Badanie systemu informacji archiwalnej na przykładzie Archiwum Państwowego w Toruniu

Abstract

The purpose of this text is to show the methods of researching the archive information system (the search system and share system) with use of mathematical methods. The research consisted of choosing a representative number of fonds and units within them, collecting (without using finding aids) pieces of information they contain, and then conducting an experiment on a group of people, whose task was to provide estimates as to which of the fonds a given piece of information was located in, with the use if finding aids. The following research methods were used for this study: survey sampling, experiment, mathematical methods. The figures obtained with them have been used for calculating the information effectiveness ratio, which is the core of the system analysis of the State Archives in Torun. The main body of the article is an attempt to find out if calculating the information effectiveness ratios can supply us with data that is able to effectively influence the assessment of the system. The study allowed us to examine to a greater or lesser extent all the elements of the archival information system, and to draw conclusions, that indicate the elements of each of the fonds, that need to be modified in order to improve on the way the system operates. Calculating the ratios has allowed us to gauge the usefulness of a given finding aid, and draw a conclusion that the introduction of the guidelines for the simplified description of archival holdings have essentially influenced on the of information searching effectiveness.