Archives départementales de Lot-et-Garonne

  • Departmental Archives of the Lot-et-Garonne

Address

3 place de Verdun
Agen
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
47922
France

Phone

+33 (0)5.53.69.42.67

Fax

+33 (0)5.53.69.44.62

History

The Departmental Archives of Lot-et-Garonne were created during the Revolution to collect in Agen, the departmental capital, the papers of the Ancien Régime institutions which had been abolished and the sequestered archives of the emigrants and the clergy. Since then, they have continued to grow thanks to the deposits made by the department's administrations, the deposits of the communes, and donations or deposits from individuals.

Currently 17 kilometres of archives are kept in the shops of the two sites. Initially housed in the former Cordeliers convent, the departmental archives were transferred to the prefecture in 1810 until 1904, when it was decided to build a new building on the Place de Verdun to house them.

Mandates/Sources of Authority

The Departmental Archives collect, classify, conserve, communicate and promote the documents produced in the Department since the 12th century. Thanks to the wealth of their collections, they are the living memory of the written, illustrated, audio and audiovisual heritage of Lot-et-Garonne.

Records Management and Collecting Policies

The archive collections are organised according to the origin of the documents (producing department) and the nature of its activities.

Building(s)

The building was revolutionary when it was built, with its self-supporting concrete shelving, and today it houses the historical collections since the 12th century as well as a reading room. An extension was built in 1984 in the former maternity ward of the Saint-Jacques hospital, now the Hôtel du Département.

Archival and Other Holdings

In addition to the compulsory and statutory deposits of public archives produced in the department, there are also deposits, donations, legacies and purchases of private archives of interest to the history of the department (individuals, families, associations, companies, trade unions, etc.) as well as a rich library specialising in local history (books and periodicals).

Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication

The classification results in the production of a finding aid drawn up in accordance with international standards (statement of holdings, numerical list, inventory) and made available to the public.

Opening Times

Monday: 1.30-5pm

Tuesday-Friday: 9am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-5pm (4pm on Friday)

Annual holidays: week before 15th August

For public archives after 1940 and civil status records from 1913 to 1942, a consultation area is also available at the Hôtel du Département: Centre des archives contemporaines et de l'état civil - 1633, avenue du Général-Leclerc. Access by appointment from Tuesday to Thursday from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm (contact us 24 hours in advance).

Conditions of Access

Consultation of the archives is free and open to all. On your first visit to the Archives, simply register as a reader by presenting an identity document with a photo. You will then be given a personal reader's card. You will use this card to make your requests.

When you register, you agree to comply with the conditions of use set out in the reading room rules. The reading room supervisor will guide you in your research and help you to familiarise yourself with the resources and research tools available. But be careful, he/she is not supposed to do the research for you!

It is possible to connect a laptop. People who do not live in the Lot-et-Garonne department can reserve their place. Due to the limited capacity of the room, reservations can only be made for one session per day (either in the morning or afternoon).

Reproduction Services

Any document can be photographed by the reader him- or herself, with a camera without a flash, as long as the reader takes care to respect its physical condition. It can also be digitised in-house, with a deadline for completion. As this service is subject to a charge, an estimate including the different proposals according to the importance and format of the document is submitted for your acceptance. The reader can also obtain a photocopy of certain original documents. However, documents in poor condition, bound documents, sealed or unsealed parchments, engravings and drawings, tracings and peelings, stapled documents and all those exceeding A3 in size are excluded. In addition, prints of already digitised collections can be obtained.

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