OUR York worthies of town, gown and trust are so eager to deny any blame for the present sad predicament of the archives ("Crunch time for the archives", February 24) that some readers might suppose it to be an act of God.

Others, on the contrary, might claim that the parties obviously agreed to decant the archives to Heslington years ago, but were forestalled by the public outcry following the disgraceful treatment of Mrs Freeman and now, assuming that public memory is short, the conspirators intend to carry out their original plan.

I deplore such cynicism. The problem facing the council is that the City Archives, unlike art and history, cannot be purveyed as family fun for tourists; they are irredeemably serious. They require to be run by acknowledged experts in the field of research, not by marketing managers aiming at targets and a six-fold increase in throughput.

Research demands dedication. It is scholarly and painstaking, or it is nothing. This discipline does not appeal to everyone.

The archives are, nevertheless, part of our city life. There is no reason why they should not be transferred to the trust, where they would bestow a desirable gravitas and prestige.

The pressing need for accommodation need not be at the expense of the art gallery.

There is ample room for both, provided remedies are put before cosmetics.

So much of our city life has been sacrificed over recent years. Would it not be a shameful thing if we were ever constrained to admit to visitors "If you seek the history of York, catch a bus for Heslington"?

William Dixon Smith,

Welland Rise,

York.

Updated: 10:21 Tuesday, March 14, 2006