Estók János szerk.: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 2005-2007 (Budapest, 2007)

GYŰJTEMÉNYEK - Csorna Zsigmond: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Munkaeszköz-történeti Archívuma és tudományos jelentősége a kutatásban

The new open-air and provincial village museums encouraged both the revision of the existent tools in the collections and further collecting work. More and more museums and exhibitions presenting the former peasant technique were opened where the economic-lifestyle innovations, the regional and country tools of the local special development were exhibited, as well. The Tool-historical Archive is useful especially for the wide circles of the collectivity being interested in the past of farmers. The toolbar of the Hungarian agriculture is documented in the archive material to be researched almost to our days. At the same time it is a database of science, public education and agrarianculture and agrarian-history both in Hungary and abroad. Nowadays concerning the answer to the questions of Hungarian history, especially agricultural history the Tool-historical Archive at the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture is one of the most significant image public collection materials in the field of researching the Hungarian and European continental agrarian production, the past and traditions of agrarian lifestyle. It is no accident that Iván Balassa's work in the Tool-historical Archive was highlighted and his life-work was appreciated when the Herder Prize was awarded to him (in spring 1980). For this reason he was invited among the members of the Swedish Royal Gustav Adolf's Academy and the Royal Danish Academy. The system of the Archive in full measure assimilated itself to the professional classification index system elaborated by Iván Balassa and the agrarian historian Imre Wellmann which made possible and easier computer elaboration. The computer elaboration and internet service of the first 5000 items were finished already in 1996 when the founder Iván Balassa (1917-2002) was still living (elaboration done by Zsigmond Csorna - Edith Pál - Péter Górász) by means of'NIIF' (National Information Infrastructure Development Institute)-tender. Thus this was the first time that the historical pictures of agricultural tools and working processes accomplished with them, the technology of historical eras and the data of description cards could be mediated by the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture through the Origo server machine of the National Museum to the world, but this achievement is outstanding among the largest Hungarian museums, as well.