"The King's Library of Manuscripts": The State Paper Office as Archive and Library.

The article presents a case study of the British government's State Paper Office, with a particular focus on the relationship between archives and libraries prior to the development of modern archival theory in the early 20th century. Details on processes of appraisal, arrangement, and description are presented. It is suggested that while the office's collecting policies were similar to those of modern archives, its organizational philosophy was more closely aligned with those of libraries.