The mandate of the Public Archives and Records Office is to acquire, preserve and make available for public research, the government records of PEI and those private sector records of individuals, companies andinstitutions, deemed to be of historical value as they pertain to the history of Prince Edward Island. Along with textual documents such as correspondence files, diaries, journals, and newspapers, the Public Archives also holds materials in other formats including photographs, architectural drawings, maps, microforms, film and sound recordings. The Archives holds a large collection of genealogical resources including indexes to many vital records such as census returns, marriage, baptism and death records, dated largely prior to 1902. The holdings of the PARO include more than 1500 linear metres of government records, 680 metres of private sector records, close to 5000 maps, 1300 architectural plans, 40,000 photographs, and approximately 4700 hours of audio-visual materials.