Issue 73 Summer 2011 Quarterly Newsletter FRIENDS www.bl.uk/friends OF THE BRITISH LIBRARY Registered charity no. 328095 Campaign for legacies launched Consider joining our new Codicil Club At our Annual General Meeting in March Lord Hameed, the chairman, announced the launch of a new campaign to encourage members to remember the Friends in their wills. It is being orchestrated by Stephanie Kenna, our honorary secretary, and Ed King, a member of the Council and head of the Library’s newspaper collections. To set it going, all Council members have been asked to add a codicil to their wills by the end of June, leaving an appropriate sum to the Friends. In difficult financial times, as acquisition budgets shrink, our ability to respond flexibly and quickly to requests for assistance from the Library’s curators is ever more vital. That is why we are asking Friends to consider a donation, however small, as they draw up their wills – or, more simply, to add a codicil to existing wills. Campaign co-ordinators: Ed King and Stephanie Kenna. A leaflet describing the ways in which legacies have enabled us to support the Library’s work, and explaining the details of how Many people die without having made a will – a missed to make such a bequest, will be available later in the summer. It opportunity to set down how you want your asssets distributed is intended that those who have remembered the Friends in their after your death. If you are thinking of making a new will, please wills should, if they wish, inform the honorary secretary and can remember us. As you may have read, the Chancellor of the then become members of our new Codicil Club, entitling them Exchequer, in his March Budget, announced that those who leave to invitations to a small number of special events. at least ten per cent of their estate to charity will qualify for a Members who have already named the Friends in their wills can reduction in inheritance tax from 40 to 36 per cent – a join the Club if they inform Stephanie through the membership considerable benefit for their descendants and other legatees. office. They will not be asked how much they have bequeathed, A legacy can make a big difference to a small organisation such which is a private matter. as the Friends. Even £100 boosts the funds that we can contribute Over the years a number of legacies have enabled the Friends to to the Library’s work, while with £1000 we could give further give valuable support to the Library’s work. Mary Welch’s bequest support to conservation and £10,000 would be a significant of £130,000 allowed us to contribute significantly to the contribution to a major acquisition. construction of the Conservation Centre, one of whose studios As our treasurer, Graham Allatt, pointed out at the AGM, when he is named after her. More recently, a study grant for overseas was discussing ways of maximising the Friends’ income: “Legacies conservators (see page 3) was funded from Isabel Haberer’s are the icing on the cake to let us help the Library more.” And as generous bequest. we all know, the thicker the icing, the sweeter the cake. Inside this issue Win tickets to Page 2 AGM report Stoppard and Pinter Page 3 Grants Page 4 Foreign fieldwork See pages 3 and 8 Page 5 In the Library Page 6 Visit reports Page 7 New events Page 8 Prize crossword Image above: Mervyn Peake Archive, (by Kind Permission of the Mervyn Peake Estate). AGM report How Friends help ease the Library’s pain Addressing our Annual General Colindale, when the papers will be moved to a purpose-built store Meeting in March, Dame Lynne at Boston Spa. And she told us that funding had now been secured Brindley, the Library’s chief to ensure the survival of the Business Centre after the loss of its executive, was warm in her former grant. praise for the Friends’ support Lord Hameed, chairman of the Friends, echoed Dame Lynne’s for the Library over the past concerns about the future: “These are difficult times for the Library year, adding that it would and it needs our support more than ever.” He paid tribute to David become even more vital as Marcus, the Council member whose death was reported in the last a result of the severe cuts in Newsletter, and gave thanks to the three departing Council members – the annual Government grant. Amanda Benton, Lord Hemingford and Kathy Wrennall. He also “We have to up our game in thanked the volunteers who man the Friends’ desk in the lobby, fund-raising,” she declared. remarking: “It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of their role.” Lord Bragg and Lord Hameed. Over the next four years the The treasurer, Graham Allatt, gave a bullish report on our finances, Library will lose 15 per cent of with income holding steady because of the loyalty of our members its grant, with the projected annual spending on acquisitions dropping and the popularity of the events programme. Costs were slightly down by £4m to £15m. Staff numbers will also need to be slashed, with on the previous year and our reserves are in good shape. 200 people losing their jobs over the next three years. Finally the author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, a vice-president Dame Lynne gave special thanks for our support of the two major of the Friends, delivered what he described as “a sort of romp – exhibitions of the year – Magnificent Maps, which attracted a record a gallop through the history of words”. He noted that, despite the 226,000 visitors, and Evolving English, which had already exceeded influence of Latin from the Roman invaders and French from the its visitor target with several weeks still to run. “You have contributed Normans, many old English words remain an important part of our very significantly to making them a great success,” she said, while language. Of the 100 most common words, 76 derive from old also acknowledging our grant of £20,000 to help the Library buy English. In Winston Churchill’s famous wartime speech, “We shall the Mervyn Peake archive. fight on the beaches . ”, only one word did not have an English Speaking of the Library’s decision to charge an admission fee for derivation, and that was “surrender”. major exhibitions from next autumn, Dame Lynne said there would be Lord Bragg made a brief reference to his forthcoming book about a concessionary rate for Friends. Responding to a member’s suggestion the King James Bible, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the work. that it would be more cost-effective to continue with the former free He heaped lavish praise on William Tyndale, much of whose sixteenth- admission policy, so as to boost membership, she said she would century translation of the New Testament was reproduced almost discuss that option with her colleagues. verbatim in the King James version. “He introduced the rhythm of the She updated members on the Library’s newspaper digitisation word of God into English,” said Lord Bragg, adding that Tyndale and project and the eventual closure of the Newspaper Library at Shakespeare, in his view, were the two true geniuses of the language. Letter from the Secretary Stephanie Kenna was confirmed as Honorary out over the coming year. Council is very supportive of this initiative Secretary of the Friends at the AGM, after a year as and, at their February meeting, all Trustees pledged to include a Acting Secretary. Here she sets out the Council’s plans legacy to the Friends, either as a codicil to their wills or in a letter to increase the contribution we can make to the Library. of intent, by the end of June. We hope that other members will be encouraged to make a At the AGM I spoke about our plans to increase the membership similar pledge, and we were delighted to note the Chancellor of the and income of the Friends over the coming months and years, and Exchequer’s concession of a reduction in inheritance tax for those I want to put these down on paper. One of my earliest actions as who leave at least ten per cent of their estate to charity. Acting Secretary was to develop a three-year strategy based on The second initiative is a piece of research, undertaken by fellow work already undertaken by the Council. This re-states our aims Council member Ed King and myself, into the recruitment strategies and objectives – that is, to promote, support, assist and improve of other Friends’ organisations. From this we have produced a series the British Library through providing grants and using our influence of recommendations to Council which we will also take forward to increase public awareness and support. during 2011/12, in close collaboration with the Library. The strategy includes an implementation plan which will be In this context, one activity that members can help us with is to reviewed annually. Each action has a Council lead who is asked publicise the Friends to other special interest groups or organisations to report on progress at each Council meeting. to which you belong. You could, for example, hand out material at Our achievements during 2010/11 included contacting lapsed meetings or say a few words about the Friends or, if you prefer, let Friends to encourage them to re-join, continuing to organise a varied us know of any appropriate groups or organisations that we might and interesting programme of events and refreshing the look of our approach to raise our profile and attract new members.