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Residents of Prince Edward Island continue to benefit from the services of the Public Archives and Records Office fifty years after the Archives Act was proclaimed by the Province says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Henderson.

“The Public Archives and Records Office provides invaluable services to Islanders who have an interest in our history and heritage, and to government departments that are preserving records,” said Minister Henderson. “It is a tremendous resource for researchers and other professionals who require historical records for their work. It is also an important source of corporate memory for staff with the provincial government. I want to thank the staff of the Public Archives and Records Office for all they do to serve Islanders.”

The Archives Act was officially proclaimed on March 2, 1965. In 1982 the Public Archives moved from a space in the Confederation Centre of the Arts to the fourth floor of the Coles Building where it now resides. The Public Archives and Records Office (PARO) is responsible for both the provincial archives collection and for recorded information management (RIM).

PARO provides services to both Government and members of the general public. Staff members respond to departmental inquiries for a wide range of material. Public users include teachers, students, historians, lawyers, surveyors, genealogists and the general public.

To date the Public Archives has been responsible for preserving over 2,667 meters of textual records; 6,737 maps, plans and drawings; 188,009 photographs; 112 items of documentary art; 9.9 GB of electronic records; 4,431 hours of sound recordings; 31.8 hours of film; and 378.5 hours of video.

PARO is also responsible for delivering central recorded information management services and support to all departments, agencies, corporations and commissions within the provincial government. A key responsibility of the RIM unit is overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Provincial Records Centre which now stores over 20,000 boxes of government records.