BRITISH LIBRARY BRITISH LIBRARY Annual Report and Accounts 2005/06 Annual ReportandAccounts2005/06 CONNECTING BRITISH LIBRARY Annual Report and Accounts 2005/06 CONNECTING... THE BRITISH LIBRARY Thirty-third Annual Report and Accounts 2005/06. Annual Report presented in compliance with section 4(3) of the British Library Act 1972 by the Secretary of State for the Department 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 20 July 2006 Laid before the Scottish Parliament by the Scottish Ministers 20 July 2006 HC1343 London: The Stationery Office £16.25 SE/2006/104 The British Library Annual Report 2005/06 00 01 Contents The connections we’re making 03 Chairman’s statement 04 Chief Executive’s Q&A 06 Connecting to digital users 08 Connecting enterprise and ideas 12 Connecting with new audiences 16 Connecting with our supporters 20 Delivering our strategic priorities 24 Action plan for 2006/07 27 Key performance indicators and funding agreement targets 28 Statistics 30 Governance and leadership 32 Grants and donations 36 Annual Accounts 2005/06 38 …services to the public web users to knowledge ideas to business plans communities to their past research to development students to scholarship talent to inspiration authors to plots nature-lovers to the call of the wild scientists to results listeners to dialects undergraduates to early newspapers children to heritage innovators to opportunities producers to potential markets new generations to ancient texts inventors to entrepreneurs artists to subjects the Library to the world The British Library Annual Report 2005/06 02 03 Chairman’s statement I became Chairman of the British Library Board in 2001 and this is the final year of my appointment. It has been a privilege to Her Majesty The Queen visiting the have been associated with such a significant Library to open the Front Page exhibition institution during such a remarkable period. We have witnessed unprecedented turbulence and competition in the information sector. The challenges for libraries in the digital age are particularly critical for the British Library because of the scale and scope of our collections and operations. Lord Eatwell, Chairman Google and other search engines have on 8 March 2006. The British Library is fast In that context we attach enormous revolutionised the way people expect becoming the first choice provider of content, importance to ensuring that the principles of to access information. The traditional navigation and research services for the fair dealing and library privilege – which have models of scholarly communication creative industries. The new Centre is long existed in the analogue environment and publishing are being transformed. designed to support small and medium-sized and which in our view strike an appropriate The accelerating pace of change was the enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, from balance in the public interest between the context for the development of Redefining that first spark of inspiration to successfully rights holder and the user for print – is now the Library: The British Library’s strategy launching and developing their business. re-interpreted and sustained for the digital age. 2005–2008. We have established six At the launch event Sir Digby Jones of the strategic priorities that are critical to our CBI described the Centre as, ‘a jewel in In the past year I have been delighted to mission and which the Board believes the the crown of enterprise in this country’. see further recognition within Government Library must achieve if we are to continue of the contribution the Library makes to to support UK research needs effectively. The British Library has a unique perspective the nation. Following agreement by the We report on our progress against these to bring to the public debate on Copyright Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and priorities in this Report and shall continue and Intellectual Property that was initiated Sport, Education and Skills, and Trade and to do so in subsequent years. during the year. This perspective derives from Industry, and in order to build and sustain its position at the fulcrum of the balance of effective cross-Departmental support During the year I was honoured to be invited interests of rights holders and rights users. which recognises the complexities of the by the Minister for Creative Industries and We submitted evidence to the House of British Library’s business, a permanent Tourism to chair a Working Group on Commons Culture, Media and Sport inquiry interdepartmental group of senior officials Competitiveness and Intellectual Property into New Media and the Creative Industries, has been established. This will help maximise under the Creative Economy Programme. to the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group the Library’s impact and contribution to This Programme is a ministerial initiative inquiry into Digital Rights Management Government priorities and objectives. In designed to join together cultural institutions, (DRM), and to the Gowers Review of addition a joint DCMS, DTI/OSI and DfES policy makers and funding organisations to Intellectual Property. The Library is continuing Funding Agreement with the British Library support the growth and productivity of the to play a high level advocacy role in this has been developed. creative industries. debate which is of critical significance for research, scholarship and innovation and for We would like to remember Mary, Viscountess My engagement in this Ministerial programme the creative economy of the UK. The Library Eccles, whose Estate has over the course of coincided with the grand opening of the recognises that there is a need to modernise the year passed on her generous legacy to Library’s Business & IP Centre at St Pancras copyright legislation for the digital age. the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the David Lammy MP, Minister of Culture, on his first ministerial visit “The British Library plays an important role in the national economy through its support for UK research excellence and innovation, in addition to the major contribution it makes to the social and cultural enrichment of Britain’s citizens.” British Library, thus securing its long-term future. I am also delighted that the Folio Society, a partner in publishing for many years, has increased its involvement with the Library through sponsorship of the Folio Society Gallery, which will provide us with improved exhibition space in the Entrance Hall at St Pancras. In addition, we would like to thank the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and other donors for enabling our acquisition of the exquisite William Byrd manuscript, My Ladye Nevells Booke. We remain most grateful to the many generous supporters of the Centre for Conservation, the Codex Sinaiticus Project, and many other initiatives about which you will read more in this Report. Finally, as I come to the end of my term 01- of appointment, it is appropriate that I pay tribute to the creativity, dedication and hard work of the Library’s staff. I leave with a keen appreciation of a great, world-class institution and with confidence that the British Library is well equipped to play a leading role in the 21st century, helping people to advance knowledge to enrich lives. 06The British Library Annual Report 2005/06 04 05 An interview with the Chief Executive Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive Q. How is the British Library changing to connect with users? A. Improving the user experience, Q in the Reading Rooms, at exhibitions and online, is a strategic priority. This year we have met record levels of demand while exceeding user satisfaction targets. Our events programme continues to build a distinctive profile, with outstanding feedback from visitors, and our web presence is growing exponentially, recording almost 50 million hits from over four &A million user-hosts. Q. The digital revolution has caused upheavals across the information sector – how can the British Library remain relevant? A. That’s the question at the heart of Redefining the Library – our new three year strategy. Our strategic priorities have focused us on developing our services and modernising how we work to build new connections with users and partners. The Annual Report gives a rich picture of all our activities. Q. Does the strategy change the services Q. What effect will this have on the Q. Is this digital R&D the focus of the you provide? British Library’s international position? Library’s research activity now? A. It does – take the opening of the Business A. It will enhance it. Our primary duty is A. It is an important research area for & IP Centre last spring. With funding to the British taxpayer and our collections Library staff but not the only one. A major from the London Development Agency we must reflect the changing areas of research achievement this year was being awarded physically remodelled a traditional Reading expertise across the world. Our cultural Academic Analogue Status by the Arts and Room to provide networking areas, diplomacy role is also important and we Humanities Research Council, for the first workshops and specialist IP support. Our have developed significant new agreements time recognising us as a research institution rich database and patent collections have this year: with South Africa to assist in in our own right. It’s testament to the not changed but the way we deliver them capacity building across Africa; with Iraq, expertise of our scholarly and curatorial has. We’re now attracting a diverse range of to support the intellectual reconstruction staff and means we are now eligible for individuals and SMEs, by providing support of the national library; and with China to independent research funding. at each stage of the innovation life cycle. digitally re-unite collections and build digital capacity.