The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

archives \archives\ n.
   1. a collection of records especially about an institution.
      [WordNet 1.5]

   2. a place where historical records and documents are kept.
      [WordNet 1.5]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Archive \Ar"chive\, n.; pl. Archives. [F. archives, pl., L.
   archivum, archium, fr. Gr. ? government house, ? ? archives,
   fr. ? the first place, government. See Archi-, pref.]
   1. pl. The place in which public records or historic
      documents are kept.
      [1913 Webster]

            Our words . . . . become records in God's court, and
            are laid up in his archives as witnesses. --Gov. of
                                                  Tongue.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. pl. Public records or documents preserved as evidence of
      facts; as, the archives of a country or family.
      [1913 Webster] [Rarely used in sing.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Some rotten archive, rummaged out of some seldom
            explored press.                       --Lamb.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Registers; records; chronicles.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

archives
    n 1: collection of records especially about an institution