Apart from these general works, which were entirely insufficient, no further tools emerged until the 1980s to facilitate access to the archive's collection, particularly the incorporated registries, which continued to rely solely on incorporation lists as a severely limited means of accessing information. Several decrees were promulgated during the First Republic concerning libraries and archives, however their impact on the National Archive was minimal. The most notable was Decree No. 19,952, issued on 27 June 1931, which thoroughly reorganised the sector, introducing substantial changes, particularly for libraries. However, this decree, which functioned as a foundational law for libraries and archives, heavily influenced by the Estado Novo ideology and in effect for over 30 years (until 1965), brought little to no change to the National Archive. The 1902 regulation remained in place, perpetuating a historicist vision rooted in 19th-century positivism. This approach resulted in works of questionable value, focused mainly on medieval and modern documentation, catering to a privileged group of historians with access to these sources.

Following Júlio Dantas's retirement, António Ferrão assumed the role of Chief Inspector of Libraries and Archives. A key figure in the Ministry of Education since the early Republic, Ferrão was instrumental in modernising Portuguese libraries and archives, both in organisational terms and in the technical processing of documentation, staying abreast of advancements abroad (F. Ribeiro, Para o estudo… , [Towards the study...] , 2008). Upon taking office, Ferrão produced a series of studies, including a report with several pages of strong criticism of the National Archive , analysing its organisation and deficiencies, and concluding: “It is essential and urgent to carefully review the collections of our National Archive, consolidating the sets of the same order, nature, or provenance that are currently scattered (...). Then, classify these collections according to the principles, norms, and practices of archival science followed everywhere (...). Without this, incorporating more documents will only add to the confusion. I have clear ideas on this matter and a classification and arrangement plan in sections and series that I believe would work, but I will not include it here to avoid lengthening this report. (...) If a serious, on-site study of this disorganisation should demonstrate that it is impossible, due to the laboriousness of the task, to reunite the dispersed parts of these collections, then special indexes and catalogues of these collections must be created to mitigate, to some extent, the problems caused by their dispersion” (INSPEÇÃO…, “Crónica...” ["Chronicle..."], 1946, pp. 35-36).

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