Prepared under contract with the International Council on Archives (ICA), this study reviews expanded applications of archival research, the growing popular demand for information, and the resultant effect on the role of archives and archivists, especially in terms of access to records. Following an introductory discussion of the concept and role of archives, the approach to the access problem in the ICA is reviewed; prerequisites and criteria for access are considered; and a report is presented on a 1985 study of the archives of the United Nations (UN) system which measured the existence/lack of administrative instructions, levels and degrees of record classification/declassification, and regulations for access to records/archives. In addition, a tabulation of survey results is provided and conclusions and guidelines for increased accessibility to UN system archives are presented. The text is supplemented by 4 tables and 2 figures, and 43 notes and a 31-item bibliography are provided. Four appendices include: UN administrative instructions for archives; excerpts providing resolutions, recommendations, and wishes of four international congresses on archives; a listing of UN staff members who responded to the survey questionnaires; and a glossary of archival terminology. A 55-item bibliography of RAMP (Records and Archives Management Programs) and related documents is also provided. (KM)