37139 British Library 18/7/03 7:39 pm Page 2 Introduction British Library 2002/2003 CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION Economic and social progress is critically dependent on the advance of knowledge. The British Library plays an important role in providing the raw material for new thinking and hence stimulating the generation of ideas. The British Library is a world-class institution devoted and Skills Committee said, ‘We are proud that the British to the support of research and innovation through its Library is recognised as a world leader and we pay collections, services and staff. The Library is an integral tribute to its work in providing research resources for component of the national research infrastructure and higher education and for enterprise.’ plays a significant role in ensuring UK research excellence. Over 50 per cent of what the Library does is Most importantly perhaps, Government recognition of associated in some way or another with supporting our unique and important contribution was reflected Higher Education and a further 25 per cent of British in a positive Grant in Aid funding settlement for the Library activity is directed towards support of industry Library for the period 2003/04 – 2005/06. A substantial and business. capital allocation for the construction of additional storage capacity to meet projected collection growth The British Library also has much to offer the general alleviated some of the concerns I expressed in last year’s public. Whether in our Reading Rooms or via our report about the need to obtain the necessary Document Supply service some ten per cent of our investment in infrastructure. And – in what I take as activity relates to the delivery of information to lifelong a vote of confidence in the challenging programme of learners in the general population. And increasingly strategic change we have embarked upon – the Library digitisation is enabling us to build upon our exhibition also received significant additional Grant funding and education programmes to broaden access to the earmarked for investment in both the modernisation collections of the national library to an ever-widening of the Document Supply service and also the reform of public. human resources and working practices. During the period under review I was delighted to As we approach the next Spending Review I re-affirm see further recognition within Government of the my determination to ensure the necessary investment in substantive contribution that the Library makes to the the national library to sustain its world-class status and nation through its support of Higher Education and its to make available the knowledge held in our collections support for industry and UK competitiveness. In July to all who can benefit from it. 2002 the Government set out its strategy for science, engineering and technology in a publication entitled Investing in Innovation, in which it acknowledged ‘the value placed on the British Library as a resource to scientific researchers in the UK, both public and private’. Moreover, in its July 2002 report on library resources John Eatwell for Higher Education, the House of Commons Education British Library Chairman 03 37139 British Library 18/7/03 7:40 pm Page 4 Year Book British Library 2002/2003 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S SUMMARY OF THE YEAR This year the development of the British Library’s strategy has focused on assessing the different needs and expectations of our primary constituencies: researchers; business people; schools and students; the library and information network; and the general public. Establishing the current and emerging needs of our users has enabled us to articulate our shared sense of the British Library’s core purpose: to provide access to the world’s knowledge. We have engaged staff throughout the Library in passed its second reading on the 14th March 2003, defining how we all add value to the knowledge which and we are extremely grateful to all those who we hold in trust for present and future generations. The supported the progress of the Bill. There are still several compelling common factor underpinning the roles the stages to pass before legislation is secured, and there Library plays for all our diverse audiences has been remain some issues to be worked through with crystallised as helping people advance knowledge to stakeholders. However, if we are successful in our enrich lives. efforts, this will be a groundbreaking piece of legislation, ensuring that our national digital memory is preserved With a clear sense of purpose that is shared by staff and and made accessible in perpetuity. resonates with users, we are turning strategy into action. At an immediate and visible level, an exciting outcome Critical parallel activity has been the development of this has been the implementation of a distinctive new of digital archiving and preservation strategies. A visual identity for the Library. We recognise that the particular challenge facing all libraries as they develop success of our new brand will come not only from our digital collection strategies is how to collect and archive visual communications but also from the experience that information contained in websites. We are collaborating our many users have of the Library itself. Judging by with international partners, including the Bibliothèque the opinion of the writer A N Wilson, we have strong nationale de France, the Library of Congress and the foundations on which to build. In the acknowledgments National Library of Canada to agree distributed global to his recent book The Victorians, he comments that ‘the approaches to web archiving. British Library is the glory of our nation; the staff are its glory’, a sentiment which we all share as we celebrate Sustaining our world-leading acquisition levels remains the fifth anniversary of the opening of the first Reading a priority in the face of continuing budget pressures. Room at St Pancras. With increasing demands on resources, collaboration is crucial if we are to provide the best possible support Another landmark this year was the seventieth for UK research. A milestone this year has been anniversary of the opening of our newspaper Reading the publication of the report of the Research Support Rooms at Colindale in North London; meanwhile, great Libraries Group and its recommendation to establish progress has been made on the digitisation of our a Research Libraries Network for the UK. The British collection of the first English newspapers. The project is Library Board welcomed the report’s recognition that intended to give fully-searchable web access to ‘the first ‘the British Library is absolutely integral to the success of draft of history’. This is just one example of how we are UK research’. We will continue to play a leading role in opening up a specialised area of our collection to much shaping a more integrated future approach to research wider usage, enabling innovative new research and support, working with the Higher Education Funding advancing knowledge in very real terms. Council for England and other partners. The future role of libraries is being fundamentally We continue to work closely with the Society of influenced by the development of Internet and Chief Librarians (SCL) to develop a shared agenda digital technologies. The challenge of handling digital appropriate to the challenges facing libraries at both publications is shared by all libraries, but there is a special the community and national level. The second annual responsibility on libraries of legal deposit to guarantee workshop between the British Library and SCL was the integrity of the national published archive. We have held in December and we are pursuing collaborative put particular effort into lobbying for the extension programmes with the public library network and other of legal deposit to include digital as well as print regional agencies. These will bring our collections and materials, working closely with other key stakeholders exhibitions to a wider audience and will support the from libraries, publishers and Government. A Private library network in its marketing and delivery of services Member’s Bill, sponsored by Chris Mole MP, successfully to local audiences. 05 37139 British Library 18/7/03 7:40 pm Page 6 Year Book British Library 2002/2003 CHIEF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONTINUED An exciting new collaboration with the New York Public developing leadership skills within the Library and will Library will enable us to share best practice and develop be rolling out a series of training programmes later FACT BOOK DIVIDER joint initiatives with another great research library with in the year. Our performance management scheme is a different function and perspective to our own. Areas being redesigned, and a fundamental review of our FRONT we are investigating together include the role of reward and recognition system will commence shortly. the library curator in the 21st century, long-term I would like to thank our interim HR Director, digital strategies, and the provision of services to the Andy Cook, for the significant work he directed during science and business community. We are grateful to the his appointment, and to welcome our new Director, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its vital support in Mary Canavan, who joins us in June 2003. the development of this project. We have been reviewing our estates requirements, and In last year’s report I referred to the fundamental to ensure that we have space to accommodate the modernisation programme which we were undertaking eleven kilometres of new material we acquire each year to develop the British Library’s services. This has we have begun planning for new storage developments continued and there have been many hard decisions to at our site in Yorkshire. We were pleased to receive take, as well as significant and sometimes painful additional capital funding from Government to assist changes to implement this year.