The aim of the final paper is to clarify the structure of the archive service in the Republic of Croatia. Therefore, at the beginning of the paper, archival study will be described generally as a science and its development through history. Archives have changed throughout history but they are always present and irreplaceable for understanding of the past and at the same time they are shaping the identity of the contemporary community. The state, institutions and society in general are unthinkable without archival material. The state and state institutions collect and keep documents that are necessary for the community. The forms of keeping archival material and the modern way of keeping archival material in the form of electronic records will be explained. Preservation of archival material is essential for the development of archival activity, because collected and preserved material plays an important role in the life of the state, individual and group of individuals. There are four types of archives in the Republic of Croatia: Croatian State Archives, Regional State Archives, archives of local and regional self-government units, as well as private and specialized archives. Primary goal is to keep public records and documentation of government authorities as well as archive material of private users. The paper will list the types of archives in Bosnia and Herzegovina by way of example. From the above, it can be concluded that there is a very similar archival system in Bosnia and Herzegovina as in the Republic of Croatia. At the end of the paper, the arrangement of archival material will be described, representing a protection of archive records which is necessary when the records are abundant. Archival records are written on paper and parchment and therefore they are protected and preserved. Photo documents and sound (phono) documents are a special type of documents. Storage space and equipment of archival material are conditioned by numerous factors that are explained in more detail in the paper, and the most important thing is that the space and equipment are suitable for long-term storage of the material