Office of the Historian

The Office of the Historian was established effective January 1, 1993 as part of the Personnel and Administration Vice Presidency and disestablished in 1998. Its mission was to develop and maintain an authoritative record of events, policies and the activities of, and major developments related to the World Bank Group, and maintain a running narrative of them; prepare such background papers on events, policies and developments as may be required; prepare ad hoc histories of particular episodes, trends or policies in the evolution of the Bank Group that may be of significance to the understanding of its work; advise the Archivist on the collection and preservation of records considered of lasting significance; manage an oral history program; and select and prepare records for publication, according to the Office's terms of reference (January 21, 1993; File #30190066). The Historian's Office also played an important role in managing the Bank's relationship with the Brookings Institution, which was commissionedto write a history of the Bank. In 1998 the continuing functions of the Office of the Historian, including the oral history program and the maintenance of a chronology of Bank activities, were transferred to the World Bank Group Archives.