A/HRC/17/21 archives of regional organizations, intergovernmental bodies and third countries are important for addressing human rights violations. These archives must cooperate with victims and their families, human rights investigators and judicial authorities that request their help, and provide both information about their holdings and access to the relevant materials. 53. During transitional periods, both governmental and non-governmental archival institutions must have good physical security. They must have sufficient financial and trained personnel resources to preserve the archives and make them available. They must have clearly stated access rules that cover all archival holdings. The archives staff must understand and be sensitive to user needs, realizing that the needs of victims and families are different from the needs of journalists and that these differ again from those of persons who must defend themselves against legal charges. People may be victims in one role and perpetrators in another, which must be considered when providing reference services. A proactive outreach programme is essential. People need to know what archives exist and what services are available to them. This is particularly true because many of the persons seeking information for human rights purposes have no prior experience with archives. Administrative impediments must not be put in the way of service. 12