Imagine a repository holding the collective memory of an entire department. That’s the Archives départementales du Nord.
The Archives départementales du Nord is a service of the Nord Departmental Council. It manages public and some private archives. These archives were produced in the Nord department. Nord is one of the five departments in the Hauts-de-France region.
Established in 1796 the Archives départementales du Nord collects preserves classifies and shares archives. These archives come from public organizations that existed in the Nord territory. They hold interest for justifying individual rights. They also serve as a source for historical research.
The Code du Patrimoine defines these missions. The Archives départementales du Nord holds documents covering twelve centuries of history. There are also recent documents. These include parish and civil registers notarial acts and cadastral plans. Archives from old regime institutions and current administrations are also stored. These include the prefecture and tribunals. Funds deposited by municipalities are present. Private archives from families associations and businesses enrich the collections.
In total the Archives départementales du Nord holds 60 kilometers of documents. These range from the 9th century to today. They come in all forms and supports including parchment paper photographs and electronic documents. These documents are processed and made available to the public for various uses.
Public access to the archives is free within legal frameworks. Access is granted in the reading room of the Archives départementales du Nord. A portion of the collection is available online including six million digitized pages.
In 1803 the general archive depot of the Nord department was located at the Hôtel du Lombard. In 1844 a building was inaugurated specifically for the Nord archives. It was the first of its kind in France. In 1909 the first archive storage facilities in reinforced concrete were constructed.
In 1961 the Archives départementales du Nord moved. It was located at 22 rue Saint-Bernard in Lille. The building was designed for archive conservation and public consultation. It featured high quality metal shelving.
In 2004 spaces open to the public were expanded incorporating digital resources. In 2006 the General Council decided to construct new storage facilities with 80 km of shelving. These facilities meet technical conservation requirements and follow sustainable development practices.
In 2010-2012 new storage facilities were constructed. In 2013 archives were moved from old to new storage. The old storage facilities were deconstructed.
In 2014 work was completed including exterior reconfiguration and landscaping. A collective effort by archivists architects building professionals and conservation experts led to a pioneering building. It is the first positive energy archive building.
Each year an average of 40000 original documents are communicated. 80000 digitized documents are consulted. The Archives départementales du Nord responds to over 3000 requests by mail or email. The website provides access to a virtual reading room. It offers six million pages of online archives with 4700 visits per day.
The Archives départementales du Nord ensures the collection of written cartographic and photographic heritage. They play a vital role in preserving memory. The Archives départementales du Nord has gained international notoriety. They have a large reading room a cyber-space microfilm readers and over 60 km of archives. These archives are grouped in new stores. The Archives départementales du Nord stands as a testament to the importance of preserving our past. It ensures that future generations can learn from it.