This study is intended to promote the development of the archival and records management professions in Latin America by providing basic data on the status of professionals in this area in relation to other information professionals in the public service, particularly librarians and documentalists. It deals with the basic issues of recruitment, training, employment qualifications, conditions of service, remuneration, legal rules, and career opportunities. In preparation for the study, a questionnaire was mailed to the heads of the national or general archives of concerned countries. Replies were received from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. In addition information was sought from archivist schools and faculties. For the first time, this document provides basic data in a number of these areas that can be used to support efforts to upgrade the status of archivists and their colleagues in the information field in Latin America. A bibliography is included. Appendices include the letter to heads of national archives, the questionnaire, a list of individuals who answered the questionnaires, and replies from Bolivia and Haiti. (THC)