Mediation and representation of information in municipal archives

Abstract

Municipal archives carry out an important mediation of archival information within the city and are very important sources for historical research and for the construction of memory and identity of different social groups. These institutions are essential to citizenship and community life. Municipal public archives have the function of disseminating information, contributing to the democratization of access to knowledge. The objective of this research is to investigate the mediation and representation of archival information in the spectrum of cities, considering the research resources that allow users to have access to information about the archival heritage of the place where they live. The methodology adopted to recognize the scenario of mediation and representation of archival information in municipal archives combineds a conceptual articulation based on the literature of Archival Science, plus an empirical survey of archive sites in Brazilian cities. By combining these perspectives of observation and analysis, it is possible to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how public archives are making information available to their users. The results point to the need to advance the research instruments available by institutions that announce that they have this purpose for the collections they organize and preserve. Among the results, the scope of mediation observed for archives in comparison with state archives stands out. In addition, we add to the indicators of existence of municipal archives their population correspondence. Municipal archives are mediators of archival information in cities and there is a need to improve the research resources available in these institutions.