Archival custody in the practice of the Brazilian Federal Executive Branch

retrospective scenarios of a custodial reality and prospective scenarios of a post-custodial proposal

Abstract

This study intends to analyze, based on retrospective data of the archives in custody by the Brazilian National Archives, since the implementation of the 1991 Law of Archives, the practices of transfer of records of permanent value to the institution, produced in the sphere of the Federal Executive Branch (PEF), as competence established in the text of the law. In addition, it intends, from prospective data, collected through a questionnaire survey in the organizational units of the PEF, to prospect possible scenarios and/or obstacles in an eventual implementation of the post-custodial model, the "shared custody", as designed in the proposed Policy of Management of Documents and Archives (PGDeARQ), of the federal public administration. If a descriptive and explanatory nature, a quali-quantitative approach is used to treat and analyze the data collected. The data pointed to an absence of transfer of records of permanent value from the National Archive, despite the intention of the Law of Archives to centralize the custody of PEF archives in the institution. From the point of view of the actions of the National Archive, as archival authority, and of the resources and infrastructures, made available by the organizational units analyzed, for the custody, preservation and access to the archival heritage under the physical possession of these institutions, suggest a challenging scenario in an eventual implementation of this "shared custody" proposal.