Archives départementales de Lot-et-Garonne

The Departmental Archives of Lot-et-Garonne were created during the Revolution to collect in Agen, the departmental capital, the papers of the Ancien Régime institutions which had been abolished and the sequestered archives of the emigrants and the clergy. Since then, they have continued to grow thanks to the deposits made by the department's administrations, the deposits of the communes, and donations or deposits from individuals. Currently 17 kilometres of archives are kept in the shops of the two sites. Initially housed in the former Cordeliers convent, the departmental archives were transferred to the prefecture in 1810 until 1904, when it was decided to build a new building on the Place de Verdun to house them. 

Any document can be photographed by the reader him- or herself, with a camera without a flash, as long as the reader takes care to respect its physical condition. It can also be digitised in-house, with a deadline for completion. As this service is subject to [a charge](https://archivesdepartementales.lotetgaronne.fr/archives-pratiques/informations-pratiques/reproduire-et-reutiliser-les-archives), an estimate including the different proposals according to the importance and format of the document is submitted for your acceptance. The reader can also obtain a photocopy of certain original documents. However, documents in poor condition, bound documents, sealed or unsealed parchments, engravings and drawings, tracings and peelings, stapled documents and all those exceeding A3 in size are excluded. In addition, prints of already digitised collections can be obtained. 

In addition to the compulsory and statutory deposits of public archives produced in the department, there are also deposits, donations, legacies and purchases of private archives of interest to the history of the department (individuals, families, associations, companies, trade unions, etc.) as well as a rich library specialising in local history (books and periodicals). 

Consultation of the archives is free and open to all. On your first visit to the Archives, simply register as a reader by presenting an identity document with a photo. You will then be given a personal reader's card. You will use this card to make your requests. When you register, you agree to comply with the conditions of use set out in the reading room rules. The reading room supervisor will guide you in your research and help you to familiarise yourself with the resources and research tools available. But be careful, he/she is not supposed to do the research for you! It is possible to connect a laptop. People who do not live in the Lot-et-Garonne department can reserve their place. Due to the limited capacity of the room, reservations can only be made for one session per day (either in the morning or afternoon).