Archives
The term archives has three meanings. It refers to: ▪ documents that are created in the course of their activity and that are kept for the purpose of referring to them one day, notably for the purpose of proof; ▪ the services and institutions which collect, classify, retain and communicate them; ▪ the premises where they are kept. In addition to being means of proving and guaranteeing rights, archival documents can be sources for the historian or for anyone who wants to know the past. With a view to fostering historical research, States have progressively organized public archive services and require their administrations to pay to these services the documents produced by them once their administrative useful life has expired. The principles and techniques related to the management of archives are the subject of one of the disciplines involved in the information sciences, archival sciences.