British Library

British Library
British Library
	The British Library from the piazza
	51°31′46″N 0°07′37″W / 51.52944°N 0.12694°W
Location	96 Euston Road; London, NW1 2DB, England
Type	National library
Established	1 July 1973
Architect(s)	Colin St John Wilson; Mary Jane Long
Branches	1 (Boston Spa, West Yorkshire)
Collection
Items collected	Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings and manuscripts
Size	170–200 million+ items:; 13,950,000 books; 824,101 serial titles; 351,116 manuscripts (single and volumes); 8,266,276 philatelic items; 4,347,505 cartographic items; 1,607,885 music scores; 6,000,000 sound recordings;
Legal deposit	Yes, provided in law by: Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 (United Kingdom); Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 (Republic of Ireland);
Access and use
Access requirements	Open to anyone with a need to use the collections and services
Other information
Budget	£142 million
Chair	Dame Carol Black
Chief Executive	Rebecca Lawrence
Website	bl.uk
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	The British Library, piazza, boundary wall and railings to Ossulston Street, Euston Road and Midland Road
Designated	31 July 2015
Reference no.	1426345

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom.^[3] Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] As a legal deposit library, it receives copies of all books produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the United Kingdom. The library operates as a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The British Library is a major research library, with items in many languages^[8] and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 14 million books,^[9] along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and items dating as far back as 2000 BC. The library maintains a programme for content acquisition and adds some three million items each year occupying 9.6 kilometres (6 mi) of new shelf space.^[10]

The Library's purpose-built building stands next to St Pancras station in London. It was officially opened by Elizabeth II on 25 June 1998, and is classified as a Grade I listed building "of exceptional interest" for its architecture and history.^[11] Off-site storage is provided at a second site near Boston Spa in Yorkshire.

^ ^a ^b Library, British (26 July 2010). British Library thirty-seventh annual report and accounts 2009/10. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-10-296664-0.
^ Historic England. "The British Library, piazza, boundary wall and railings to Ossulston Street, Euston Road and Midland Road (1426345)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
^ "Using the British Library" Archived 23 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. British Library. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
^ Wight, Colin. "Facts and figures". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
^ "BL Accounts 2019" (PDF). bl.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
^ "BL Exhibition Notes". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^ "How Big is the UK Web Archive?". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^ "Using the British Library". British Library. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
^ "The British Library; Explore the world's knowledge". British Library. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
^ The British Library Annual Report and Accounts 2010/11, p. 31 Archived 24 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
^ Cite error: The named reference listed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ARA-1] Library, British (26 July 2010). British Library thirty-seventh annual report and accounts 2009/10. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-10-296664-0.

[2] Historic England. "The British Library, piazza, boundary wall and railings to Ossulston Street, Euston Road and Midland Road (1426345)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 August 2021.

[3] "Using the British Library" Archived 23 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. British Library. Retrieved 17 April 2014.

[Wight-4] Wight, Colin. "Facts and figures". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.

[auto-5] "BL Accounts 2019" (PDF). bl.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.

[BL_Exhibition_Notes-6] "BL Exhibition Notes". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2018.

[How_Big_is_the_UK_Web_Archive-7] "How Big is the UK Web Archive?". bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.

[BL-CDP-8] "Using the British Library". British Library. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2014.

[BLhome-9] "The British Library; Explore the world's knowledge". British Library. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2010.

[10] The British Library Annual Report and Accounts 2010/11, p. 31 Archived 24 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine

[listed-11] Cite error: The named reference listed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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