Governance and Archives: The Administration of Luís Henrique Dias Tavares at the Arquivo Público do Estado da Bahia (1959-1969)

ABSTRACT This article aims to rescue the actions undertaken during the administration of Luís Henrique Dias Tavares as director of the Arquivo Público do Estado da Bahia (State Archives of Bahia, APEB), between 1959 and 1969. For this purpose, documentary research was carried out on sources produced and accumulated in the ten years of his administration, kept in the “Fundo APEB”. The analysis of the sources reveals that Luís Henrique can be considered as the pioneer manager of archival governance in Bahia. The main initiatives undertaken are: proposition of a legal restructuring of the institution; creation and implementation of the Archives Course, the Technical Assistance Archives Council and the Francisco Vicente Vianna Library, and preparation and publication of the APEB Guide. A substantive experience that could have contributed to the process of valuing and modernizing of the institution.