Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository Update

Good news re the return of archivalia to this Natal Repository. The first to arrive home from their sojourn in temporary storage are the MSCE - Deceased Estate - files: currently up to 1951 are available to the public.

The entire exercise, i.e. the transfer of all archivalia back to the Repository, is expected to take several months. As each group is returned, access will be temporarily suspended while unpacking and re-shelving takes place.

It’s a mammoth task and during this phase the staff at Pietermaritzburg deserve continued patience and understanding from family historians and other researchers.

News from Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository

The Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository is finally returning to its home at 231 Pietermaritz Street.

The Repository is closed today - 31 January - but will re-open on Friday 1 February.

Archival holdings will take several months to be returned from off-site storage, where they have been kept for approximately 3 years.

In the interim it will still be necessary to order archivalia from off-site storage and will take at least 2 working days to be made available.

Pietermaritzburg Archives News

Word is that Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository will be back to normal by January 2012. This after a long phase of building refurbishment causing dislocation of regular activities and the removal of all archivalia to temporary storage facilities. The staff have been doing their best under trying circumstances. Everyone, staff and researchers alike, will welcome a speedy return to routine.

Renovations at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository, Natal

The South African National Archives and Records Service (NARS) offers a pdf file concerning the current extensive renovations at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository, and consequent implications for users of the Reading Room.

To access this information, go to the Home Page of the NARS site at

www.national.archives.gov.za/   


or go direct to the pdf file at

www.national.archives.gov.za/website_notice_Pietermaritzburg_Archives_Repository_renovation%20_2_.pdf