Abstract
There is no point in rehearsing the lengthy saga of building the new British Library in North London. The media made much of it − much of it inaccurate − and the Library, its staff and its users are now only too pleased to put all that behind and are eager to work in and with the new building, enjoying its amenities and much improved services. However, between the actual building of the new library and its enjoyment lies an important interlude, which has been discussed far less − at least in public and by the press − and that is the gigantic effort of moving 250 kilometres of library and archive material from ten different locations into the new and vastly improved storage areas at St Pancras. As an introduction to this panel discussion I will highlight four issues, the details of which will − I hope − be developed further when the introductions are over and the discussion starts. They are: 1. Planning and budgets, 2. Diversity of collections and locations, 3. Preservation and security, and 4. Lessons learnt.
Highlights
As an introduction to this panel discussion I will highlight four issues, the details of which will − I hope − be developed further when the introductions are over and the discussion starts
The complexity of the move, which entailed a wide variety of materials coming from 10 different locations into one building; the need for smaller subsidiary moves within London and between London and Yorkshire
Intensive planning over a lengthy period of time turned this potential nightmare − I will not say into a dream, but − into a manageable and managed reality
Summary
One advantage of the lengthy delays in building the new library was the extended planning period. Before either of the latter two could be developed in detail, years were spent in measuring the collections (shelf length, depth and height) and on configuring which parts of the collection should move into the new building and which should go North or into one of the two outhouses the British Library had to keep in London. These decisions largely depended on the amount and kind of use the collections received or were likely to receive, on their value and rarity, and on their portability and their physical state. The move as a whole was a considerable drain on the Library‘s resources, and there were special provisions, the Library did go through a very lean time
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