The heritage code states that the preservation of archives is organized in the public interest. At each level of the territorial organization of France, from the state to the municipalities, the public is therefore entitled to find ways to locate and consult the documents that interest them.
and 50 Terabytes of natively digital archives are kept in the National Archives
are registered in the reading rooms and more than 15,000 searches have been conducted by correspondence
came for the 173 exhibitions organized by the departmental archives in 2017
Actualités des Archives
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Culture and digital: discover the heritage of Abbeville online
The city of Abbeville opens a new door to its past with the innovative platform «Abbeville Patrimoine». This digital portal, accompanied by the DRAC Hauts-de-France, is a great tool for discovering and enhancing local heritage.
The city of Abbeville opens a new door to its past with the innovative platform «Abbeville Patrimoine». This digital portal, accompanied by the DRAC Hauts-de-France, is a great tool for discovering and enhancing local heritage.
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Videos: discover the new tutorial films on preventive conservation
Two new series on climate management in reserves and the quality of conservation packaging, have just enriched the collection of tutorial films on preventive conservation proposed by the Service interministériel des archives de France...
Two new series on climate management in reserves and the quality of conservation packaging, have just enriched the collection of tutorial films on preventive conservation proposed by the Service interministériel des archives de France...
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The National Archives returns to the Veil Law
Fifty years after the enactment of the law authorizing abortion, the National Archives presented on March 8, as part of the cycle «The Remarkable», the original speech given by Simone Veil in the National Assembly in 1974.
Fifty years after the enactment of the law authorizing abortion, the National Archives presented on March 8, as part of the cycle «The Remarkable», the original speech given by Simone Veil in the National Assembly in 1974.
FranceArchives
Portal National des Archives de France.
National Archives
Official website of the National Archives
The Archives in France
Public archives within the meaning of the French Heritage Code are kept in multiple institutions and organizations, over which the Service interministériel des archives de France exercises scientific and technical control.
The archives nanational
Les National Archives are made up of three departments with national competence. The first is a general practitioner and includes the sites of Paris, Fontainebleau and Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. The other two are specialized and decentralized: the French Overseas National Archives are in Aix-en-Provence and the National World Labour Archives in Roubaix.
The territorial archives
Local and regional authorities and groups of communities are the owners of their archives, which they themselves preserve and develop in accordance with the heritage code (Articles L. 212-6 and L. 212-6-1). They may, under certain conditions governed by law, entrust this task to the archives service of another local authority. Article 212-11 also provides that the old archives of municipalities with less than 2,000 inhabitants must be deposited in the Departmental Archives, unless a derogation is granted by the prefect of department.
Archives of public bodies
A number ofpublic bodies are authorized, by way of derogation, to retain their final archives themselves, provided that they are processed and communicated to the public in accordance with the rules in force in the public archives services. Following the example of the Architecture and Heritage Library which collects, processes and communicates all the archives of the Heritage Service to the Ministry of Culture. There are documents relating to the history of the Historical Monuments and Archaeology Services (organization, personnel, regulations, periods of war), but also administrative, technical and scientific records.
Private archives
The private archives, as a general rule, are the sole responsibility of their owners. However, some of them, which are of historical interest, may either be classified as historical archives or acquired by a public archives service when they are put up for sale.
The Archives de France website addresses citizens and professionals alike. It will allow you to browse the collections of "National Celebrations", to consult the directory of all the archives services in France, to find the regulations governing the archives, to have an overview of the resources put online by the various services in France, to query a number of national databases. The section "Managing the archives" is more specifically intended for archivists while the section "Searching the archives" is more focused on individuals. Finally, a section is dedicated to National Microfilm and Digitization Centre.