British Library Newspaper
Collections: Past and Future
Edmund King
Head, British Library Newspaper Collections
Poznan Newspaper Conference
18-21 October 2006
1
The Buildings

BL Newspapers Facts/ History See:

http://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html
2
Northern façade of BL Newspapers
building: 1980s
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.
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History 2

1922 : Newspaper Repository is full.

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.

1930 : Building of the library commences.

1932 - Aug 23 : British Museum Newspaper Library is
opened.

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.

1971 : New Microfilm building is completed.
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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.
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British Library Newspaper
Collections: Size

Complete Runs of UK newspapers from 18002006

Some 664,00 volumes and parcels

Estimated 370,000 reels microfilm

20 miles of shelving at Colindale, London
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BL Newspaper Collections
Legal Deposit: Newspapers

BL aims to acquire all newspapers published in
the United Kingdom and in the Republic of
Ireland
 This includes free newspapers,
 BL receives approximately 70% of the free
newspapers published in the UK.
 BL does not keep free newspapers which consist
solely of advertising.
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BL Newspaper Collections
Legal Deposit Periodicals

BL Newspapers also currently acquires via legal
deposit:
 British and Irish periodicals, predominantly
weekly and fortnightly ones.
 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.
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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

BL Newspapers catalogue:

includes entries for over 52,000 newspaper and
periodical titles
 BL holdings of Western-language newspapers
published in Asia and North Africa are included in
the catalogue

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/newspapers/
welcome.asp
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Titles in BL Newspapers Catalogue


Search of catalogue – nos. of titles
 Yorkshire 1145
Lancashire
 Norfolk
269
Suffolk
 Surrey
481
Sussex
 Derbyshire 284
Nott’shire
 London
9689 Ireland
 Scotland
1955 Wales
480
237
586
293
1958
1230
Discount numbers by some 20% for
 Variant editions
 Changed titles
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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









Copyright (UK law) restrictions
 Preservation Microfilming: extensive programme
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BL Newspaper Collections
Links to Other Sources

Online Newspapers and News Magazines
 Specialist News and Newspaper Resources
 Newspaper Libraries and Faculties
 Popular Culture Collections
For details, see:
http://www.bl.uk/collections/sources.html#news
14
BL Newspaper Collections
Links to Other Sources

Online Newspapers and News Magazines
 Specialist News and Newspaper Resources
 Newspaper Libraries and Faculties
 Popular Culture Collections
For details, see:
http://www.bl.uk/collections/sources.html#news
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NEWSPLAN
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NEWSPLAN: UK Co-operation

NEWSPLAN is a co-operative programme for the microfilming and preservation of
local newspapers and for making them accessible to users.

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.

Further information is also available about the NEWSPLAN2000 Project, a
development in the NEWSPLAN Programme, implemented 2001-2005.

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.

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.

Further details, see: http://www.bl.uk/collections/nplan.html
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Historic newspapers: digital scanning
British Library projects:
 Pilot Project: http://www.uk.olivesoftware.com
 Collect Britain project: Penny Illustrated Paper
http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/pip/
 Further details:
http://www.bl.uk/about/cooperation/pdf/newsplanarticle
.pdf
British Newspapers 1800-1900 Project
To digitise up to two million pages of British national,
regional and local newspapers from microfilm
to offer access to that collection via a searching and
browsing interface on the Web.
Further details
http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla71/papers/154e-Shaw.pdf




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A billion names: 1

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.

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.”

From The Era March 2 1862, p.11:
 Col. 3 “Mr. Walter Montgomery is engaged for two years at
the Princess’s Theatre”
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A billion names: 2

From: THE TAUNTON COURIER, Wednesday 29th November 1820 p2 col
3

“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 3rd,
5th 9th and 10th Commandment, his name and date of the year!”

From: THE TAUNTON COURIER, Wednesday 13th December 1820 p6 col
1

“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”

From: THE BATH CHRONICLE Thursday 10 February 1910 p 5 col 1

“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.
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A billion names: 3
Military History
 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

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The End
Newspapers always excite curiosity. No one
ever lays one down without a feeling of
disappointment.
Charles Lamb. Detached Thou24ghts on Books
and Reading.
********************************************************
Possible? Is anything impossible? Read the
newspapers.
Duke of Wellington. Words of Wellington
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