Archives in libraries: logical service or accident of history?

The presence of archives in libraries is much more common than is usually thought; simply scrutinising the work "Patrimoine des bibliothèques de France" (The documentary heritage of libraries in France) can easily persuade anyone of that. The institutional realities are in fact extremely complex and conform with very different organisational structures from one service to another, according to the degree to which the finances are integrated, and according to their nature and the training of the personnel that are in charge. Administrators would surely wish to promote the appearance of a clear organisational structure, where responsibilities would be well allocated. But the duty of the authorities does not limit itself to the drafting of laws and regulations; it requires them to think about the idea of record storage that satisfies the expectations of the scientific community and that takes in the history of the establishment and of the collections. Moreover, it will be necessary sooner or later to carry out an overall investigation in order to be finally given the means to get to know this important element of the heritage conserved by libraries.
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