BBC and British Library broaden archive access

The BBC and British Library are working together to make the content and assets of both organisations more widely available.

They plan to develop new ways of integrating access to nearly a million hours of BBC TV and radio content and over 150 million British Library items for the benefit of researchers and the wider public. The BBC and British Library are also looking to work together on issues such as rights management, distribution of archive content, digitisation and storage.

'The BBC and the British Library share many of the same purposes – to guarantee public access to content in an open realm, creating a space where people can debate and exchange ideas and experiences. Unlocking the wealth of content in the British Library and BBC archives is a great opportunity as well as an immense challenge. It is vital we partner, harnessing the power of digital technology to give the public the access they deserve,' commented Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC.

Lynne Brindley, CEO of the British Library,  agreed: 'Providing increasing access to our collections using digital technologies is a primary goal of the British Library. This partnership not only demonstrates that we are keen to share content for the benefit of today’s researchers and the knowledge economy, but also expresses our continued commitment to supporting the government’s vision of building a Digital Britain.'

Earlier this year the BBC also signed agreements with the British Film Institute and The National Archives.