Le Centre d'Analyse Documentaire pour l'Afrique Noire was created in 1961 as part of the VI section (Division des Aires Culturelles, Centre d'Etudes Africaines) of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. In 1965 it was joined with the Service d'Echange d'Informations Scientifiques of the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, while retaining its organizational affiliations with the Centre d'Etudes Africaines.
We propose to present here the work accomplished at CARDAN since its founding, to define the tasks which it is proposed to accomplish in the years to come, and to inform researchers of the services which the Center can offer. We shall present successively the balance sheet of past years and the future program of CARDAN.