Last Friday we went to the Public Records Office in North Melbourne. We were shown around the whole building, including the air-locked vaults underneath. It was extremely interesting learning about all of the records which are held there. From memory, our guide said that something like 3% of all Government records are stored at the PRO and that these are the ‘most important’. Given the amount of files I saw, I can’t even begin to imagine what the remaining 97% looks like and where that is stored.
We were shown a number of different records, including micro-film scans of RMIT building designs as well as physical evidence from court cases.
The excursion was also particularly informative as we were shown how to locate documents of public record and how to take photos of these in the public reading room. This is open 5 days a week from 10 – 4. I’d like to see if I can find building plans for Storey Hall, so I will have a look on their online catalogue when I get the chance.
