The International Directory Of National Archives

National Archives store materials relating to the history of a nation, usually operated by the government of that nation. This is the first ever comprehensive source of information about national archives around the world covers the national archives of all 195 countries recognized by the United Nations (the 193 member states and the 2 that non-member observer states: The Holy See and the State of Palestine) as well as Taiwan (Republic of China). Of the 196 countries, 54 are in Africa, 49 in Asia, 44 in Europe, 33 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 in Oceania, and 2 in Northern America. All countries maintain a repository for government and historical records; whether all allow public access will be determined through research for this work. The National Archives of all 196 countries will be included in this work (see Appendix A). Each entry contains: general information about the archive and when it is open to researchers (if applicable), historical information about the institution and how it developed, information about the archives today (its mission, functions, organization, services, and a description of its physical and digital infrastructures), and a current focus section spotlighting one part of the collection’s holdings.

This new edition of the International Biographical Directory of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians furthers the goals of the first in providing a "base for further communication and cooperation among people in national institutions whose efforts are directed at handling information for the purposes of preservation and distribution." Added to this edition are entries for countries, institutions, and persons not previously represented. Providing an international perspective on archivists, documentalists, and librarians, the focus of this publication is on the national administrators-who they are and where they are-and does not attempt to extensively describe the collections or services of their organizations. It is a tool that has been created to facilitate the cooperation among countries and to increase international communication for information professionals worldwide. This current directory of national archives, documentation centers, and libraries also provides biographical information on the senior persons responsible for those institutions. Included in the preface is a detailed explanation of the methodology used to collect the research, results of the research, the protocol for listing elements within the book, and information on how to contact the authors on any developments that have occurred in the field to keep it as current and accurate as possible. It also contains a list of abbreviations and several appendixes.