Department of the Polish Biographical Dictionary

Head: Professor Andrzej Romanowski – Editor-in-Chief of the PBD

Secretary: Ewa Szklarska, MA

Department website: http://www.psb.pan.krakow.pl/

Contact:
Sławkowska 17
31-016  Kraków
phone: 12 422 29 61
phone: 12 428 64 47
fax: 12 421 37 87

Section for the medieval and modern periods: phone 12 428 64 42
Section for the 19th and 20th centuries: phone 12 428 64 44

The task of the Department is to edit and publish the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Three fascicles of the Dictionary are published every year, with 85–90 entries in each. A single volume, composed of four fascicles, includes 960 columns (c. 1,500 standard pages) of encyclopaedic and monographical content, thoroughly checked for accuracy. The editors prepare lists of entries for subsequent planned fascicles, seek potential authors and commission the entries. Having received a draft entry for review, they check whether the data provided in the text and the bibliographical information are accurate and complete. Cooperating with the authors and reviewers with regard to the given entry, they often carry out their own research in libraries and archives with a view to supplementing the collected information. If an author cannot be found, the editors urgently prepare the entries themselves and, additionally, work on new entries planned on their own initiative coupled with their knowledge and dedication to compiling the biographical notes for the Dictionary. In addition, the editors also pursue their own research projects.

Current projects:

”Research in the field of historical biography – development of approximately 1,000 biographical articles for publication in the PSB” (11H 18 0129 87; allocated funds: PLN 1,200,000), 2020–2024, supervisor prof. Andrzej Romanowski. The subject of the project is historical biography. Our aim is to continue research that will result in the edition of approximately 1,000 biographical articles for publication in the Polish Biographical Dictionary (PSB). Between 2020 and 2024, we will publish 12 cahiers of 160 pages (the range of entries is difficult to determine precisely, as it depends on the volume of individual biographical notes). The PSB is a collective work with authors from Poland and abroad (countries of Europe, America and Australia) and a supportive team of editors, a publishing department (editing) and an office.

Completed projects:

• Development and sharing of the List of Entries for the supplementary series of the Polish Biographical Dictionary, project under the Science for Society programme, no. NdS/541591/2021/2022; allocated funds: PLN 1,900,000, 2022–2024, managed by Mariusz Ryńca, MA. The aim of the project was to develop an interdisciplinary List of Entries for the supplementary series of the “Polish Biographical Dictionary”, covering figures of merit in Polish history, culture and political thought. It is anticipated that approximately 30,000 personal records have been created within 24 months. They are available in the public domain. The created List of Entries will be the basis for further research in the humanities. Personal records contain the following data: first and last name, nickname, years of life, profession and the most important functions performed. A source of information is provided for each record. The List of Entries has the form of a database (Excel) with the possibility of building a dedicated application. It contatins persons whose biographical entries have not been included in the basic series of the Polish Biographical Dictionary  (PSB), published since 1935, due to the date of death during the publication of individual volumes, censorship during the period of the People’s Republic of Poland and the eligibility rules adopted (persons deceased by the end of 2000). In order to arouse public interest in important figures from Polish history, the commencement of work on the so-called second series of the “Polish Biographical Dictionary” has been accompanied by a promotional campaign in the media, primarily in social media. From the PSB unit the following took part in the project: MA Mariusz Ryńca (head), PhD Agata Barzycka-Paździor, PhD Agnieszka Biedrzycka, MA Bożena Bigaj, PhD Maria Czeppe, PhD Patrycja Gąsiorowska, MA Jolanta Kawa-Grębska, PhD Lilia Kowkiel, MA Tomasz Latos , Prof.  IH PAN, dr hab. Elżbieta Orman, MA Ewa Szklarska, MA Anna Wiekluk-Marianowska, PhD Roman Włodek.
• “Digital Research Infrastructure for the Humanities and Arts DARIAH-PL”, No. POIR.04.02.00-00-D006/20, Measure 4.2 – Development of Modern Research Infrastructure for the Science Sector of the Operational Programme Intelligent Development 2014–2020, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, allocated funds of IH PAN: PLN 3,349,076, 2020–2023, project manager on the part of IH PAN: PhD Adam Zapała. The aim of the DARIAH-PL project was to create a national intelligent digital research infrastructure for the humanities and arts sciences. The infrastructure will serve to acquire, store and integrate diverse research data and to process, visualise and share digital resources. To this end, a network of distributed laboratories equipped with advanced tools and resources to carry out interdisciplinary research requiring the use of a variety of materials was built, linked to business entities. Read more: https://ihpan.edu.pl/en/dariah-lab-en/. The Department of Polish Biographical Dictionary was involved in the project by: Tomasz Latos, MA, Mariusz Ryńca, MA.