The Departmental Archives are open to all. Registration is free of charge and requires the presentation of an identity document: identity card, passport, driving licence, etc. A reader's card is then issued, which is used when requesting original documents, microfilms or digitised documents. The documents can only be consulted in the reading room at the Jonzac and La Rochelle sites. You may photograph the documents. Please note that for conservation reasons, the originals of the digitised collections accessible on the website cannot be consulted in the reading room. You have access to multimedia stations to access these digitised collections.
Created in 1796, the Departmental Archives are today placed under the joint authority of the Presidents of the Departmental Councils and the Prefects. From the outset, they were intended to enable citizens to assert their rights and ensure the continuity of public management. Their usefulness extends to historical documentation and research.
Archives départementales de la Charente-Maritime
The La Rochelle reading room is open from Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm without interruption, with free access. Documents may be collected from the storerooms every half hour from 9.15am, 9.45am etc. There is a break between 12.45 and 14.15 for the return of documents and the library closes at 16.45. The Jonzac reading room is open to the public (reservations recommended, see below). For the reading room: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. by reservation. For the exhibition: Monday to Friday from 1.30 pm to 5 pm. Ring the bell at the entrance.
The archives publish finding aids [online](http://charente-maritime.fr/CG17/jcms/cg17_480460/inventaires-et-catalogues-en-ligne). [Inventories](https://archives.charente-maritime.fr/preparer-ses-recherches/inventaires)