British Library Newspaper Collections Past and Future Edmund

British Library Newspaper Collections: Past and Future Edmund King Head, British Library Newspaper Collections Poznan Newspaper Conference 18 -21 October 2006 1

The Buildings n BL Newspapers Facts/ History See: n http: //www. bl. uk/collections/newspapers. html 2

Northern façade of BL Newspapers building: 1980 s 3

History 1 · 1869 : Newspaper Printers and Reading Rooms Act: newspapers to be deposited by publishers at the British Museum. · 1897 : Space for newspapers in the British Museum at Bloomsbury exhausted. · 1902 : British Museum Act authorising purchase of the Colindale site. · 1903 : British Museum Newspaper Repository completed as a warehouse for English provincial, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh newspapers. 4

History 2 n 1922 : Newspaper Repository is full. n 1928 : Royal Commission on National Museums and Galleries Interim Report recommends that the Colindale Repository be enlarged to contain all newspapers published later than 1800 and that a reading room be built. n 1930 : Building of the library commences. n 1932 - Aug 23 : British Museum Newspaper Library is opened. n 1940 - Oct 20 : A Luftwaffe bomb destroys the 1903 building. An estimated 6, 000 volumes of newspapers are also destroyed and a further 15, 000 volumes are damaged. n 1971 : New Microfilm building is completed. 5

History 3 – 1991 : Newspaper Library becomes responsible for the Newspaper Legal Deposit Office at 120 Colindale Avenue, formerly administered by the Copyright Receipt Office. – 1995 : Computer Conversion of the catalogue is completed. – 1996: Final NEWSPLAN report is published (London and South Eastern Library Region). – 1999: Newspaper Library website is established on The British Library's Online Information Server. http: //www. bl. uk/newspapers – 2000 : The Newspaper Library Catalogue of over 52, 000 newspaper and periodical title holdings is launched on the web. 6

British Library Newspaper Collections: Size n Complete Runs of UK newspapers from 18002006 n Some 664, 00 volumes and parcels n Estimated 370, 000 reels microfilm n 20 miles of shelving at Colindale, London 7

BL Newspaper Collections Legal Deposit: Newspapers BL aims to acquire all newspapers published in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland n This includes free newspapers, n BL receives approximately 70% of the free newspapers published in the UK. n BL does not keep free newspapers which consist solely of advertising. n 8

BL Newspaper Collections Legal Deposit Periodicals BL Newspapers also currently acquires via legal deposit: n British and Irish periodicals, predominantly weekly and fortnightly ones. n mainly those at the popular end of the market, and they cover an enormous range of subjects, for example: fashion; pop and jazz music; cinema and film; sports (such as football), hobbies; trades. n 9

Legal Deposit: aspects of implementation – all UK published newspapers wanted by BL –Some 2, 600 titles p. a. received – all are microfilmed –Once filmed, originals are not seen – many originals will not survive, as newsprint is poor quality: preservation issue – Legal Deposit Act 2003 for publications in electronic form –Consider taking. pdf files of newspapers from publishers 10

British Library Newspaper Catalogue n BL Newspapers catalogue: includes entries for over 52, 000 newspaper and periodical titles n BL holdings of Western-language newspapers published in Asia and North Africa are included in the catalogue n n http: //www. bl. uk/catalogues/newspapers/ welcome. asp 11

Titles in BL Newspapers Catalogue n n Search of catalogue – nos. of titles n Yorkshire 1145 Lancashire n Norfolk 269 Suffolk n Surrey 481 Sussex n Derbyshire 284 Nott’shire n London 9689 Ireland n Scotland 1955 Wales 480 237 586 293 1958 1230 Discount numbers by some 20% for n Variant editions n Changed titles 12

BL Newspaper Collections Reproductions Copying categories: Copies from original Newspapers and Periodicals Copies from Newspapers on microfilm Enhanced photocopies (complete pages only) Photographs Digital Images on CD Microfilm Further details at: http: //www. bl. uk/collections/copynews. html n n n n Copyright (UK law) restrictions n Preservation Microfilming: extensive programme n 13

BL Newspaper Collections Links to Other Sources Online Newspapers and News Magazines n Specialist News and Newspaper Resources n Newspaper Libraries and Faculties n Popular Culture Collections n For details, see: http: //www. bl. uk/collections/sources. html#news 14

BL Newspaper Collections Links to Other Sources Online Newspapers and News Magazines n Specialist News and Newspaper Resources n Newspaper Libraries and Faculties n Popular Culture Collections n For details, see: http: //www. bl. uk/collections/sources. html#news 15

NEWSPLAN 16

NEWSPLAN: UK Co-operation n NEWSPLAN is a co-operative programme for the microfilming and preservation of local newspapers and for making them accessible to users. n A successful example of co-operation between public libraries, the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales, the National Library of Ireland, and the newspaper industry, working together for the preservation of a major element of the printed record of life in the British Isles over the last two hundred years. n Further information is also available about the NEWSPLAN 2000 Project, a development in the NEWSPLAN Programme, implemented 2001 -2005. n NEWSPLAN is based on ten regions, corresponding to the ten regional library systems, some of which provide local information about their respective NEWSPLAN projects via the Internet: East Midlands; Ireland; London and South East Region; North Western Region; Northern Region; Scotland; South west Region; Wales; West Midlands; Yorkshire and Humberside. n Representatives of the regions, and the British Library, meet together as the NEWSPLAN Panel, with Elizabeth Melrose of North Yorkshire County Library Services in the chair. The Panel agrees policy and considers issues and opportunities at the national level. n Further details, see: http: //www. bl. uk/collections/nplan. html 17

Historic newspapers: digital scanning British Library projects: n Pilot Project: http: //www. uk. olivesoftware. com n Collect Britain project: Penny Illustrated Paper http: //www. collectbritain. co. uk/collections/pip/ n Further details: http: //www. bl. uk/about/cooperation/pdf/newsplanarticle. pdf British Newspapers 1800 -1900 Project n To digitise up to two million pages of British national, regional and local newspapers from microfilm n to offer access to that collection via a searching and browsing interface on the Web. n Further details http: //www. ifla. org/IV/ifla 71/papers/154 e -Shaw. pdf n 18

A billion names: 1 n From the Morning Chronicle February 13 1826, page 1, col. 5: “An historical outline of the Greek revolution, with a few remarks on the present state of affairs in that country” By W. M. Leake, late Lieut. -Col. In the Royal Artillery – printed by John Murray, Albemarle Street. n From the Morning Chronicle Monday April 23 1826, p. 3, col. 4: “KENT ASSIZES –Maidstone April 1. John Ashbee, a young man of respectable appearance, was indicted for a burglary and a robbery in the dwelling-house of John Cork, at Staplehurst, on the 23 March. ” n From The Era March 2 1862, p. 11: n Col. 3 “Mr. Walter Montgomery is engaged for two years at the Princess’s Theatre” 19

A billion names: 2 n From: THE TAUNTON COURIER, Wednesday 29 th November 1820 p 2 col 3 n “Mr Beedell, living at Ottery St Mary in Devon, has written within the compass of a sixpence piece, the Lord’s Prayer, the Belief and the 3 rd, 5 th 9 th and 10 th Commandment, his name and date of the year!” n From: THE TAUNTON COURIER, Wednesday 13 th December 1820 p 6 col 1 n “An extraordinary large Sturgeon was last week caught in the net of a Portland fisherman off that coast. It was purchased by Mr Allen, fisherman of Weymouth and submitted to public inspection. It weight upward of 400 lbs, was nine feet in length and four feet six inches in circumference and the spawn weight 48 lbs” n From: THE BATH CHRONICLE Thursday 10 February 1910 p 5 col 1 n “Another human link with the past has been broken by the death of Mr Matthew RIDLEY at Arundel Place, Northampton Street, Bath, who was the only survivor of the old Sedan Chair days. Mr Ridley, in his youth acted as one of the Sedan Chair carriers in Bath, wearing the quaint costume of tall hat and long coat which was affected by all those who followed this calling…. . Mr Ridley who was 79 years of age died on Sunday last. The deceased claimed to be a descendant of the famous Bishop RIDLEY who was burned at the stake in Oxford in 1555. 20

A billion names: 3 Military History n From Sussex Daily News Monday 26 February 1917 p. 6 col. 3: “LOCAL CASUALTIES/ ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT/…[LIST A-Z] From Sussex Daily News Saturday 10 February 1917 p. 7 col. 6: “THE ROLL OF HONOUR/ OFFICERS/ KILLED/ MOLLMAN, Capt. H. B. Leinster Regiment/ KILLED (PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING) BOWYER, Sec. -Lieut. G. H. South Wales Borders GROSS, Sec. -Lieut. H. G. East Yorkshire Regiment HEATH, Sec. -Lieut. W. H. North Staffordshire Regiment n 21

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The End Newspapers always excite curiosity. No one ever lays one down without a feeling of disappointment. Charles Lamb. Detached Thou 24 ghts on Books and Reading. **************************** Possible? Is anything impossible? Read the newspapers. Duke of Wellington. Words of Wellington 24