Small Arms Factory Museum get a helping hand to preserve and protect historical archives

But there are around 200,000 more to go.

To help the proposed 10 year program, the museum received a $7,106 boost to help preserve and protect the documents.

The historical documents date back to 1908, and include employee records, designs of machinery and building blueprints.

Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee announced the funding on Thursday, December 17 which came from the Australian Government's Heritage Grants program.

Lithgow Small Arms Museum president and secretary Renzo Benedet said the funding would help to digitise the documents for future generations.

"It's important to digitise them [archives] because then they would become available to the public and are then held in a record form that doesn't deteriorate over time," he said.

"It means a lot to us because we're the only facility in Australia, in the world - that's got a record of the factory and to keep them not only for our current generation, but future generations would be a massive thing for us," he said.

Mr Benedet said it was a lengthy process and he encouraged more volunteers to get on board.

"It's going to take a few years and that will require a number of volunteers working, not full time, but on a part time basis.

"If we were able to get someone in on a full time basis, who can do this Monday to Friday that would be great but for now we've got three volunteers who are prepared to work.

"I think the thing for us is as volunteers is, we do what we can to preserve the history of this place," he said.

Mr Gee said Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum was a part of the fabric of the community and preserving its history for future generations was vitally important.

He also commended the volunteers on their work.

"The museum's hardworking have been doing an incredible job cleaning, cataloguing and digitising these documents and records. I'm thrilled the Australian Government can assist with this extensive and extremely important project," Mr Gee said.