A Visit to the NSW State Archives Office

Last week our editor went to Sydney to visit the NSW State Archives Office, which is located in Kingswood, Western Sydney.

The Archives Office holds records of Government functions from 1788 onwards, and is the largest collection of records relating to the history of NSW and the lives of its people. It comprises over 14 million items or 85 linear kilometres and grows by 2-3 linear kms every year.

Our editor identified the items she was interested in viewing prior to her trip and ordered them ahead of her visit.

When she arrived, she found that car park spaces were plentiful and free. After going inside the Office, she was directed to a lunch room, where she was asked to put her bags in a locker. She was able to bring her laptop, a notepad, her smart phone and pencils into the reading room (pens are not allowed just in case ink accidentally gets on the records).

The reading room itself was large and roughly divided into four areas. The first was a workspace with computers for people who are volunteering their time at the Archives. Volunteers work with original and digital copies of records, inputting data into databases, making information accessible for all.

The second workspace also had computers, but these were for visitors who could look up information they needed from the Archives website. The third space contained a library of folders which are used by Archives officers to better identify the information needed by visitors, and the last space had tables for visitors and large shelves that held pre-ordered items, arranged alphabetically.

Archives staff were friendly and helpful, and directed our editor to use latex gloves (supplied) when handling items, and the correct protocols when handing documents.

Our editor spent two full days at the Office, and heartily recommended it for family historians, historians, and authors alike.

• Topics:

• Literature / Writing
• History