ABSTRACT
In the two decades since the publication of Une histoire de l'archivistique, there has been an upsurge in the study of archives and archival systems. The English edition of Une histoire de l'archivistique makes an overview available to an anglophone readership, provides a framework for future research, and encourages archivists to take the long view of the value of the archival role. In a globalised world, archivists, as much as anyone, need to be able to see themselves in an international context. The specialised terminology of archival practice, conditioned as it is by specific legal and cultural traditions, is notoriously problematic, as Paul Delsalle indicates; translation adds an extra layer to these difficulties. The title of the English edition, A History of Archival Practice, indicates that its scope is the management of archives and not an account of the academic study of their management, use or exploitation.
