Public Record Office 1959-1969

The years 1959-1969 saw the conversion of Britain's Public Record Office into the modern research facility it is today. The old PRO offices in Chancery Lane were increasingly inadequate but no agreement could be reached on a new facility. During the 1960s the PRO decisively shifted to meet modern demands for information. New quarters for the ever-increasing collection of documents were found in London's Kew Gardens. The organization also was modernized to meet the escalation in document processing caused by the reduction of the period before which documents could be viewed from 50 to 30 years. The modernization of the Public Record Office 1959-1969 makes for a fascinating story of the Information Age.