti�ic circulation is one of the main functions of research institutions and museums.This process shouldn't be impeded.Management of this type of cultural heritage shall take place from both sides on the basis of compromise, which recognizes human being as the highest value.Law can not entirely accomodate phenomena of moral and ethics due to its reglamented, utmost exact, concrete, clear and frequently formal nature.This causes dif�iculties and errors.Despite of the fact that ethics always relies on personal efforts of people, alternative way can be found even in the most complex systems.