On record

Christopher Phipps refers to the British Library and other major libraries collaborating to ensure a continued national public archive (THES, August 21). Anyone from the London Library should be aware of the difference between a library and an archive. The one consists of printed books, the other of unpublished material created by a single organisation or institution. The Public Record Office is the national archive and holds 900 years of records created by the government of England and Wales and of the United Kingdom. The British Library is the national library.

Sandra Tyacke

Keeper of public records

Public Record Office