This article presents an innovative public-private sector partnership that is being undertaken in the Outaouais region of western Quebec. The concept of grouping four archival organizations (the Outaouais Centre of the Archives nationales du Québec, the Archives Division of the City of Gatineau, the Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais (Outaouais Genealogical Society) and the Société d'histoire de l'Outaouais (Outaouais Historical Society) in a single repository was initiated about 1994. Ten years later, the project has been completed, with the inauguration of the Centre d'archives, de généalogie et d'histoire (Centre for Archives, Genealogy and History) in the Gatineau Maison de la culture (cultural centre). The centre offers citizens convenient access to archival resources that were previously dispersed in various locations. After describing the genesis of the project and the principles upon which it is based, the authors explain its innovative nature and discuss the hurdles that were encountered during its execution, in particular those which were related to the institutional image of the organizations involved, the acquisition of private archives and their monetary evaluation, daily operations, the keeping of statistics, reproduction of documents, and the procedures and practices which the institutions either had in common or which were specific to each one. In spite of the challenges encountered in realizing the partnership, the authors emphasize its advantages. They highlight, for example, a significant increase in visits to the consultation room, the possibility of sharing diverse types of expertise, and the benefits of access to a wider range of funding sources than any of the single organizations would have had.

     The Archives nationales du Québec have put in place an ongoing training program as well as tools to help public and private archives apply the laws on access and copyright. The authors propose a method of evaluation on three levels to clarify the respective responsibilities of archivists and users with regard to the applicable laws. The text defines the broad principles of the laws on personal privacy and copyright, and then shows that despite the sometimes restrictive legislation, archives can nevertheless exercise their basic function of permitting the consultation and communication of archival documents simply by using the appropriate tools and methods.

     The authors review the implementation of an indexing system at the Archives nationales du Québec (ANQ); this review completes an earlier article (Arcbiues 32, 2: 33-62) on the system of description used at the ANQ. After describing the particular professional and institutional context of the ANQ, the authors discuss decisions that have been made, beginning in the early 1990s, which today orient reflection, conception and development of tools, and training with respect to indexing. For example, we learn that the ANQ has opted for a system of vocabulary control, but rather than produce a thesaurus the Archives favours the use of reference works as the instrument for vocabulary control. To support the process of indexation the ANQ has put in place a structure that identifies the roles and responsibilities of each of the persons involved. The organization has also developed a Guide d'indexation which explains its indexing policy and the procedural steps necessary for the creation of an index in conformity with the policy. The aim of these measures is to standardize the process of indexation and ultimately to facilitate access to the information contained in the descriptions of fonds and collections. In conclusion, three appendices complete the text the first one lists the reference works that are used in indexation, the second presents a copy of the authority form that is used, and the third presents examples of technical tricks-of-the-trade that indexers can keep in mind.

     The authors describe the implementation of the Rules for Archival Description (RAD) and of the Pistard data base at the Archives nationales du Québec (ANQ). After describing the particular context of the ANQ, they discuss various instruments that have been developed by ANQ personnel to facilitate the harmonization of practices within the institution. These include a guide to the application of the RAD at the ANQ which clarifies the institution's choices and interpretations with respect to the rules; a set of content analysis grids which facilitate the identification and ordering of points of information according to the corresponding elements of Zone 7 of the RDDA; a set of specific directives for description.