University archives are public records. As such, they are:
- Permanent – the right to consult them does not expire over time
- Inalienable – they cannot be sold, given away or removed from the public domain
They must therefore be preserved within a recognised public archival service.
The Archive Management Office (Service des archives) coordinates the archiving policy at the University of Strasbourg.
Archiving policy
The university created the Archive Management Office in 2010, which is responsible for implementing and overseeing a shared archiving policy for the whole university community. An online guide outlines everyone's role in putting this policy into practice. It is a reference point for anyone dealing with university records and provides practical information on topics such as transferring records to the archives, authorised disposal, access to documents and office relocation.
Go to the University of Strasbourg's archiving policy
Access our archives
Who can access our archives?
The archives are open to anyone conducting research on the collections of the University of Strasbourg, including members of the university community, researchers, historians and the general public.
How to access our archives
To access our archives, you will need to submit a written request explaining the purpose of your research to the Head of the Archive Management Office (responsable du Service des archives).
Once your request is approved, you can visit the archives on site by appointment only. To book an appointment, contact the Archive Management Office at arc-archives@unistra.fr. For simple requests, a digital copy of a document may be provided, depending on availability, condition and whether the document can be shared.
Access rules and timeframes
The Archive Management Office provides access to the documents under its responsibility to anyone who submits a request. It also supervises all archive visits.
Access to documents must respect legal timeframes and consultation rules. The rules for accessing French archives are set out in Article L.213-2 of the Code du patrimoine. In exceptional cases, and upon request, the service interministériel des archives may authorise access to documents before the legal deadlines.
Unless otherwise stated, the following time limits are calculated from the date of the document:
- Immediate access – standard access for most records
- 25 years – confidential industrial or commercial documents, statistics (standard legal rule)
- 50 years – documents relating to privacy, staff files, recordings, or evaluations of an identifiable individual
- 75 years – statistics relating to private life and behaviour, police investigations
- 100 years – records relating to personal safety, files concerning minors
- 120 years after birth or 25 years after death – medical records
Enquiries
For all enquiries, you can contact the Archive Management Office by email at arc-archives@unistra.fr.
For any request, please provide a clear and detailed written explanation of what you are looking for. If necessary, the Archive Management Office may ask you to visit in person.
Guidelines
The Archive Management Office allows copies to be made of all documents it provides, regardless of their date, format or medium, as long as the documents are not damaged or weakened.
The use of flash photography for reproductions is not recommended.
For any publication, please include the full reference: Name of Repository / Name of Collection / Name of Sub-Collection / Reference Code / Title / Date. For example:
Archives Service of the University of Strasbourg / Guy Ourisson / National Research Workshop / GO501 / Research Report / 2003.
Any use of reproductions from public archives in a publication must comply with the Intellectual Property Code (Code de la propriété intellectuelle), as well as laws relating to images and privacy protection.