Key Facts

• The Bill amends the British Library Act 1972.
• The British Library receives increased funding from the Red Book.
• The British Library aims to have up to 20 outposts around the country, including a potential site in Leeds.
• The British Library currently has part of its operations at Boston Spa.
• The Bill would grant the British Library financial borrowing power similar to that of other DCMS-sponsored museums since 2013.
• Under this Bill, the British Library must submit a loan application which includes all terms and conditions, requiring government approval before proceeding.
• If the library fails to repay its debts, the grant in aid from the Government will be reduced.
• The British Library holds over 150 million items across its sites in Boston Spa and St Pancras.
• Its collection expands by approximately 8 km annually.
• In 2019, the library's digital archive expanded by the equivalent of 2 billion web pages.
• From January 2016 to December 2018, 55% of business and intellectual property centre users who started a new business were women (compared with 22% nationally).
• 31% of users from black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds started businesses (compared with only 5% nationally).
• 17% of users had disabilities (below 2% nationally).
• The DCMS voted loans scheme has been used by cultural institutions for new buildings, storage spaces, galleries, increasing visitor footfall, and putting more objects on display.
• The St Pancras Transformed project aims to extend the London site with exhibition spaces, improved public areas, a permanent home for the Alan Turing Institute, flexible accommodation for third-party companies.
• British Library may apply for a Government loan with corresponding adjustments in grant in aid if unable to repay.
• Some believe libraries should move entirely online, but the speaker argues for a mix of physical and digital collections.
• The Bill aims to strengthen communities, level up the country, improve soft power, bring the British Library into the modern world, and enhance access to business advice.
• The British Library has a 44-acre site in Boston Spa, Yorkshire.
• £25 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund is committed to support a new Leeds city centre presence for the British Library.
• £13 million will expand the Business and IP Centre national network to 20 centres in 2023.
• The Bill aims to grant the British Library the power to borrow money similar to other DCMS-sponsored museums.
• The British Library received over £96 million in grant-in-aid annually.
• It had 1.64 million physical visits and 27 million website visits last year.
• The British Library holds between 170 million and 200 million items.
• It grows its collection by 3 million items every year, requiring an additional 12 km of shelf space annually.
• The library harvested over 70 terabytes of web content for the UK web archive in 2016.
• The British Library is still reliant on grant-in-aid for around 80% of its income.
• The Government has secured £30 million to expand the IP network to 20 centres by 2023.
• The British Library has supported over 12,000 businesses since 2016.
• The Bill will allow the British Library to borrow funds for expansion and regeneration projects.
• DCMS-funded national institutions in London receive nearly half of total spending in England.
• The British Library currently lacks borrowing powers under the 1972 Act.
• Other British institutions gained borrowing powers in 2013.
• A letter from the former DCMS Secretary encouraged museums to use borrowing powers for income-generating opportunities.
• Gainsborough’s House needs borrowing power for a major refurbishment project funded partly by the national lottery.
• The British Library Act 1972 created the institution as a national archive and working repository.
• Other museums and galleries have the power to borrow, which improves their sites and provides better visitor access.
• The Government invested £13 million to expand the Business and IP Centre network across England.