British Library celebrates 50th anniversary 

King Charles III has hailed the British Library “one of the great libraries of the world” as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

The library began operations on 1st July 1973 as result of the British Library Act (1972), passed by parliament the previous year. 

Several existing organisations, including the British Museum Library, the National Central Library and the National Lending Library for Science & Technology, were brought together to create the British Library. Among the estimated 170 million items the library cares for are books, journals, newspapers, patents, maps, prints, manuscripts, stamps, photographs, 6.5 million sound recordings, 11.3 million digital publications of all kinds and over 20 billion pages of UK web content. The collection grows every day, supported by the Legal Deposit mandate to collect everything published in the UK, whether physical or digital, and the library’s mission is to develop, preserve and provide access to the vast resource, for today’s users and far into the future. 

In a special message to the library to mark the anniversary, King Charles III said: “Since its establishment, the British Library has become one of the great libraries of the world, treasured by all who use it. The British Library continues to reach millions of people through its display of extensive collections, Reading Rooms and network of partner libraries. I am pleased to see that The King’s Library remains to this day a working part of the national collection.” 

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: "The British Library was one of the outstanding cultural creations of the second Elizabethan age. 

"In the 50 years that followed, the library became home to the UK’s written history with an extensive collection and a heritage that has entertained and informed millions of visitors. 

"As accurate and reliable information becomes ever more valuable, libraries like the British Library continue to increase in importance as one of the most trusted sources of knowledge and facts. The library has everything to look forward to in the next 50 years." 

There will be a series of Pay-What-You-Can events to celebrate the 50th anniversary. The programme will comprise online and in-person events in London and Yorkshire throughout July, including honouring Emily Brontë on 20th July and William Shakespeare on 18th July, and a debate on the best writing of the last 50 years with Monica Ali, Roger McGough and David Nicholls as part of "Lit, Laugh, Love at the Library" (11th July). 

There will also be "An Evening of Discovery and Illumination" (13th July), which will showcase a selection of writers’ archives, manuscripts and rare books the library has acquired over the past five years, "Surrender" (4th to 11th July), an immersive audio journey featuring rarely-heard readings and reflections from storyteller, art critic and artist John Berger and "Meet the British Library" (8th July) with a range of free tours, talks, performances and workshops. 

The library has also recently published a new strategic vision, Knowledge Matters, which outlines the ways in which, as the UK’s national library, it will serve new and existing audiences over the next seven years, while adapting to the changes that are already impacting both the knowledge industry and the wider world.