The Vaudois municipalities are piling up tons of paper. This is a direct consequence of the cantonal law on archiving, which forces them to keep certain traces of their activities in paper format. Documents must be printed and stored following strict rules, a practice that may seem outdated in today’s digital age.
The indefinite conservation of a series of specific documents on a durable and resistant medium, namely high quality paper, is imposed on the Vaud municipalities. These documents reflect decisions taken by local authorities, such as municipalities and municipal councils or general councils, and include elements such as minutes. Some municipalities even today have documents archived more than 600 years ago.
Monday in La Matinale de la RTS, Fabrice de Icco, the prefect of the Jura-Nord Vaudois district, emphasizes that the format for storing archives is always the same, namely bound paper. This is due to Vaud legislation which guarantees the longevity of the archives.
“Sometimes there are even several centuries of minutes, so it can take up space,” he emphasizes. But according to him, the municipalities, accustomed to this responsibility, are generally well equipped with suitable premises.
Paper or digital, the challenges of conservation
At the same time, computer storage is possible, but it is complex, according to the director of the Vaud Cantonal Archives Delphine Friedmann. “Specific infrastructures are necessary to guarantee consultation as often as desired. To facilitate subsequent research, each piece of information must be correctly identified and referenced,” she explains.
She also points out that ultimately long-term preservation of digital information creates costs and complexity that exceed those of paper storage.
It should be noted that, in the cantons of Valais and Fribourg, there is no legal obligation to keep archives in paper form.
Radio subject: Robin Baudraz
Web adaptation: Miroslav Mares
