The activities of the Bologna State Archives consist not only of documentary conservation but also making the consultation of historical documents available to the public in the most fully accessible way possible. For this purpose, it is necessary to ensure the conservation of material with the creation of accurate instruments for research, to not only study and inventory the material, but to describe the historical documentation in such a way that they are communicated externally to the public for their consultation of the works. Hence, inside our Institute there have always been  activities of study and research that have resulted in publications, exhibitions, and other public events such as conferences, seminars, presentations of books and audiovisuals.
These activities are often carried out in collaboration with other local cultural institutions and public associations of citizens and formalized by memoranda of agreements.
Partnership of the Bologna State Archives has been long-standing and fruitful with the University of Bologna, as well as with the Deputazione di Storia Patria (a public institution, financed by the Italian government, dedicated to studies in local history). More recently, cooperation with certain local banking foundations has made possible the execution of interesting projects of restoration and inventorying of documents conserved within the Institute.
Over time, supervisory activities over the archives of provincial State offices has also permitted an increase in the amount of conserved documentary material and ensured the proper management of that which still remains outside the Institute.