Collective Management in Dutch Regional Archives

The Dutch province of North Brabant has pioneered in the development and practical execution of collective archives management by small and medium-sized municipalities. Since 1955, municipal authorities and archivists have worked together to establish a network of municipal and regional archives for the professional management of all inactive local government records and many private archives. As of 1990 the archives network is complete in North Brabant. By affiliating with regional archives, municipalities which would normally not be able to afford archives facilities now can. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of a centralized versus a decentralized regional archives and the factors that must be considered in developing joint archives.