An archival categories A and B

Knowledge of archival categories is the foundation of working in an archive.

According to the 2015 Regulation of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,

https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20150001743/O/D20151743.pdf

1. The symbol “A” denotes the archival category of archival materials.

This refers to documentation that must be stored indefinitely.

2. The symbol “B” denotes the archival category of non-archival documentation, with the following exceptions:

The symbol “B” plus Arabic numerals denotes the archival category of documentation of temporary practical significance, with the numbers corresponding to the minimum retention period for this documentation, calculated in full calendar years from January 1 of the year following the date of the case’s conclusion;

You may primarily encounter the following category B symbols:
B2, B3, B5, B10 – The number after the letter B indicates the retention period of this documentation, measured in years, i.e., B2 = 2 years, B3 = 3 years, B5 = 5 years, B10 = 10 years.

The symbol “BE” followed by Arabic numerals denotes the archival category of documentation, which, after the applicable retention period, calculated as described in point 1, is subject to an archival review conducted by the State Archives or a separate archive.

In this case, the years are counted similarly to the previous example, with the difference that after the end of the given period, the documentation must be subject to a new review conducted by a State Archives employee.

For example, BE5 – review after 5 years; BE10 – after 10 years, etc.

The symbol “Bc” denotes non-archival secondary documentation, provided that originals (equivalents) have been preserved, or documentation of short-term practical importance with a storage period of less than one year, calculated as specified in point 1.
That would be roughly the case 🙂