Britain: An official handbook > 1966

232
Libraries
Libraries in
Education
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
The British Museum Library in London (over 7 million volumes) is the largest
in Britain. The National Library of Scotland (over 2 million volumes) is in
Edinburgh, and that of Wales in Aberystwyth (nearly 2 million volumes).
Together with the Bodleian Library of Oxford University million
volumes) and the Cambridge University Library (2! million volumes) these
comprise the ‘copyright’ libraries of the country and are entitled to receive
a copy of each new book published in Britain: the British Museum Library
must receive a copy, the other libraries may claim one.
Other national libraries are the National Lending Library for Science
and Technology (see p. 220), the Patent Office Library (see p. 220) and the
National Central Library (see p. 234).
The Science Museum, Victoria and Albert and the British Museum
(Natural History) in South Kensington all have large libraries and many
government departments have old-established libraries of considerable size
and importance, for example those of the Board of Trade, Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and War Office (now in the War Department
of the Ministry of Defence). The Public Record Office contains the non-
current records of the superior courts of law and of most of the government
departments, as well as such famous historical documents as Domesday
Book; it also houses the National Register of Archives (maintained by the
Historical Manuscripts Commission) which contains particulars of numerous
local and private records.
Besides the few great private collections, such as those of the John Rylands
Library, Manchester, and the Signet Library, Edinburgh, there are the rich
resources of the learned societies and institutions.1 Examples are the libraries
of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Royal Commonwealth
Society, the Commonwealth Institute, the Royal Geographical Society, the
Royal Institute of British Architects (see p. 231), the British Drama League
(see p. 237), the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, the Central
Music Library (administered by Westminster City Council), the National
Library for the Blind and the National Book League, which also houses the
Arts Council library of modern poetry.
The great expansion in education in recent years has increased the strain on
library resources at all levels of education. The ancient university libraries
of Oxford and Cambridge are not matched by any of the more recent founda¬
tions, although the combined library resources of the colleges and institutions
of the University of London total over 3! million volumes and the university
libraries of Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool,
Manchester and Leeds each have over half a million volumes. However,
many universities have succeeded in building up large and important research
collections in special subjects; for example the Barnes Medical Library at
Birmingham and the Brotherton Library of English Literature at Leeds.
The new universities are also rapidly building initial collections, and the
University Grants Committee (see p. 167) has a library committee to consider
university library problems in relation to university development and
expansion.
The importance of good libraries is recognised at all levels of the education
system. School libraries, most of which are maintained by local education
authorities, give instruction in the use of libraries. This service is often
organised by the public library and stock and staff are common to both
services. The Inner London Education Authority has a school library stock
1 For scientific societies and institutions see p. 206.