ABSTRACT
To illustrate the nature and functions of an archives service in a national or international context, a brief survey of some of the types of institution concerned with archival management may be useful. Although its immediate context is that of a developed western country, and specifically Britain, an effort has been made to take into account the experience of other countries of different resources and traditions, and of international co-operation. The underlying aim of this chapter is to establish a model, or series of models, which may help to sharpen the picture of what an archives service should be, and how it might be struc tured in order to achieve the best results.1
