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The institute was established as of 1 January 1953 as The Archives of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CSAS). In 1954, it was combined with the Commission for the Study and Description of Manuscripts. As of 1 January 1966 its name was temporarily changed to the Central Archives of the CSAS, the original name was restored on 1 January 1993. On 1 January 2006, the Archives was merged with the Masaryk Institute of the ASCR and, at the same time, the name of this merged entity was changed to the Masaryk Institute – Archives of the ASCR. Pursuant to Act No. 341/2005 Coll., the Institute became a public research institution as of 1 January 2007.
MSU-A, the scientific unit Archives of the ASCR, collects and processes written and other materials from the Academy of Sciences and archives of former scientific institutions, and personal papers of scholars and scientists who have worked in this country. It is also responsible for the pre-archiving care of documents and for supervision of filing and shredding. From its collections it provides information for the Academy of Sciences and for State administration bodies, and ensures the access of researchers to archival stock and collections. Its research work focuses primarily on the history of scientific institutions, the life and work of scientists and scholars and on the communities where they worked, especially in Bohemia and Moravia, and on codicology - recording and study of manuscripts.
MSU-A, the scientific unit Masaryk Institute of the ASCR, preserves the intellectual heritage of T. G. Masaryk, studying his life and works in the broader context of the Czech, Czechoslovak and European history, in particular his importance in the development of Czech democratic statehood, and also studying his humane legacy which he left for society. The unit operates the Masaryk Archive and a portion of Masaryk library.