The Departmental Archives are responsible for the deposit of public archives by all administrations and public establishments whose headquarters are located in the department. They receive deposits from municipalities with fewer than 2000 inhabitants. They carry out an important action of collecting private archives which can enter by gift, legacy, deposit or purchase. Classification is a fundamental mission of the archive services. It consists of putting archive documents in intellectual and physical order. After classification, the documents are described and finding aids are written to enable readers to access the contents of the collections. Archive buildings are designed to ensure the physical preservation of documents in the best possible conditions in order to protect their integrity and allow their communication. Archival documents are fragile and must be protected against multiple degradations caused by -variations in temperature and humidity -too much handling -exposure to light -dust, -insects and rodents... Preventive measures are taken to avoid fire, flooding, theft... Making archives accessible to the public is the raison d'être of the departmental archives. Communication is the result of the three previous missions and can take different forms -consultation in the reading room, where scientific researchers, genealogists, local history enthusiasts or citizens looking for a right can consult the documents -exhibitions, publications or conferences, -educational service for young people. Communication also concerns the producing services which need to consult the files they have deposited. The Departmental Archives have a training mission with regard to producing services, municipalities, public establishments. They assist them in managing current archives and in depositing definitive archives. This support may take the form of advice, training or on-site interventions.