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"As many of you will know, this new year has brought a change in the government of Brazil after the elections of last December. This has resulted in an announcement in the media of a change in the status of the National Archives of Brazil that has left Brazilian archivists astonished and alarmed. The National Archives has been part of the structure of the Presidency since 2000; however it is about to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice – a move sideways and downwards - that will diminish its autonomy and authority.The Brazilian Archivists Association has written to the new Minister Antonio Palocci asking that the National Archives remain permanently under the Presidency and now it is requesting an audience to discuss all the potential problems the proposed change can cause to the archival situation in Brazil. Currently there is a public petition with more than 1.900 signatures asking for the maintenance of the National Archives under the Presidency. On the 5th January there was a meeting in the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro to discuss the issue. This resulted in the nomination of delegates to speak to the Minister for Justice and the Minister Antonio Palocci and also that on the 11 th January there will be a public act of support in the National Archives which will climax with a symbolic hug around its building.Please share and spread this information in your archivist's network to support the National Archives of Brazil.Lucia Maria Velloso de OliveiraPresident of the Brazilian Archivists Association – AAB"Blog "ARCHIVÍSTICA &#38; SOCIEDAD"