[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Results from a visit to Warsaw

[Otto]

in 2004
IAt Archives I would always ask in advance for permission to  
photograph persons or displays.

I had my camera at the Plock Archive. I photographed displays present  
and also some of the officials but did not attempt to photograph  
documents. I paid for the archival photocopies. Their help was well  
worth the few zloty I left with them.

I had my camera at the Pultusk Archive and photographed a group of  
college girls doing research there. They and the lovely official on  
the floor at the time enjoyed a few moments of merriment with the  
Americanski.  The records we'd ordered in advance never  
materialized. . .

At the Warsaw Archives I had to check in all of my photographic  
equipment with security (they provide a locker under their watchful  
eye) Security was friendly yet we joked about them possessing Stasi  
training. . .

My best advice for success in the endeavor is to learn each archive's   
rules in advance and adhere to them. Poland has hundreds of years of  
recorded history of strangers coming in, then becoming pushy with  
them. I am more than willing to forgive any remaining resentments of  
the past.

I considered myself an ambassador of American capitalism demonstrating  
how to 'spread the wealth around" by being generous with tipping,  
following the 15-20% rule I use in the States. Their response is  
rewarding.

On Oct 15, 2010, at 2:48 PM, Paul Rakow wrote:
>  Mike,
>  I very much doubt that you are allowed to use your own camera
>  at AGAD, I didn't see anyone photographing on the days I was there.
>  The province archives I've been to in Poland haven't allowed
>  photography, so I assumed the same rule would apply in Warsaw.
>
>       Look at the web-page
>   http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnprgm/PRG/Archives.html
>
>      which collects together a few stories about visits various
>  people made to archives in Germany and Poland. If you look at the
>  account of visiting the Koszalin archive you will see what happens
>  if you start taking photographs without asking whether it's allowed.
>   Paul Rakow
>
> On Thu, 14 Oct 2010, MIKE MCHENRY wrote:
> Paul
>> Do they allow you to use a digital camera without a flash of course?
>> MIKE

. . .   Otto
          " The Zen moment..." wk. of January 01, 2010-
                   _____________________________________
                   "Satisfaction . . . lurks in the answers."