IMF Archives

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I. About the Archives

A. IMF Policy on Access to the Archives

The public has access to a substantial range of information as part of IMF's efforts to promote openness and transparency. IMF’s Open Archives Policy (Decision No. 14498 – (09/126), adopted 12/17/09 and effective 03/17/10, as amended) gives to the public access to documentary materials maintained in the IMF's archives including:

• Executive Board documents, which are available to the public under 3- and 5-year rules except for items exempted from public disclosure:
• Institutional archives, which are available after 20 years

IMF Records exempt from public disclosure are:

• Legal documents protected by attorney-client privilege;
• Confidential documentary materials provided to the IMF by external parties, including member countries, their agencies and central banks, unless such parties consent to their declassification;
• Personnel files, medical and other records pertaining to individuals; and,
• Documents and proceedings of the IMF Grievance Committee.

Since 1996, the time rules for access were modified to respond to the users' community but the initial records types excluded from access by external researchers remain unchanged.

B. Copyright to Archives Holdings and Terms of Use

The researcher's use and publication of Fund archival material is governed by the IMF Copyright and Usage Terms . As a general matter, only personal, noncommercial usage is permitted. For additional permissions to use Fund archival records, please follow the instructions in the IMF Copyright and Usage Terms and submit a request. Materials also are available for purchase on the IMF Bookstore Website.

C. Disclaimer for Access to Departmental Records

Under the Policy on Access to the IMF's Archives only departmental archival materials that are 20 years and older may be open to the public after they have been reviewed. There might be descriptions of holdings in the Archives catalog less than 20 years old due to archival processes, but they will be available to the public only when they fulfill the 20-year rule. Conversely, if you do not see descriptions of holdings due for release based on the time rule, please ask the Archives at archives@imf.org.

D. Frequently Asked Questions

On the Archives

1. How to get access to the holdings of the IMF Archives?
2. How to submit information request?
3. Can “Secret” or “Strictly Confidential” IMF documents be declassified and made available to the public?
4. Can IMF records that are exempt from public closure be opened?

1. How to get access to the holdings of the IMF Archives?
The archives web catalog is a gateway to historical records of the Fund. There are two collections to browse and select from: the digital collection of the Executive Board Documents, available for immediate remote access; and the physical collection of Institutional Archives, to consult on site.

2. How to submit information request?
Send your general questions to archives@imf.org and we will respond within 5 working days. For known items, search the catalog to make and email us a selection of records you wish to consult. Once the selection list is finalized,
the review process of the materials commences. When the review is over, we will schedule your visit to the reading room.

3. Can “Secret” or “Strictly Confidential” IMF documents be declassified and made available to the public?
Secret or Strictly Confidential documents can be requested to be declassified and access will be granted only upon consent of the IMF Managing Director.

4. Can IMF records that are exempt from public closure be opened?
No. There are exceptions applied to IMF records that preclude them from being publicly disclosed and they cannot be opened to the public. For example, human resource documents that contain personally identifiable or sensitive personal information cannot be made public.

For Visitors

1. Who can use the IMF archives?
2. Do I need an appointment to come to the IMF Archives?
3. What form of photo identification is needed?
4. Where are you located?
5. Is the Archives reading room accessible by disabled persons?
6. What are the reading room hours?
7. How are the time rules for access to IMF records administered?
8. What is the photocopying policy?
9. May I use a digital camera in the reading room?
10. May I use a laptop computer in the reading room?
11. May I send an independent researcher on my behalf?
12. Do you conduct archives research for people who cannot visit in person?
13. How do I cite records found in the IMF Archives?

1. Who can use the IMF archives?
Members of the general public can conduct onsite research in the IMF Archives.

2. Do I need an appointment to come to the IMF Archives?
Yes. Please see Visiting the Archives section.

3. What form of photo identification is needed?
Visitors must present a current government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver's license.

4. 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 see Visiting the IMF.

5. Is the Archives reading room accessible by disabled persons?
Yes — the reading room is accessible by elevator.

6. What are the reading room hours?
By appointment only. For more details, see the Reading Room Protocol.

7. How are the time rules for access to IMF records administered?
See the IMF's Open Archives Policy (Decision No. 14498 – (09/126), adopted 12/17/09 effective 03/17/10.

8. What is the photocopying policy?
Photocopies are no longer provided.

9. May I use a digital camera in the reading room?
The Archives recommends the use of a digital camera to make copies of documents but note that flash photography is not permitted. A camera stand is provided to researchers for this purpose.

Staff reserves the right to deny requests to copy fragile original materials for conservation reasons.

10. May I use a laptop computer in the reading room?
Yes. There is a WIFI connection in the Reading Room..

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. How do I cite records found in the IMF Archives?
Any researcher using archival material from the IMF Archives, regardless of the citation style they prefer to use (such as APA, ASA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA etc.), should note that citation of archival material typically has two basic parts: the location reference and the document description, each of which may have several components. In any cases, the following elements should be included: (1) Location reference: Name of the repository, Title of the fonds or collection, and Reference Code (if any); and (2) Document description: Title of Series, Sub-series, Folder title, and date range. For more information, please visit the IMF Bookstore Website or see Citing IMF Archives guide. 

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II. What is in the Archives and how it is Organized

The IMF Archives holdings are composed of Collections and Fonds. Essentially, collections are an artificial accumulation of documents of any provenance brought together on the basis of some common characteristic while fonds are all documents created, accumulated and used by one individual or organization in the course of their activities or functions.

The holdings consist of two components: (1) the Executive Board Documents and (2) the Institutional Archives which are departmental archives and other fonds and collections. These holdings contain records in various formats, including, manuscripts, digital records, photographs, audio recordings and multimedia. Note: The records in the archives are subject to declassification before they can be released and some of them are closed to external researchers in accordance with the Archives' access policies.

1. Executive Board Documents
   
   Executive Board Documents Collection: It is a digital set of official papers for circulation to the Executive Board, the Executive Board's Committees, and the staff that is issued since 1946 by the Secretary's Department. The Collection includes: agendas and minutes of Board meetings; policy papers; staff reports; reports on missions to member countries; and discussions of fiscal, monetary and economic policy issues). Most of this collection has been digitized and documents in the public domain are available via the Archives catalog. For more information on the work of the Executive Board and its decision making process, please click here.


2. Institutional Archives
1. Bretton Woods Conference Collection: The Collection covers the initial proposals that led to the establishment of the IMF and IBRD (aka World Bank), the working Conferences of Atlantic City (June 1944) and Bretton Woods (July 1944), as well as the proceedings of the inaugural meeting of the Boards of Governors of IMF and IBRD in Savannah (March 1946). The Collection consists of the records maintained by the Secretariat of the Bretton Woods Conference (1940-1947) and papers of IBRD / IMF staff and former US Treasury Department and Delegation members Richard Brenner, Ansel F. Luxford and Edward Bernstein. The Collection is available in physical and digital formats.
2. Central Files Collection: This physical, topical Collection is organized into six series: Administration, Country, Economic Subject Files, International Organizations, IMF Organization, and Publications. Initially established by the Secretary's Department in 1946 as the official records of the Fund, the Collection complements the Departmental Archives described below. The Collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, and other materials concerning the policies, procedures, organization, and core operations of the IMF. It contains a significant proportion of records documenting 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.
3. The Departmental Archives are structured according to the Fund's organizational chart. 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. Each fonds usually consists of, Chronological Files, Consultation Files, Consultation Minutes, Country Files, Economic Subject Files, and records specifically maintained by Department Heads, Deputy Directors and Advisors.
4. Management Records are composed of the files maintained by former Managing Directors Ivar Rooth (1951-1956), Per Jacobsson (1956-1963), Pierre-Paul Schweitzer (1963-1973), Hans Johannes Witteveen (1973-1978), Jacques de Larosière (1978-1987), and Michel Camdessus (1987-2000), Deputy Managing Directors, and Advisors. Records are organized into Departmental Archives standard series (i.e., correspondence, country files, subject files). The records of the IMF's first Managing Director - Camille Gutt - can be found in the Central Files Collection.
5. Area/Regions Departmental Records: those include the Research Department's early records, 1946-1950, since the Fund's relations with member countries were first the responsibility of the Research Department's area divisions. In 1950 the function was taken over by two short lived departments: (1) the European and North American Department and (2) the Latin American, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern Department which became four separate Departments in 1953: the Asian, the European, the Middle Eastern, and the Western Hemisphere Departments. The African Department was created in 1961. The current holdings include the records of: the African Department, Asia and Pacific Department, European Department, European II Department, European and North American Department, Latin American, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern Department, Middle Eastern Department, and Western Hemisphere Department. The records of the area departments are described according to the following standard series – chronological files, consultations files, country files, International Organization files, technical assistance files, country desk, mission files, etc.
6. Functional Departmental Records: consist of the records of the Research Department including the Statistics Division. Also part of that category are the records of the Bureau of Statistics, Central Banking Department, Exchange and Trade Relations Department (1946-1995), including former Operations Department (1946-1950) and Exchange Restrictions Department Records, (1950-1964), Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Institute, Legal Department, and the Treasurer's Department including the former Comptroller’s Office Records, (1946-1950). The records of the functional departments contain the following standard series – chronological files, country files, international organization files, technical assistance files, country correspondence, etc.
7. Staff Members, Associations and Foundation papers: the Hubert Neiss Papers (1983-2000), the Jacques Polak Papers (1919-2006), and the Per Jacobsson Foundation (1963-2006).

Please visit the IMF Archives catalogue.

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III. How to Prepare for an Onsite Visit to the Archives

Service Standards

Records eligible for declassification will be reviewed in accordance with the IMF Open Archives Policy before they are ready for research use. Users can only make an appointment to view requested records after they have been notified of the completion and results of the review process.

The IMF Archives are open to the public only by appointments. Send all your inquiries to the Archives mailbox at archives@imf.org and we will respond within 5 working days.

Visiting

The Archival holdings of the IMF are accessed at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The unique and irreplaceable nature of archives makes it impossible to provide access to the original material anywhere other than in the Archives reading room. Researchers who are unable to come to Washington, D.C. can employ research agents to consult the records on their behalf.

An archivist will retrieve the materials from the off-site repository and deliver the items to the researcher in the reading room. An archivist will explain the Archives reading room rules and how to use the records.

The Archives also maintains a collection of reference works for use in the reading room, including histories of the IMF.

External researchers can contact the reference staff through the following means only:

Mail:
International Monetary Fund
Archives and Records Management
Room C-186
700 19th St., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20431

E-mail: archives@imf.org 

All researchers are expected to comply with copyright law and must sign an agreement to this effect upon arrival