Digitization of official books ("Amtsbücher"): The archival stock “GStA PK, I. Hauptabteilung Rep. 96 B Geheimes Kabinett (Minüten, Extrakte, Remissionsjournale)”

• Applicant: Sven Kriese
• Subject Area: Early Modern History ; Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2018 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 392606453

The Project aims the full digitization of the official books of the stock. After the digitization the images with the linked data are presented on the website of the GStA PK as well as in the Archivportal-D and in the German Digital Library. A special web application, which will be soon on the own website, is then intended to provide more targeted access to official book content.The scope of the total stock comprises 183 distortion units (15 lfm). The term extends to the years 1728 to 1809. The "Minutes" with 129 volumes form the most extensive group. Of these, 21 volumes have already been digitized. The remaining 162 volumes shall be digitized and put online.The Secret Civil Cabinet came into being with the reign of Frederick William I. in 1713. Until 1809, it acted as government office of the Prussian kings. Cabinet secretaries kept official books to record incoming and outgoing letters. Because of the high information density, the stock of office books is one of the key stocks. The entire government of the monarchs is documented there. In this respect, it possesses a high source value not only for Prussian research, but also for all other research projects on the history of the country in formerly Prussian territories. In addition, because the external relations and the networking of the Hohenzollerns with the European high nobility are documented, it also contains a high European and socio-historical source value. The "Minutes" also reflect the courtly everyday life and the emotional ties of the royal family, in the "Extracts" even the living world of the subjects is documented - thus, the stock also offers answers to questions of cultural and mental history.Because the book entries do not follow any content order, the using is very complicated. It has therefore only been rudimentarily evaluated by research. The digitization, linked with further information’s - the indexing of persons, institutions, geographical units, places and subject matter - makes the research sources, which have remained largely unknown, accessible online and comfortably.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)