Part 1 The history and development of the public record office: the international role of the public record office, Michael Roper; the public records in 1988, Geoffrey Martin; nine centuries of keeping the public records, Elizabeth M. Hallam; the future of the public records, Geoffrey Martin; the selection of new records, K.J. Smith; government record keeping - a tale from the department of employment, R.J.R. Lorrimer; preservation and conservation - will our public records survive another 150 years?, Timothy R. Padfield; the thirty year rule and freedom of information - access to government records, Nicholas Cox. Part 2 Calenders and indexes: public record office publication - past performances and future prospects, J.B. Post; the public record office, the historian, and information technology, Edward Higgs; the national register of archives and other nationwide finding aids, Brian S. Smith; the index library - a centenary history 1988, Peter Spufford; liaison - public records held in other record offices, Alexandra Nicol. Part 3 Contrasting consumers: a genealogist's view of the records - ideals and reality, Stella Colwell; the use of records in primary schools; bibliography, Joan Blyth. Part 4 The probate records of the nation - new approaches to wills, inventories and accounts: a printed catalogue of the names of testators, Peter Spufford; the number of wills proved in the 16th and 17th centuries, Motoyasu Takahashi; in the name of God? Will-making and faith in early modern England, Christopher W. Marsh; probate inventories and consumer behaviour in England, 1660-1740, Lorna Weatherill; an introduction to probate accounts, Amy Louise Erickson; the genealogist's use of probate records, Anthony J. Camp.
