Laurent Augé, archivist at the town hall of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, “the arrival of digital technology was a revolution”

There are more than a kilometer of archives preserved in the municipal archives of Bagnols. Y. C. – Midi Libre

Laurent Augé travaille depuis vingt-sept ans aux archives municipales de Bagnols. Y. C. – Midi Libre

This summer, Midi Libre is meeting people from Gard who have jobs like no other. Laurent Augé has been working in the municipal archives of Bagnols-sur-Cèze since 1997.

Cadastral maps, notarial deeds or old photos: more than a kilometer of archives are currently stored in the municipal archives of Bagnols-sur-Cèze. Laurent Augé, municipal archivist since 1997, is one of the “guardians” of this temple of conservation. Originally from Ariège, the fifty-year-old discovered this profession during his years of history studies at the University of Toulouse “I often went to the archives to advance my thesis. But it was when I worked as a temporary worker in the departmental archives of Ariège that I wanted to make it my job.” Graduating in 1992, Laurent Augé then successfully passed the civil service exam. In 1997, he was assigned to the Bagnols-sur-Cèze archives.

Seal casting workshops

“Our goal is to preserve traces of the administrative action of the community” explains Laurent Augé. To do this, the archivist must carry out several missions. He collects and preserves documents or objects, classifies them and takes care of the department's communication. Sometimes, he receives schoolchildren and introduces them to small workshops such as seal casting. “The job is different from one day to the next. In the morning, you can repair a register as well as respond to requests for civil documents” emphasizes the Gardois. Rigor, organization, a taste for history and attachment to the territory are thus necessary to practice this profession.

Today, the image of the archivist working among dusty manuscripts seems a little outdated: “The job evolves at the same time as the media. Even though we are still in the early stages of electronic management, the arrival of computers has been a revolution for us! Searches are much fasterassures Laurent Augé. This transition to digital has encouraged archivists to digitize some of the documents."However, there has been a drop in public attendance because more and more people are consulting civil status registers from home " affirms the Bagnolais.
Sometimes, he makes amusing discoveries. “When I was in Ariège, I worked on the archive funds of a paper mill. I came across an advertisement for toilet paper that dated back to the 1950s. Its slogan was “The paper that doesn't scratch but that wipes!”, confides, laughing, Laurent Augé. The town of Bagnols-sur-Cèze also preserves unusual objects like the keys to its twin town of Feltre in northern Italy or 10,000 photos bequeathed by the former journalist and head of the Midi Libre Gard rhodanien agency, Jacques Bonnaud.

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