The International Register
The Memory of the World International Register is composed of documentary heritage that meets the criteria set out in the General Guidelines, among which world significance is the primary criterion. Documentary heritage can include materials from a variety of fields and forms, including visual, audio, paper and digital, among others.
The nominated items of documentary heritage must also be finite and precisely defined; broad, general or open-ended nominations will not be accepted. The Register does not include all the records in public and private archives, no matter how important those bodies or individuals may be. Repositories should nominate for inclusion on the Register only those documents that fulfil the defined criteria, including that of world significance. Once added to the Memory of the World Register, the document group cannot be changed or redefined over time.
In the case of documentary heritage which exists in several locations, or several owners or custodians, full details of each component, owner or custodian are to be provided.