Lviv archival specialist receives Kolasky Memorial Fellowship (07/02/00)

Lviv archival specialist receives Kolasky Memorial Fellowship

EDMONTON - The recipient of the John Kolasky Memorial Fellowship for winter 2000 was Ivan Svarnyk, head of the Sector of Auxiliary Historical Disciplines, Central State Historical Archive in Lviv.

Mr. Svarnyk is a specialist in archival and source studies, sphragistics, heraldry and genealogy. He has held various posts at the Lviv Central State Historical Archive since 1975, including junior and senior researcher, head of the Department of Old Acts and deputy director. Mr. Svarnyk has written many articles on Ukrainian history, is a co-author of "History of Ukraine" (Lviv, 1996; second edition 1998), published documents on Akcja Wisla, diaries of 16th-18th-century foreign travelers to Ukraine, and compiled documents for the volumes "History of Lviv," "Olha Basarab" and "The Supreme Ruthenian Council, 1848-1851." He also translated into Ukrainian Dmytro Yavornytsky's classic three-volume study, "History of the Zaporozhian Kozaks" (Lviv, 1990-1992).

During his stay in Canada from mid-February to early May, Mr. Svarnyk visited and worked intensively in many libraries and archives in Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton.

In Toronto Mr. Svarnyk familiarized himself with the work of the office of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies including the Peter Jacyk Center for Ukrainian Historical Research and the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Center. Mr. Svarnyk also visited the Archives of Ontario, where he examined some of its Ukrainian Canadian holdings and toured its facilities. He also gave a lecture on "The Development of Ukrainian Heraldry," which was sponsored by the CIUS at the University of Toronto.

In Ottawa, Mr. Svarnyk collaborated closely with Myron Momryk, project archivist at the National Archives of Canada. At the archives, Mr. Svarnyk worked in the Dmytro Dontsov and Andrii Zhuk collections. In the course of his research he brought to light documents on the participation of the renowned Lviv historian Ivan Krypiakevych in the founding of the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine during World War I. During the course of his work National Archivist Ian Wilson presented Mr. Svarnyk a microfilm copy of the Dmytro Dontsov collection for the Lviv Archive's Division of Publications.

In addition to his research work, Mr. Svarnyk gave a lecture on "Ukrainian Genealogical Resources and Historical Documentation in the Lviv Archives" for the Ukrainian Genealogy Group, National Capital Region. He also visited the Mormon Center of Family History in Ottawa.

Mr. Svarnyk spent most of his three-month stay in Canada in Edmonton, where he worked largely at the University of Alberta Library, including its Special Collections. In the Ivan L. Rudnytsky collection, Mr. Svarnyk brought to light biographical details of several leading Ukrainian scholars, religious and political figures, including Viacheslav Lypynsky, Denys Zubrytsky, Stepan Tomashivsky and Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. During his work in the library Mr. Svarnyk was able to augment the bibliographies of the works of Ivan Krypiakevych and Mykola Holubets with titles of works published in the West. He also conducted research in the Mykhailo Chomiak Collection at the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

In Edmonton Mr. Svarnyk gave two lectures: the first, on "The Development of Heraldry in Ukraine," sponsored by the CIUS; the second, on "Ukrainian Genealogical Resources and Historical Documentation in the Lviv Archives," sponsored by the Alberta Genealogical Society, Edmonton Branch. Elaine Kalynchuk of the Society, who is also coordinator of the Ukrainian Genealogists of Alberta, was instrumental in organizing the latter meeting.

Mr. Svarnyk also spoke on heraldry and genealogy to the Ukrainian communities of Radway and Calgary. The former was organized by the Rev. Hryhorij Fil, and the latter by Walter Rusel of the Ukrainian Genealogical and Historical Society of Canada. In Calgary, he also visited the library and archives of St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Mormon Center of Family History.

Before returning to Ukraine, Mr. Svarnyk was taken on a tour of Ukrainian pioneer settlements in the Kalyna Country Eco-museum, northeast of Edmonton, by Jars Balan, and also visited the Basilian Fathers' Museum in Mundare, Alberta.

During his stay in Canada, Mr. Svarnyk was often asked questions by Ukrainian Canadians on genealogy, family history and archival research in Ukraine. In both public meetings and private consultations he was able to address many concerns related to these subjects.

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