I first caught wind of Paul Mawhinney when his extensive record collection went up for sale on eBay earlier this year.

Mawhinney has been collecting records for the better part of his life and over the decades, he has amassed The World’s Greatest Music Collection. Made up of 3 million records, 300,000 CDs and more than 6 million song titles, the collection has been on sale for months but Mawhinney, who is legally blind and ill, can no longer maintain the collection. Mawhinney is looking for an institution that can maintain the collection in tact since it appears that it is one of the most complete musical collections ever. There is a load of information about the collection, including the ability to browse the extensive archive, at Mawhinney’s website.

Jay at The Documentary Blog has posted an excellent short documentary (approximately 8 minutes long) titled The Archive on Mawhinney’s collection. Directed by Sean Dunne, the short features Mawhinney sharing some of the history behind the collection, discussion on the difference between records and CD and he really, indirectly, gets at the heart of why it is so important for culture and history, to keep this record collection intact.

I hope he finds the right person to take on his passion. This looks like the sort of thing Paul Allen should be picking up to add to his already extensive music collection - I could see this as an integral part of the the Experience Music Project.

The documentary is tucked under the seat!