The Documentation Centre was created in 1965 when the statutes
of the organization provided for the establishment of an
International Documentation Centre on the conservation and
restoration of architectural heritage. This was done at the
initiative of UNESCO. In 1966, the Brussels Symposium was held
with the purpose of defining the aims, structure, and objectives
of the ICOMOS Documentation Centre, which are also described in
the Statutes: "to gather, study and disseminate information
concerning principles, techniques and policies for the
conservation, protection, rehabilitation and enhancement of
monuments, groups of buildings and sites". (Art. 5b) The Centre
was inaugurated in 1974 and became operational in 1977, when
ICOMOS hired a documentalist and an assistant to organise and
manage it. In 1982, the Centre is computerised and a
bibliographical database devoted to cultural heritage - ICOMMOS
- is created. The Documetation Centre is part of the UNESCO-
ICOM-ICOMOS network; it is linked to the central compu