Archives départementales de Saône-et-Loire

It was during the Revolution, by the law of 5 brumaire an V (26 October 1796) that the services of the Departmental Archives were created. They were responsible for collecting the papers from the Ancien Régime administrations, ecclesiastical establishments and the documents of the new administrations of the department at the chief town. They are used by citizens or administrations to justify rights and to attest to facts. Since then, 22 km of documents, in all media, of public or private origin have been collected by the archivists and are currently available. They constitute the collective memory of Saône-et-Loire and its inhabitants from the Middle Ages (819 to be precise) to the present day. [Read more...](https://www.archives71.fr/connaitre/petite-histoire-des-archives) 

Only documents that are"free of image right" and in a satisfactory physical condition may be reproduced. Reproduction may be made with your own equipment (camera) provided that you take photographs without flash and do not damage the documents. In addition, only small stands placed on the tables are tolerated, as long as they do not disturb other readers. A scanner (A3 size, black and white copies) and a photocopier (A4 size, black and white copies) are available. Digital photographs can also be taken or provided on request. [Read more...](https://www.archives71.fr/consulter/en-salle-de-lecture/consultation) 

Consultation of documents, both original and digitised, is free of charge. Prior registration is required on presentation of an identity document. The reading room is equipped with areas for consulting original, digitised or microfilmed documents. You will receive a free reader's card after filling in a registration form and presenting an official identity document. To gain access to the reading room, you must first exchange your reader's card for a seat card at the reception desk. In accordance with the Archives' internal regulations, you are asked, for the preservation of the collections, to leave your bags and outdoor clothing in the lockers (free of charge), not to bring any food, liquid or sharp object into the reading room, to use only pencils for your notes and to handle the documents you are given with the utmost care Consultation of the archives is subject to the physical condition of the documents and to the rules of communicability in force - defined by the Heritage Code for public archives and by the producers or their successors for private archives. Documents may be ordered by computer between 9am and 12.30pm and between 1.30pm and 5pm, subject to a limit of 20 items per day per person. Because the service closes between 12.30 and 13.30, requests made after 12 noon are processed in the early afternoon. It is possible to order up to three documents at the same time, but the items must be consulted one by one.