Recent federal cuts have left P.E.I. without an archives and preservation expert, and that could have a big impact on the Island's artifacts.

The Archives Council of P.E.I. received $41,000 in federal funding from the National Archival Development Program.

That money was used to pay the Island's only archives and preservation expert, Clair Trainor, but now she has been let go because of cuts.

She gave advice to community groups, small museums and individuals about how to best preserve artifacts.

John Boylan, president of the Archives Council of P.E.I., said it's a loss.

"She was the person that they got in touch with when they had questions about the preservation of archival materials, when they had questions about how best to manage archival collections," Boylan said, "How to, in effect, look after things and make sure that they would be accessible to anyone interested in using them."

Boylan said while there are knowledgeable people on the Island, it will be more difficult to access information about artifact preservation.

According to its website, the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island acquires, preserves, and makes available for public research the records of the government of P.E.I., as well as private sector records considered to be of lasting historical value.