Archives timeline

A list of key dates in the development of archives and related bodies.

This list is for general 'foundings, transformations, legislation, and closings' of archives - the chronologies of specific archives should be put on their particular pages.

It will be divided up as appropriate in due course.

Up to 1600

 * 1295 Plzen City Archive
 * 1371 Stadtarchiv Heilbronn
 * 1373 Merton College Library
 * 1378 Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo
 * 1408 Stadtarchiv Kassel
 * 1440 Stadtbibliothek Hannover
 * 1451 University of Glasgow founded - archives date back to this point (but some older).
 * 1540 Archivo General de Simancas
 * 1549 Thüringer Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek
 * 1555 National Library of Malta

17th century

 * 1602 Bodleian Library
 * 1607 National and University Library in Zagreb
 * 1610 Lambeth Palace Library
 * 1613 Kedermister Library
 * 1640 National Library of Finland
 * 1648 Danish Royal Library
 * 1660 Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Meiningen
 * 1696 Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt

18th century

 * 1707 Marsh's Library
 * 1712 Biblioteca Nacional de España and National Library of Spain
 * 1714 Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze and National Central Library (Florence)
 * 1717 New Hampshire State Library
 * 1749 National Archives of Austria
 * 1751 Society of Antiquaries of London
 * 1756 Hungarian National Archives
 * 1770 Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense
 * 1774 National and University Library of Slovenia
 * 1777 National Library of Colombia
 * 1780 Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
 * 1784 Hungarian National Archives moved from Bratislava to Buda (now Budapest)
 * 1785 Archivo General de Indias
 * 1790 Archives départementales de la Corrèze and Archives nationales (France)
 * 1792 Oldenburg State Library
 * 1794 State decree, France, made it mandatory to centralize all the pre-French Revolution private and public archives.
 * 1795 National Library of Russia
 * 1796 Law passed France which created departmental archives (archives départementales) in the départements of France
 * 1796 Archives départementales de la Haute-Saone, Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal and New Jersey State Library
 * 1798 Federal Archives of Switzerland, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands
 * 1800 Archives nationales (France) became an autonomous body of the French state. Library of Congress instituted for the US Congress.

1800-1850

 * 1802 National Széchényi Library
 * 1804 Punjab Archives
 * 1806 Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart. King Louis Bonaparte gave the National Library of the Netherlands its current name.
 * 1808 Archivio di Stato di Napoli and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
 * 1810 National Library of Brazil and National Library of the Argentine Republic
 * 1813 National Library of Chile
 * 1815 Thomas Jefferson sold 6,487 books, his entire personal collection, to the Library of Congress. Archivio di Stato di Venezia and National Library of Uruguay
 * 1818 National Library of South Africa and New York State Library
 * 1820 Naturalis founded as the National Museum of Natural History
 * 1821 Biblioteca Nacional del Perú and Maharashtra State Archives
 * 1823 Library of Virginia
 * 1825 Archives départementales de la Seine-Maritime and National Library Service of Belize
 * 1826 Archivio storico del Comune di Venezia, Matica srpska (in Budapest), State Library of Massachusetts and Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Altenburg
 * 1827 Landesarchiv Berlin and Municipal Library of Akureyri
 * 1828 State Library of New South Wales
 * 1829 National Archives of Luxembourg and State Central Library, Kerala
 * 1832 National Library of Armenia, National Library of Greece, National Library of Moldova, and National Library of Serbia
 * 1829 National Archives of Luxembourg and State Central Library, Kerala
 * 1832 National Library of Armenia, National Library of Greece, National Library of Moldova and National Library of Serbia
 * 1833 National Library of Mexico and National Library of Venezuela
 * 1835 Archives départementales de la Charente, National Library of Algeria and The Archives of the Episcopal Church
 * 1837 Eutiner Landesbibliothek
 * 1838 Brazilian National Archives established as the "Imperial Public Archives".
 * 1839 Bermuda National Library, Royal Library of Belgium, and National Library of the Republic of Texas, later the Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * 1846 Archivo General de Centro América, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia and Smithsonian Institution
 * 1848 Boston Public Library
 * 1849 Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota State Law Library and Administrative Library of the Ministry of Interior
 * 1850 California State Library and University of Sydney Library

1851-1899

 * 1852 Archivio di Stato di Firenze and Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv
 * 1854 Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1855 Rock Island Public Library, Stadtarchiv Freiburg and State Library of Kansas
 * 1857 State Historical Society of Iowa
 * 1859 National Library of Romania
 * 1860 Archivio di Stato di Pisa, National Archives of Haiti and Stadtarchiv Braunschweig
 * 1861 Archives départementales de la Haute-Savoie and Stadtbibliothek Braunschweig
 * 1862 National Agricultural Library and Russian State Library
 * 1862 General National Archive (Nicaragua)
 * 1864 Matica srpska moves from Budapest to Novi Sad.
 * 1865 Archivio Storico Comunale di Palermo, Montana Historical Society, National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan and Staatsarchiv Sigmaringen
 * 1866 Archivo Histórico Nacional
 * 1868 Archivio di Stato di Mantova
 * 1869 Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg
 * 1870 Egyptian National Library and Archives, National Library of El Salvador, National Library of Uzbekistan] and Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library (as the Tashkent Public Library)
 * 1871 Archivio di Stato di Roma
 * 1874 Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam
 * 1875 Central Archives of the State (Italy) and Kansas Historical Society
 * 1876 National Central Library (Rome)
 * 1877 Mitchell Library and National Library of Ireland
 * 1878 Bulgarian Historical Archive and Nebraska State Historical Society
 * 1879 National Library of Guatemala
 * 1880 Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense acquires the status of a national library. National Library of Honduras, Staatsarchiv Nürnberg and State Archives of Kharkiv Oblast
 * 1883 Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv and National Archive and Library of Bolivia
 * 1884 National Archives of Ecuador, Punjab Public Library, Lahore and Toronto Public Library.
 * 1885 National Library of Tunisia, Regional State Archives in Bergen and Stadtarchiv Karlsruhe
 * 1887 Palais Porcia (Vienna)
 * 1888 Stadtarchiv Karlsruhe and National Library "Miguel Obregon Lizano" of Costa Rica
 * 1889 Danish National Archives, Provincial Archives of Northern Jutland, State Library of Western Australia and Vancouver Public Library. Danish Public Archives Law
 * 1890 National Archives of Afghanistan
 * 1891 National Archives of India, Oriental Research Institute Mysore and State Central Library, Hyderabad.
 * 1892 National Library of Israel
 * 1893 Provincial Archives of Funen (Odense)
 * 1894 British Columbia Archives
 * 1895 National Library of Turkmenistan, Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesbibliothek and Swiss National Library. Initiative begun by Belgian lawyers Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine: would lead to the 1910 formation of the Mundaneum
 * 1899 National Library of Luxembourg
 * 1900 John Rylands Library

1901-1950

 * February 27, 1901 Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH)
 * 1901 Idaho Commission for Libraries, National Library of the Philippines, Nebraska Library Commission and Pomeranian Library
 * 1902 Stadtbibliothek Bremen
 * 1903 National Co-operative Archive, Pennsylvania State Archives and Stadtarchiv Oldenburg. Official Historian of Puerto Rico established by legislation.
 * 1905 National Library of Thailand and Oregon State Library
 * 1906 National Library Service of Barbados
 * 1907 Presidential Decree no. 1825, Brazil - established the duty of all publishers to send one copy of each publication to then-called Bibliotheca Nacional.
 * 1907 City of Warsaw Library, National Library of Wales and Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Dortmund (as Wilhelm-Auguste-Viktoria-Bücherei der Stadt Dortmund)
 * 1908 Dyal Singh Trust Library, Érudit Consortium interuniversitaire, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
 * 1909 Bibliothèque Louis Notari
 * 1910 Directorate of State Archives (West Bengal), Mundaneum, A library established in Verny city (later Alma Ata) which would become the National Library of Kazakhstan, and National Library of the Seychelles
 * 1911 Brazilian National Archives take their present name.
 * 1912 American Antiquarian Society, Catholic National Library and National Library of İzmir
 * 1913 Collection of material that would become the Archives nationales du Sénégal started. Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service and National Library of Senegal
 * 1914 General Archives of the State (Greece), National Archives of Benin and Regional State Archives in Stavanger
 * 1916 National Archives of Thailand
 * 1917 Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
 * 1918 National Library of Estonia and State Archives of Poltava Oblast
 * 1919 Academia Mexicana de la Historia, Central Zionist Archives, German National Library of Economics, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (in Kaunas), National Library of Latvia and State Archives of Cherkasy Oblast
 * 1920 Iraq National Library and Archive, Jewish National Fund Photo Archive, National Library of Albania, Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Prague's Castle Archive, State Archives of Odesa Oblast and State Archives of Vinnytsia Oblast
 * 1921 Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, BP Archive, Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine, Pfälzische Landesbibliothek, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab Library, State Archives in the City of Sevastopol, State Archives of Kherson Oblast and State Archives of Zaporizhzhya Oblast
 * 1922 State Archives of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, State Archives of Kiev Oblast and The National Library of Belarus
 * 1923 Royal Decree of 2 September 1923, Italy, on founding archives. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Altenburg refounded.
 * 1923 Hauptstaatsarchiv Weimar, Luís Ángel Arango Library, National Library of Kuwait, National Library of Public Information, Orange County Library System, and Ostrava City Archive
 * 1924 Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc (as Bibliothèque Générale), Bristol Record Office, CISTI, National Archives of Panama, National Library of Cambodia and Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
 * 1925 Louis Notari Library, Mário de Andrade Library, National Library of Scotland, Slovak National Archives, State Archives of Kirovohrad Oblast, State Archives of Luhansk Oblast, State Archives of Sumy Oblast, and Windhoek Public Library
 * 1926 Los Angeles Central Library
 * 1927 Cyprus Library
 * 1928 National Library of Poland and Staatsarchiv Stuttgart
 * 1929 Central State Archives of Public Organizations of Ukraine, and New Mexico State Library
 * 1930 Southern Historical Collection
 * 1931 National African American Archives and Museum, Stadtarchiv Hof and State Archives of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Library Alma Ata renamed State Public Library of Kazakhstan SSR
 * 1932 Danish Emigration Archives, v and State Archives in the City of Kyiv
 * 1932-1992 National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, known as the State Public Saltykov-Shchedrin Library
 * 1933 Centre for Kentish Studies and National Central Library
 * 1934 Archivio di Stato di Salerno, Maejo University Archives and National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic
 * 1935 BFI National Archive (UK) founded as the National Film Library. National Film and Sound Archive founded as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library.
 * 1936 BBC Sound Archive, National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago, Society of American Archivists and Stadtarchiv Witten
 * 1937 National Library of Iran
 * 1938 Gwent Archives as the Monmouthshire Record Office, International Federation of Film Archives
 * 1939 Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, National Archives of Namibia, State Archives of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, as the Stanislaviv Oblast State Historical Archives, State Archives of Ternopil Oblast, as Ternopil State Regional Archives, and State Archives of Volyn Oblast as Volyn Regional Historical Archive.
 * 1940 Lancashire Archives
 * 1941 Archivio di Stato della Spezia
 * 1942 National Library of Panama
 * 1943 The Ewing Memorial Library
 * 1944 Academy Film Archive, National Archives and Library of Ethiopia, National and University Library St. Clement of Ohrid and National Library of Mali
 * 1945 Archives of the Republic of Slovenia (ARS) created (based on earlier bodies), National Library of Koreab National Library of the Maldives, Nicolaus Copernicus University Library and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
 * 1946 Archivo Histórico Provincial de Córdoba, National Center of Cinematography and the moving image, National Library of The Gambia, National Library of Turkey, Dutch Historic Film Archive and ProdINRA
 * 1947 National Archives of Malawi and Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina
 * 1948 Berkshire Record Office, International Council on Archives, Lincolnshire Archives and National Diet Library
 * 1949 George Eastman House, Ghana Library Board, Ghetto Fighters' House, Israel State Archives, National Archives of Albania and Sezione di Archivio di Stato di Pontremoli
 * 1950 Bach-Archiv Leipzig, New York City Municipal Archives and Saarländische Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, as the Saarbrücken (Saarland) and University Library of the University of Saarland.

1951-2000

 * 1951 Delhi Public Library, Manx National Heritage and National Library of Pakistan
 * 1952 National Archives of Thailand becomes a division of the Fine Arts department of the Ministry of Culture (Thailand). Bundesarchiv (Deutschland), Eye Film Institute Netherlands as Filmmuseum - succeeding the Dutch Historic Film Archive, National Library of Myanmar, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives and Ukrainian Museum-Archives
 * 1953 Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Borthwick Institute for Archives
 * 1954 Archives of American Art, Archivio di Stato di Piacenza, National Archives of Fiji, Reykjavík Municipal Archives, Staatsarchiv Leipzig and National Archives Administration of China
 * 1955 Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, Israel Folktales Archive, Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, National Archives of Mauritania, Norwegian Film Institute and Staatliches Filmarchiv der DDR. National Film Library (UK) became the National Film Archive
 * 1955-1990 National Parliamentary Library of Georgia operated under the name of "State Republic Library”
 * 1956 J S Battye Library, Louisiana State Archive and Research Library, National Library of Laos, National Library of Malaysia, National Personnel Records Center and Nelson Memorial Public Library.
 * 1957 National Archives and Public Records Services of Papua New Guinea, National Archives of Malaysia, National Film Archive (Romania), Nepal National Library and United Church of Christ Archives
 * 1958 China Film Archive, Militärarchiv Potsdam, National Library of Northern Cyprus and Singapore Film Society.
 * 1959 Filmoteca Vaticana, German National Library of Science and Technology, Queensland State Archives and Tribhuvan University Central Library
 * 1960 Bauhaus Archive, Basser Library, Guinea National Library and Archives, Lilly Library, National Library of Australia and Österreichische Mediathek
 * 1961 George Padmore Research Library, Middle East Centre, St. Antony's College, Moreshet Archive, Mordechai Anielevich Memorial Holocaust Study and Research Center, National Archives of Australia, National Library of Madagascar and National Library of Mozambique
 * 1962 Archives nationales du Sénégal become the national archives of the country. Kerala State Archives
 * 1963 Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania moves from Kaunas to Vilnius. Cinémathèque québécoise as the Connaissance du cinéma, soon after renamed the Cinémathèque canadienne. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Library, as a reference library. National Science Library of India
 * 1964 CAPMAS, Cinemateca Argentina, Library Service of Fiji, National Film Archive of India, National Film, Video and Sound Archives (South Africa) and National Library of Nigeria
 * 1965 Archives of the History of American Psychology and National Library Service of Kenya. Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina given their present name.
 * 1966 The Alabama Historical Commission created by an act of the state legislature. Central State Archives Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine, National Archives of Cameroon and National Library of Cameroon
 * 1967 Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, City of Victoria Archives, National Library & Archives of Bhutan
 * 1968 Alaska Film Archives, Bertrand Russell Archives, National Center for Documentation and Research, United Arab Emirates, National Library Service of Botswana and Solomon Islands Public Library
 * 1969 Center for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society, Gabon National Library, Gibraltar National Archives, National Archives of Gabon, National Center for Documentation and Research, United Arab Emirates and National Library of Togo
 * 1970 University of Auckland, Archive of Maori and Pacific Music
 * 1971 Cinémathèque québécoise given its present name. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Library made a public library. Malcolm A. Love Library, National Library of Bangladesh, New York State Archives and Project Gutenberg.
 * 1972 Australian Archives of the Dance, Delhi ArchivesNational Film Corporation of Sri Lanka, Stadtarchiv Mülheim an der Ruhr and Uxbridge Historical Centre Archives. Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv move to their present location.
 * 1973 A major fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed about a third of its personal record files. Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives founded as the Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives. German National Library of Medicine, Jerusalem Cinematheque, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick, National Archives of Pakistan, Ontario Jewish Archives and Robarts Library
 * 1974 Birmingham Central Library, Korean Film Archive, National Archives of the Cook Islands, National Library of the Democratic Republic of Congo and National Library Service of the Solomon Islands
 * 1975 Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives became the Canadian Gay Archives. Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica, Charlotte County Archives, Human Studies Film Archives, Information Center for Israeli Art, National Library of Benin and National Library of Somalia
 * 1976 Child Development Film Archives established at the Archives of the History of American Psychology. Archives départementales de la Haute-Corse, Greater Manchester County Record Office, National Center for Jewish Film and Scottish Screen. National Library of The Gambia became a national library.
 * 1977 The National Archives building at Kew, London, opened. Archivo Central del Ministerio de Cultura, Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, Kreisarchiv Landkreis Diepholz, National Library of Jordan, North West Film Archive and Sooke Region Museum
 * 1978 National Library of Jamaica, National Library of Papua New Guinea and Staatsarchiv Wertheim
 * 1979 National Archives of Ethiopia, Archives départementales de la Gironde, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, Harvard Film Archive, Himachal Pradesh State Archives. National Centre for Documentation and Scientific Research, National Library of GuyanaNational Library of Guyana, Performing Arts Collection, Research and Documentation Center of Eritrea, and Swedish National Archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images


 * 1980 National Library of Cambodia re-established. State Archives in the City of Kyiv and State Archives of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast given their present name.
 * 1981 National Center for Jewish Film became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
 * 1983 National Science Library of India moved to its present location.
 * 1986 National Library of Somalia building completed.
 * 1987 Archivo General de Indias building and its contents were registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
 * 1989 National Library of the Democratic Republic of Congo became an autonomous body.
 * 1990 State Archives of Luhansk Oblast became known by its present names. Military archives of the DDR transferred to Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv
 * 1992 National Film Archive (UK) became the National Film and Television Archive
 * 1993 National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic became the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic.
 * 1994 Saarbrücken (Saarland) and University Library of the University of Saarland renamed the Saarland University and State Library. Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives adopted its present name (from Canadian Gay Archives).
 * 25 December 1996 National Parliamentary Library of Georgia established.
 * July 1998 Archives of Indian Labour. Functions of the National Library of South Africa described in National Library Act, No 92 of 1998


 * 1894 West India Reference Library


 * 2007 the Scottish Screen Archive became part of the collection of the National Library of Scotland, and in 2015 was renamed as the Library's Moving Image Archive.

2011 Kreisarchiv Landkreis Diepholz moved to its present location.
 * June 2013, the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies organized a shipment of 22,000 books from the United States to Somalia as part of an initiative to restock the National Library of Somalia.

21st century

 * Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. The National Archives created by merging the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission.
 * 2004 Congressional Law no. 10,994, Brazil in effect updated publishers' legal deposit with the National Library of Brazil
 * 2005 January 1 Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg and its six state archives were merged, and the Staatsarchiv Sigmaringen has been a department of the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg. Navy and Marine Corps military records released to the public (now in a part of the National Personnel Records Center
 * 2006 National Film and Television Archive became the BFI National Archive
 * 2007 Staatsarchiv Leipzig becomes a department of the Sächsischen Staatsarchives. National Library of Laos starts collaborating with the University of Passau and the Berlin State Library to create the Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts.
 * 2008 National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library renamed National Film and Sound Archive
 * March Family Records Centre, Islington, closed.
 * 2009 Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo renamed Instituto dos Arquivos Nacionais
 * 2010 February 26, wall-breaking ceremony held to mark the beginning of the renovation of the old Roadway Express records building at the Archives of the History of American Psychology
 * 2011 National Archives of the Faroe Islands, administratively combined with the National Library of the Faroe Islands, the National Museum of the Faroe Islands, the Natural History Museum, and the Kaldbak Marine Biological Laboratory (Faroese: Havlívfrøðiliga Royndarstøðin) to form Faroese National Heritage (Faroese: Søvn Landsins).
 * 2012 National Archives of Hungary became the Hungarian National Archives
 * 2013 City Archive Mülheim an der Ruhr moved to its present location.
 * 2015 National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic renamed after the poet Alykul Osmonov.
 * 2016 National Archives of Cameroon closed in 2016 for a long running reorganization and digitization of its files. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive opened in its present location.