Anyone doing research can request help or advice from the Departmental Archives by correspondence. In most cases, the reply simply provides researchers with bibliographic references and the status of sources that may be useful to them. It is often a prerequisite for the researcher to come to the reading room. More info: [here](https://archives.touraine.fr/page/recherches-par-correspondance).
The Tours building remains the headquarters of the Departmental Archives and the place where most of the pre-1940 collections are kept and consulted. It was renovated, restructured and brought up to standard between June 1996 and July 1997. These two buildings, linked by a motorway, are full-fledged sites with all the functions of an archive service: communication, conservation and administration areas. The Chambray-lès-Tours building also has technical premises (bindery and photographic laboratory). Since 1 January 2014, a unique reading room welcomes the public in Tours: it is located at the Centre des Archives historiques, 6 rue des Ursulines in Tours. A system for reserving documents remotely allows the public to consult those held in the Chambray-lès-Tours building.
Access to the archives is free of charge. It is open to all, regardless of nationality. Registration is compulsory. It is done on presentation of a valid identity document with a photograph. Each reader receives a personal card at the time of registration. Access to the reading room is reserved for registered readers. Readers are asked to leave their personal belongings at the entrance, in the lockers provided. No drinks, food, pens or any other objects that could damage the documents are allowed in the reading room. The time between reservation and availability to readers is two working days. This time is necessary to ensure the transfer in the best conditions. Some documents can be consulted directly at Chambray due to their complexity or volume (by appointment only).
On 20 April 1790, a proclamation from the king ordered the reunification of all the papers of the administrations of the Ancien Régime at the headquarters of the newly created districts and départements. Documents from nationalised ecclesiastical establishments and suppressed establishments (guilds, colleges, etc.) were soon added, in accordance with the law of 5 November 1790 on the sale of national property. Later, the papers of the new administrations (departments, then prefectures, districts, courts, etc.) were added to this mass of documents. In Brumaire Year 5 (October 1796), all these archives were brought together in the premises of the former Intendance. An archivist was appointed. This was the birth of the Departmental Archives. In 1800, the archives were placed under the responsibility of the prefect. In July 1818, they were moved to the ground floor of the western wing of the"new prefectur", which had been installed in the premises of the former Visitation convent since 1805. Due to the small size and humidity of these premises, they were transferred in 1863 to the rooms on the first floor, which had previously been occupied by the municipal library. In 1888, thanks to the perseverance of the archivist Charles Loizeau de Grandmaison, a specific"stone and iro" building was built between the square and the garden of the prefecture. Equipped with 2,600 metres of shelving, it was quickly saturated and the first floor of the prefecture was again requisitioned to house archives. During the 1939-1945 war, the archives were scattered throughout the department for safekeeping. In 1955, the Indre-et-Loire General Council voted the necessary funds to acquire land for the construction of a new archive building located near the Gallo-Roman rampart in Tours. Built by the architects Chalumeau and Barthélémy, the new eight-storey repository, designed to accommodate 15 linear kilometres of archives, was inaugurated on 6 December 1958. From the 1970s onwards, the new requirements linked to conservation needs and the increase in the mass of archives produced from the second half of the 20th century onwards made this building unsuitable for its function. On 19 December 1984, the General Council decided to build a centre dedicated to contemporary archives and local history in the commune of Chambray-lès-Tours, on the outskirts of Tours. It was equipped with 23 linear kilometres of shelving and a land reserve was set aside to allow for future extensions to the building.
The reading room is open to the public: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12.30 pm - 1.30 pm to 5 pm No annual closure
Photocopying of originals is authorised in certain cases (unbound documents whose dimensions do not exceed those of the photocopier). Readers may take their own photographs, provided they do not use a flash. More info: [here](https://archives.touraine.fr/page/reproduction).
Mémorial/ClaimsCon'06
[Inventories and guides](https://archives.touraine.fr/page/chercher-en-ligne) [Digitised Archives](https://archives.touraine.fr/page/archives-numerisees) [Guides](https://archives.touraine.fr/page/fiches-d-aide-a-la-recherche)
Archives départementales de l'Indre-et-Loire