Sciences Po Archives
“... We learn there about the present from the past,” Hippolythe Taine “Fondation de l'Ecole libre des sciences politiques,” 1871
Created in 2021 following the merger of Sciences Po's three archive services, the Archives Department of the Scientific Resources and Information Directorate (DRIS) comprises a centre of excellence for political archives and data, which brings together the collections formerly held by the CEVIPOF and the Contemporary History Archives Service of the Sciences Po History Centre, a Sciences Po institutional archives centre, a research archives centre and a reception and support centre.
MISSIONS
The DRIS Archives Department manages the paper, digital, iconographic and audiovisual archives produced and received by the institution, fonds donated by French personalities from the world of politics, culture or the press, electoral archives, leaflets, the polling library and research archives, including surveys and researchers' fonds.
The Archives Department advises Sciences Po's directorates, departments and research centres.
Collecting, classifying, preserving and communicating
The Department collects, classifies, preserves and communicates to the public the fonds entrusted to it. It offers a personalised service to researchers and students. Readers may request an individual interview to help them find their way around the fonds of the Fondation nationale des sciences politiques (FNSP) and other institutions.
As part of its mission to promote the archives held by the FNSP, the Department may lend documents or authorise their reproduction, present the archives at workshops and organise or take part in conferences and study days.
Access to the archives is free and by appointment only, Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm.
INSTANCES
The DRIS Archives Department benefits from the advice and opinions of a Strategic Archives Committee (CSA) which meets once or twice a year to set the department's strategic and scientific policy and to accept - or reject - proposals for donations. In particular, it oversees the links between research and Sciences Po's archival policy. It may request the presence of members of partner institutions of the centre of excellence for archives and data.
PARTNERSHIPS
Because of its history and projects, the Archives Department has forged many partnerships with other institutions.
TEAM
The Archives Department team is made up of six people: a department manager, three archivists, an assistant archivist and an archive technician. There are also three people on fixed-term contracts.
For any requests or further information, please contact: departement.archives@sciencespo.fr.
