II. Archives Services
Archives staff members assist the general public by:
- offering guidance and assistance to identify primary source materials on topics of interest;
- orienting visitors upon arrival in the reading room and proper use and handling of archival materials;
- demonstrating how to search for and examine PDF versions of Executive Board documents and how to copy them onto a CD or flash drive
- assisting with the use of reference books, including histories of the IMF and Finding aids, which are available in the reading room; and
- helping researchers use the self-service public kiosks in the reading room.
III. Visiting the IMF Archives
External researchers can contact the reference staff by e-mail, mail, telephone or fax (in English only) through the following means:
E-mail: archives@imf.org
Mail:
International Monetary Fund
Archives and Records Management
Room CN-200
700 19th St., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20431
Telephone: 202-623-4913
Fax: 202-623-7175
- Currently, we accommodate primarily onsite access to the Archives located in Washington, D.C.
- In advance of the visit, researchers are requested to participate in a reference interview by phone or e-mail to fully understand the topic/s of interest and identify relevant materials. Researchers are requested to be as specific as possible in describing their topic/s so that potentially useful materials can be located and made available.
Visits should be requested via mail, email, fax or telephone at least ten (10) working days in advance of the intended arrival. Please correspond in English only. Before making any travel arrangements, we request that researchers coordinate their schedule to come up with a mutually convenient date that honors any prior commitments of the IMF Archives with other researchers.
- Researchers may wish to consult our finding aids: http://www.imf.org/external/np/arc/eng/fa/fa.htm
- Upon arrival an reference archivist will discuss the archives procedures, explain the reading room regulations, and answer any questions
- All researchers are expected to comply with copyright law and must sign an agreement to this effect upon arrival
IV. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who can use the IMF archives?
Members of the general public with an interest in the history and policies of the IMF can conduct onsite research in the IMF Archives.
Do I need an appointment to come to the IMF Archives?
Yes. We require advance notice of at least ten (10) business days before your intended visit. However, we encourage visitors to schedule their arrival as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment in case we have previous commitments to other researchers. In order to ensure the best possible service, we ask that you coordinate your visit with us before making any travel arrangements. Consult the Archives Finding Aids on the web and then contact us in writing, via email, fax, or mail with as much specific information as possible. Include a description of your research project, the names of individuals and institutions that are central to the study, the years covered by the study, and any geographic restrictions on the study. We will respond with a description of the scope and content of relevant materials in the collections and then we can schedule your appointment.
What form of photo identification is needed?
Visitors must present a current photo ID such as a passport or driver's license.
Where are you located?
The IMF Archives is located in the IMF Headquarters 1 Building (HQ1) in Washington, D.C. For information about visitor access to the IMF, directions, business hours and holiday schedules please go to http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/visit/eng/index.htm
Is the Archives reading room accessible by disabled persons?
Yes — the reading room is accessible by elevator.
What are the reading room hours?
The reading room is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m, except during official IMF holidays http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/open.asp
How are the time rules for access to IMF records administered?
To administer the three, five, and twenty-year rules, the IMF Archives applies the IMF's Transparency Policy (Decision No. 14498 – (09/126), adopted 12/17/09 effective 03/17/10.
How are restricted documents declassified?
Access to Fund documents classified as “Secret” or “Strictly Confidential” as of March 17, 2010, will be granted only upon the Managing Director’s consent to their declassification. It is understood that this consent will be granted in all instances but for those for which, despite the passage of time, it is determined that the material remains highly confidential or sensitive. For restricted documents prior to March 17, 2010, Board Decision No. 11192-(96/2) adopted January, 1996 and a subsequent Board document passed in February 1996 are applied where the Managing Director delegates authority to Heads of Departments and Offices to grant declassification to records originating from their business units and for other documentary records, the Office of the Secretary.
What is the photocopying policy?
Photocopies are not provided and use of a digital camera is recommended.
Only digital cameras are allowed to make copies of documents. A camera stand is provided for this purpose.
Scanning of records is not allowed: we encourage visitors to bring their own flash drive or CD in order to copy the digitized documents.
Staff reserves the right to deny requests to copy fragile original materials for conservation reasons.
A Canon PowerShot A95 digital camera can be borrowed for use in the reading room but be prepared to bring your own four AA-size alkaline batteries. Please note that flash photography is not permitted.
May I use a laptop computer in the reading room?
Yes.
May I send an independent researcher on my behalf?
Yes. With advance notice we allow professional researchers to conduct research on behalf of someone who is unable to come onsite.
Do you conduct archives research for people who cannot visit in person?
We can provide brief responses to factual requests but, for more substantive or analytical work, researchers are expected to come in person. General inquiries regarding IMF policies, relations with member countries, or requests for statistical data should be directed to the IMF Public Affairs Division at publicaffairs@imf.org while inquiries regarding IMF publications available for purchase should be directed to publications@imf.org
V. Description of Archival Holdings
Since its establishment in 1946, the IMF has managed its archives under several collections and fonds, as follows:
Executive Board Series Collection
Documents of the IMF Executive Board and its committees that have been collected and indexed include agendas and minutes of meetings; policy papers; staff reports; reports on missions to member countries; and discussions of fiscal, monetary and economic policy issues. A substantial portion of IMF Board documents have been digitized and are available for viewing in PDF version in the reading room.
Central Files Collection
Materials in the Central Files collection date predominantly from 1946 to 1993.
The Central Files collection comprises several series: Administration, Country, Economic Subject Files, International Organizations, IMF Organization, and Publications. Several other series were also routinely collected including Executive Board Documents as well as records covering consultations with member countries. This collection is a rich source of original records for economics research and analysis, historical research, and review on the evolution of the international financial system during the second half of the 20th century. When it was in active use, the Central Files collected correspondence, memoranda, and Executive Board Documents and other materials concerning the policies, procedures, organization, and core operations of the IMF. The Central Files Collection contains a significant proportion of records (generated by management and senior staff) considered to have enduring archival value. These include relations between the IMF and member countries, the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as relations with regional and national organizations in the economic arena.
Bretton Woods Conference Collection
The records relating to the Bretton Woods Conference in the IMF Archives are mainly files of former staff members of the U.S. Treasury or Federal Reserve Board who, as members of the U.S. Delegation at the Bretton Woods Conference or as members of the Conference Secretariat, participated in the drafting of the Bretton Woods Agreement and the establishment of the International Monetary Fund. Evident in the Bretton Woods materials is the work, planning, and influence of British economist John Maynard Keynes, U. S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, and Harry Dexter White, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury and Assistant Director of its Monetary Research Division who also served as Executive Secretary of the American Delegation to the Conference. The records cover the period from immediately prior to the Atlantic City Conference in June 1944 and run through the Savannah Conference held in March 1946. The collection also documents the efforts in both the United Kingdom and the United States to ratify the Bretton Woods Agreements in the two countries' legislatures. The textual records are complemented by a series of images associated with the Bretton Woods Conference such as portraits of Harry Dexter White and Lord Keynes, group portraits of delegates and conference staff as well as views of the Mount Washington Hotel. The collection has been arranged into five series. The first three are based on the records of individuals present at the Conference (1) Richard Brenner Files, (2) Ansel Luxford Files, and (3) Edward Bernstein Files. The fourth series consists of the files of the Bretton Woods Secretariat: Bretton Woods Conference Files. The fifth series consists of photographs specific to the Conference.
IMF Institutional Archives
The Institutional Archives are those records now preserved in the custody of the Archives because of their enduring evidential, legal and historical value. These records, dating from 1946, originate from the office of the Managing Director, as well as from departments, offices, and bureaus. The records document the core functions of the Fund including: the role and responsibilities of departments, offices and bureaus; financial operations and policies; IMF programs; and relations with member countries and other parties.
The records of the Office of the Managing Director currently consist of files created by former Managing Directors Ivar Rooth, Per Jacobsson, Pierre-Paul Schweitzer, H. Johannes Witteveen, Jacques de Larosière, and Michel Camdessus. Records consist of correspondence, country files, subject files related to organizations and events in which the Managing Director was involved, as well as files related to speeches and meetings and information regarding travel and social events. The records of the IMF's first Managing Director - Camille Gutt - have been integrated into the IMF's Central Files Collection.
Records from departments/offices/bureaus usually consist of Administrative Files, Chronological Files, Consultation Files, Consultation Minutes, Country Files, Economic Subject Files, and Subject Files as well as records specifically maintained by Department Heads, Deputy Directors and Advisors.
Audiovisual Collection
The audiovisual collection consists of records from the Secretary’s Department and the Multimedia Services Division. The collection consists of photographic material authored and created by photographers from the IMF Imaging Group and its predecessors. These photographic records generally document aspects of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings such as facilities, participants, plenary meeting hall views, social activities, and informal gatherings. Other non-Annual Meetings related activities or events are also documented in the collection, including portraits of Managing Directors and Deputy Managing Directors, Executive Directors and their Alternates, and Heads of Departments, Bureaus and Offices, Executive Board group portraits, photos of special events and ceremonies, and images of the Bretton Woods Conference.
The sound recordings mainly consist of tapes of Annual Meeting and Interim Committee (now the International Monetary and Financial Committee) sessions, as well as other significant events. Other audio holdings include a number of phonograph records containing various speeches and addresses covering the years 1946 to 1962 (which have been reformatted for access onto compact disc). The majority of these recordings feature speeches by Managing Directors or senior management of the IMF.
Other Sources of Information
The most comprehensive sets of materials pertaining to the Bretton Woods Conference may be found at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the U.K. Public Records Office, as well as in the national archives of other countries which participated in the Bretton Woods Conference.
VI. Illustrative Research Topics Addressed in the Fund Archives
The Executive Board documents and the internal working documents of the IMF are archival records that provide original source material enabling historical research and analysis, of the evolution of the international financial system since Bretton Woods. Topics include:
- Relations with individual member countries
- Technical Assistance, including training of officials
- IMF's financial structure and treasury operations
- The collapse of the par value system
- The creation of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR)
- The role of the Committee of Twenty in reforming the International Monetary System
- The Interim Committee (now the International Monetary and Financial Committee)
- Amendments to the IMF Articles of Agreement
- Overdue Financial Obligations and Late Payments
- The onset of the Latin American Debt Crises
- Debt relief and the Brady Plan
- Globalization of Fund membership following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Fund's role in the transition process
- Use of IMF resources and Fund conditionality
- IMF Facilities and Related Policies
- Stand-By Arrangements (SBA)
- Extended Fund Facility (EFF)
- Compensatory and Contingency Financial Facility (CCFF)
- Buffer Stock Financing Facility (BSFF)
- Systemic Transformation Facility (STF)
- Structural Adjustment Facility (SAF)
- Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF)
- Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC)
- Borrowing by the Fund
- General Arrangements to Borrow (GAB)
- New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB)
- Oil Facility
- Supplemental Financing Facility (SFF)
For research tools to help you navigate through descriptions of various records groups please consult the Finding Aids at http://www.imf.org/external/np/arc/eng/fa/faq.htm
