The nucleus of the state archives collections is the Colonial Secretary's Office records acquired in 1903 by the first librarian of the Public Library, Dr James Sykes Battye.
In 1988 the State Archives became a separate directorate within the Library and Information Service of Western Australia (LISWA) and in 1990 a Records Management Branch, (now called Recordkeeping Services), was established to enable more active engagement in records management matters at both state and local government levels.
In April 1999 the SRO moved to the ground floor of the Alexander Library Building and was officially christened with its current name.
The four members of the commission are the Auditor General, the Information Commissioner, the Ombudsman, and an appointee with recordkeeping experience from outside Government.
Since 2003[11] the Margaret Medcalf award has been given to published and unpublished research utilising and referencing State archives held by the SRO records.
[15] This article provides a concise account of the developments that led to the appointment of Mollie Lukis in 1945 as the State's first Archivist.