The 40th anniversary of Pembrokeshire County Council's Record Office was marked last Thursday evening with a gathering of staff, past and present, at County Hall, Haverfordwest.
Among the speakers were the chairman of the county council, Clr. Michael Folland, the cabinet member with responsibility for culture and arts, Clr. Mrs. Pat Griffiths, and county councillor Bill Philpin, who gave a talk on the history of the Record Office.
The remit of the office - housed in Haverfordwest Castle - is to preserve, conserve and make available to the public the historical documents within its care.
The records now held in archivally secure strong rooms extend into thousands and cover eight centuries of Pembrokeshire's past.
The early years were spent consolidating the position of the office and encouraging the deposit of record.
Later the emphasis shifted to dealing with the ever-increasing use that is being made to the office by members of the public from all walks of life.
For instance, the last 10 years has also seen an enormous growth in the tracing of family history and in the use of local materials in the National Curriculum, to name but two areas of work.