The Western Cape Archives and Records Service provides public access to government records and private collections that are 20 or more years old. The archive is used for academic, government and private research.
The National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (called NAAIRS) is an online tool for searching archival inventories. These catalogues are a list of the available archival records housed in National Archives of South Africa facilities.
Outreach promotes the Western Cape Archives and Records Service's functions to the broader community of the Western Cape.
Preservation encompasses all activities which prolong the usable life of archival records. These activities are designed to minimise the physical and chemical deterioration of records and to prevent the loss of informational content.