*Editor's Note: Apologies for the hissing noise, all! Other episodes in the season won't be like this, but this was indeed a hardware and environmental-related issue that struck our equipment at the time of recording and was not caught. There's still some fantastic conversations to be had here, so thank you very much in advance for the continued support and for bearing with us this one time. :)* Why do we keep archives? Who uses them? What kind of material can you find there? Hosts Matthew McRae and Samantha Kelly are joined by archivist John Boylan to answer these questions and more. Listen in and discover how the province’s Public Archives and Records Office (PARO) opens a window onto our past, and why any visit to the archives can quickly turn into an exciting history mystery. John Boylan has been working in Island heritage since the 1980s. After stints with the PEI Museum, Provincial Heritage Office, and the City of Charlottetown he was hired as the Public Services Archivist at the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island in 2006. John has a diploma in museum studies from Algonquin College and a master’s degree in archival studies from the University of British Columbia.