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BRITISH LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 2003/2004 01 Making a measurable difference The British Library is one of the greatest research libraries in the world; in terms of the breadth and depth of collection and the range of services we provide, it is the greatest. As we pursue our mission to help people advance knowledge to enrich lives, we underpin the UK’s contribution to world- class research, scholarship and business innovation. This report shows how our collections, our people and the results we’re helping others to achieve add up to the measurable difference the Library is making. The British Library Thirty-first Annual Report and Accounts 2003/2004. Annual Report presented in compliance with section 4(3) of the British Library Act 1972 by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Accounts prepared pursuant to Section 5(3) of the Act and presented by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 19 July 2004. Laid before the Scottish Parliament by the Scottish Ministers 19 July 2004 SE/2004/115. HC732, London: The Stationery Office, £15.10. 02 BRITISH LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 2003/2004 Chairman’s statement The British Library makes a In 2003 we commissioned a study to measure the value the Library adds tremendous contribution to to the UK in economic terms. Using a the economic, cultural and methodology devised by the Nobel Prize winning economists Solow and Arrow, intellectual life of the nation. the results estimate that the British Library I am delighted to highlight generates £363 million for the UK economy each year – equivalent to £4.40 for every landmark achievements in £1of public money invested. each of these areas during These results are both groundbreaking the past year. and challenging. Groundbreaking because the Library is the first national library in the world to have commissioned such a study. Challenging in that the analysis confirms the Library as an outstanding investment for public funds and sets a standard of excellence which, in the rapidly changing world of information, we must continue to exceed. Over the past twelve months the Library has also set landmarks in the cultural and intellectual landscape, most notably by securing the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. This Act allows for the preservation of, and access to, electronic publications for future generations of researchers. It was a visionary achievement, the result of relentless commitment by the Library team, working with publishers, Government and fellow legal deposit libraries. We are grateful to Chris Mole MP, whose sponsorship of this Private Member’s Bill was crucial, to Dr Clive Field, the Library’s Director of Scholarship and Collections, and to John Byford, Head of Legal Deposit Strategy. BRITISH LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 2003/2004 03 The British Library is renowned for its pre- review. This has been a demanding and eminence in the humanities. But the Library rigorous activity, engaging expert teams also provides critical support to science and from across the Library. Fully aware of innovation in the UK. Holding the largest the constraints on funding for 2006/08, scientific collection in Britain, the Library the Library adopted the most stringent underpins the knowledge transfer that measures to define and justify its needs. guarantees the vitality of scientific research. The focus has been on three critical Through its advanced catalogues and other priorities: securing funding to meet our resource discovery services, the Library long-term storage needs; developing the supports scientific research from laboratory infrastructure to manage the nation’s digital to market-place – ensuring that the UK archive; and sustaining our levels of continues to succeed in pure research operational excellence by continuing to while equipping itself for competition invest in our staff and our collections. on a platform of technological and intellectual strength. On behalf of the Board of the British Library, I thank the Executive Team for their leader- The Library has welcomed the opportunity ship throughout the last twelve months to engage with Government in discussions and for the remarkable contribution which on how science and research can best be everyone in the British Library is making to supported in the future. During the House underpin research excellence, innovation, of Commons Science and Technology education and creativity in the UK. Together, Committee Inquiry into Scientific we are committed to ensuring that the Publications, the Library was particularly Library continues to receive the recognition encouraged by the support of colleagues and funding it needs to sustain the in the information sector for its national outstanding value it delivers. responsibility in ensuring long-term access to the electronic scientific record. Through the Library’s contribution to the Government’s consultation on its ten year investment framework for science and innovation, we have sought to ensure that access LORD EATWELL to scientific information remains at CHAIRMAN the forefront of the Government’s long-term strategy. These landmarks have been reflected in the case that the Library has made to Government as part of the current spending 04 BRITISH LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 2003/2004 Chief Executive’s review Open here to reveal the Library’s hidden value The achievements of 2003 Throughout the last twelve months we As well as safeguarding the materials have continued to meet and exceed the in our keeping, we are constant in our highlighted by the Chairman goals we established as part of our rigorous determination to widen access to the have provided us with a strategic agenda to set a world-class collections so that as many people as standard for modernised, entrepreneurial possible can find inspiration in the wealth powerful and demanding public sector organisations. Our objectives of knowledge held by the Library on their springboard for 2004. have remained focused on increasing behalf. This year we have been able to offer efficiency, improving quality, becoming more an unparalleled level of access to key items market-facing and harnessing technology from our collections through our public to improve services. Throughout, we have programmes and through digitisation. been determined to provide measurable The Painted Labyrinth exhibition, which and sustainable value for our users. showcased the Lindisfarne Gospels, attracted more visitors to the Library The passage of the Legal Deposit Libraries than any other exhibition in our history. Act was a momentous achievement for the In addition, we collaborated with regional Library and the nation, and puts the UK agencies and schools to bring magnificent in the vanguard of countries legislating facsimiles of this national treasure into the to collect and ensure permanent access to hands of communities involved in its 1,300 their digital knowledge. However, despite year history. the international significance of this achievement, we recognise that legislation Nine other world treasures from our is just the beginning. Now, we must work collection have now been added to our to secure funding for the infrastructure that Turning the Pages website. These seminal is needed if we are to collect, store and works are viewed across the world and preserve digital materials and make them generate a constant stream of enthusiastic accessible for centuries to come. In 2003 feedback – ‘absolutely magnificent’ … the Library recruited an outstanding team ‘this shows what the internet should be of professionals who have already defined used for’ … ‘it is an amazing experience the necessary infrastructure, prototyped the to page through such famous books’, system, and built the foundations for further being typical examples. development. Only if we ensure long-term access to knowledge held electronically Building our collections is critical to the can the UK sustain its global leadership British Library’s strength as a research in research, science and innovation. It library, and throughout the year we is critical that we continue to invest in have continued to acquire material at this infrastructure. unprecedented levels. In particular, BRITISH LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 2003/2004 05 we are delighted to have strengthened our Following a £2 million investment our consultation we are finding out about modern literary archives with the acquisition programme, supported by the Treasury’s the future shape of research and the types of Laurie Lee’s papers, unpublished Invest to Save initiative, the modernisation of service users will need. The assessment Virginia Woolf manuscripts, Ted Hughes’s of our document supply service was will help us determine the strategic correspondence with Leonard Baskin, and completed this year. Responding to the priorities that will guide our development the Punch archive, which includes letters needs of research and business users, we in the coming years – indeed, will help us from Dickens and Thackeray as well as launched our Secure Electronic Delivery redefine the whole idea of a library in the cartoons and drawings from the magazine’s system in December which enables us to 21st century. 160 year history. deliver any of our one hundred million research articles direct to users’ desktops. I am confident that we will continue to Collaboration continues with higher and This project was highly commended by the demonstrate our prominence and relevance further education and national library CBI as setting a benchmark for effective through the skill, commitment and partners to make digital and printed management. Secure Electronic Delivery professionalism of the entire Library staff. materials as easy to find and consult as for our remote users will be complemented On behalf of the Executive Team, I thank possible. The European Library project in 2004 by the launch of our Business and each and every member of staff for their concluded successfully in January 2004 Intellectual Property Centre for users continued hard work and for the pride with commitment of €1 million to of our St Pancras reading rooms. The they take in making their individual and develop a pan-European library service introduction of innovative services like collective contributions.
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