Document reproduction

Flash photography is permitted with the agreement of the Presidency of the room.

Photocopying multiplies the risks to documents due to exposure to light. The following may not be copied :

• All archival material in booklets of more than eight pages,
• All fragile documents or documents in poor condition,
• Documents on tracing paper and onion skin paper,
• Parchments, sealed documents,
• Stapled documents,
• Bound registers and documents [note AD 14114/3244 of 16 June 1983],
• Large formats,
• Unbound journals before 1969 or after 1960 if they are bound.

The law seeks to ensure respect for ownership and copyright. In France, the author/journalist/creator has exclusive ownership of his/her work. Only they can allow different uses. In return they receive rights (Article L III-1 to L 123-4 of the Code of Intellectual Property). Making an unauthorized copy means using someone else's property without paying: photocopying can therefore be a crime.

The Departmental Archives pay the Centre Français d'Exploitation du Droit de la Copie (CFC) (French Copyright Use Centre) the royalties due for photocopies made by readers in the room. Respect for copyright also includes a ban on reproductions of academic works in the absence of the written consent of the author.

The photocopier is freely available in the room except for a list of works for which photocopying is banned. These are displayed on notices in the room. Once the copies are made, they must be sent to the office of the scanning area and paid for when they finally leave the reading room.

For other reproductions, an order form must be submitted to the reading room reception desk. Reproductions are received within two to three weeks, depending on the nature of the order.