Archives serve as institutional memory. They provide evidence of the past and promote accountability and transparency of past actions. Archival record can be in any format including paper documents, photographs, maps, films, sound recordings, electronic records, documentary art, or architectural drawings. The mandate of the United Nations Archives is to collect and preserve the records of the United Nations Secretariat and its field operations. Beyond this scope, there are many archives around the world with archives that are complimentary to the ones at the United Nations.