Independence Day in the British Library

Day 7:

Independence Day started off like any normal American holiday when you're in London...at Platform 9 3/4!  We headed to King's Cross station early to make sure we had time to take photos and visit the Harry Potter shop there at the station.  We took our own pictures, visited the shop, and then waited for the shop's professional photographer to take a group shot with props.

On my way to Hogwarts

Platform 9 3/4

Once we had finished our photo-ops, we set off for the British Library, which is located nearby.  The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is a copyright library.  This means that it automatically receives a copy of all publications (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.) from the UK and Ireland.  In addition, their collection covers all languages and items from around the world.  As of right now, they have more than 21 million items, and if you were to use 5 items per day it would take you 80,000 years to get through it all.  They add enough material each month to require an additional 1km of shelving. 

British Library entrance

The library is relatively young--only 40 years old, and it has only been at its current location since 1997.  Much of the library's collection came from the British Museum, which is why the library's collection is so much older than the library itself.  They maintain an extensive electronic collection, especially of material that is out of copyright.  The copyright laws in Britain allow copyright to remain intact for 70 years after an author's death.  After that time, the material is part of public domain. 

Fun facts about the British Library:
~More of the library is underground than above ground.
~They have 11 reading rooms available to users.
~ Most of their users (approximately 65%) are there for academic purposes--either students or teachers.
 ~There are 4 "Founding Fathers" whose busts are on the wall:  Sir Rob Cotton, Sir Joseph Banks, Thomas Greenville, and Sir Hans Sloane.
~Sir Hans Sloane was reputed to have invented milk chocolate.
~Christian Bale and Johnny Depp have reading cards and use the library.
~The busiest time for the library is near Easter.
~No writing utensils except pencils are allowed near the materials.
~5,000-6,000 items are delivered each day via the 3km of conveyor belts that comprise the Mechanical Book Handling System (MBHS). 

In the center of the library is the King's Library tower.  It is King George III's private library.  It contains 85,000 volumes dating from 1460s to 1820, which would have been contemporary times for him.  The books are classical literature, books about languages, contemporary literature, etc.  George III was an avid book collector, and when he died his son George IV did not want his father's library.  George IV decided to donate the entire collection to the British Museum with three conditions: 1) It needed to stay on permanent display. 2) It must be displayed separately from the rest of the collection. 3) It must be available for anyone to use.  The British Museum agreed to these conditions and followed them, and the British Library has continued to abide by these requirements.  The tower consists of six floors of books.  "Founder" Thomas Greenville's library is housed inside the King's Library.  Readers can check out books from King George's library and use them in the rare books room.

The King's Library Entrance

View of the King's Library from above

Six floors of rare books available for use

King George III's library

After seeing the King's Library, we relaxed on the rooftop terrace for a few minutes.  This area is available for staff and readers who want a quiet place to read or study.  It is not heavily publicized and the entrance is not widely advertised, so not every user knows about it.   It was lovely to be able to sit in such a nice, well-maintained greenspace so far above the city.  I could imagine that studying out there would be extremely relaxing and useful.

Rooftop Terrace

 Next, we went to see the Klencke Atlas, which is the second largest known atlas and was once used as a coffee table or end table by Charles II.  If you look closely at the picture of the enormous atlas, you may be able to see the ring that comes from Charles's cup or mug.

Klencke Atlas

Close-up of atlas with cup/mug ring

Our final stop before Nigel, our guide, dropped us off in the "Treasure Room" was Scholar's Leap, which is a pedestal standing area on the top of the elevator.  It offers a beautiful view of the cafe' and the King's Library.

View of the Cafe' from Scholar's Leap

My trip to the Treasure Room after our tour gave me chills on multiple occasions.  I walked in and saw a case containing a First Folio by William Shakespeare, and then I turned to see a copy of Beowulf that had been charred on its edges in a fire.  I also was able to see Jane Austen's writing desk, handwritten Beatles lyrics, illuminated manuscripts, letters from Winston Churchill, original musical scores from Beethoven, the Gutenberg Bible, the Magna Carta, and many more things.