II. Archives Services
Archives staff members assist the general public by:
- offering guidance and helping to identify primary source material on topics of interest;
- orienting visitors upon arrival in the reading room and providing guidance for handling archival materials;
- demonstrating how to search for and examine PDF versions of digitized 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 printed indexes, which are available in the reading room;
- helping use the self-service microfiche reader-printer in the reading room;
- providing reproductions of certain records
III. Visiting the IMF Archives
Contact the reference staff by e-mail, mail, telephone or fax (in English only) at:
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
- We accommodate primarily onsite access to the Archives located in Washington, D.C.
- In advance of your visit, researchers are requested to participate in a reference interview by phone or e-mail so that we can fully understand your topic of interest and identify relevant material. We encourage you to be as specific as possible in describing your topic so that potentially useful material can be located and made available.
- Arrange your visit by mail, email, fax or telephone at least 10 working days in advance of your intended arrival. To enable the archivists to respond expeditiously your enquiry, we ask that all communication to us by email or by letter be in English only.
- To ensure that all researchers receive the best possible service, we ask that you coordinate your visit with us before making your travel arrangements. This will allow us to arrange for a mutually convenient schedule as well as ensure that we can honor any prior commitments to other researchers.
- Researchers may wish to consult our finding aids: http://www.imf.org/external/np/arc/eng/fa/fa.htm
- When you arrive an archivist will meet with you to 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 are invited to 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 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 Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
How are the time rules for access to IMF records administered?
To administer the five-, ten- and twenty-year rules, the IMF Archives applies the archives standard, calculating on an annual rather than daily basis. For example, for the twenty-year rule, records up to Dec. 1985 are open from Jan. 1, 2006 and those up to Dec. 1986 are open from Jan. 1, 2007. Executive Board Documents—in their final form—are an exception to this general rule, since each finalized item has its time rule applied according to the day's date.
What is the policy regarding public access to the various series of IMF Executive Board documents?
Certain Board series are available under 5/10/20-year rules depending on the nature of the series. While the majority of Board documents are available after 5 years (unless they are classified Secret or Strictly Confidential), those related to Board discussions such as minutes and summings up of Board meetings are available after 10 years. Board documents which primarily relate to the deliberations of the various Executive Board committees become publicly available after 20 years.
How does the IMF determine the security classification of its documents?
IMF staff are obligated to comply with an internal administrative order and related guidelines, which define information security policies and procedures, including policies regarding the classification of documents. The objective is to facilitate information sharing between the IMF and its member countries while protecting against disclosure of information that could compromise the institution’s effectiveness. The guidelines were also intended to prevent other forms of misuse of information such as violations of privacy.
For all documents issued to the Executive Board and the Board of Governors and their respective committees it is the responsibility of the Secretary’s Department to assign the appropriate security classification in consultation with the authoring department. For internal documents which are not issued to the Executive Board or the Board of Governors the authoring departments themselves are responsible for determining the security classification.
According to the IMF policy on access to the archives, legacy Board documents and departmental records classified Confidential automatically fall into the public domain 5/10/20 years after the date of their creation in accordance with the appropriate time rules governing public access. The Archives of the IMF is responsible for requesting the declassification of legacy Board documents and departmental records that are in the custody of the Archives and bear high security markings (i.e., Secret (a classification no longer in use) and Strictly Confidential). In executing this responsibility, the Archives liaises with the appropriate IMF officials, country authorities and external parties to request declassification.
How are restricted documents declassified?
The Managing Director was granted the authority to declassify documentary materials in the custody of the archives in Board Decision No. 11192-(96/2) adopted January, 1996. There are no written guidelines or policy on the declassification process as handled in the Office of the Managing Director. A delegation of authority from the Managing Director - in the form of a Board document - authorizes Heads of Departments, Bureaus, and Offices to grant declassification to records originating from their business units.
The Office of the Managing Director and Heads of Departments, Bureaus, and Offices have responsibility for declassifying records created by staff in the course of IMF business. Accordingly, country documents created by IMF staff are reviewed for declassification by their originating department. Exceptionally, and solely at the request of the of the Department Director, the Archives will request review of specific documents by the appropriate Executive Director(s) prior to their declassification. Responsibility for declassifying records received from member countries or third parties resides with the relevant Executive Director(s) or the originator of the record(s).
Is a list of classified IMF records available to the public?
Unlike some governments, the IMF is not obligated to maintain a master list of classified records. Classified records are identified once they have been transferred to the archives for long-term preservation and access by external researchers. In the process of cataloguing the records for access, archivists review the content of each archival file and identify any classified or potentially sensitive records for declassification. The declassification process for those records is described in the response to the question above on how the IMF determines the security classification of its documents.
What is the photocopying policy?
Photocopies are not generally provided and use of a digital camera is recommended.
In limited instances, when certain items are not suitable for digital photography, photocopies can be made at a cost of $.25 per page. This service is provided depending on staff availability and we cannot guarantee that copies will be ready upon departure.
Staff also reserve the right to deny requests to copy certain fragile original material for conservation reasons.
Are digital cameras allowed?
Yes—it is highly recommended that researchers bring their own camera. In addition, a Canon PowerShot G7 digital camera can be borrowed for use in the reading room. 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 and 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 format in the reading room. Bound indexes covering all Executive Board documents from 1959 to 1983, and Executive Board minutes, from 1946 to 1958 are available for consultation.
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
