British Library goes Web 2.0

The UK national library's multi-award-winning annual report returns this year in a radically altered format. The British Library Annual Report 2006-07 uses online technology to present a rich and varied experience light years away from the traditional print brochure.

The Annual Report 2006-07, which can be viewed at www.bl.uk/mylibrary, features video presentations by the Chairman and Chief Executive, webcams of the year's achievements from the Library's Directors and animated charts showing how the Library has measured up against its targets.

At the heart of the new style Annual Report is a suite of nine video case studies of people who have used the Library's collections and services in the past 12 months. These range from an acclaimed biographer of Robespierre to entrepreneurs who did their market research at the British Library Business & IP Centre; from a historian of the Jews of Baghdad to a local schoolgirl visiting a public exhibition at the Library's flagship St Pancras site. See them tell their stories at: http://www.bl.uk/about/annual/2006to2007/mystory.html

"We want to generate more of a dialogue with our users and stakeholders," says Jon Purday, editor of the British Library Annual Report. "Every webpage gives people the opportunity to give us feedback, tell us their story or respond to our opinion poll. Each page links directly to the projects and resources that are talked about in the Report."

He adds: "We are committed to print media and have issued a hard-copy version of the Report, but we're also very excited about the possibilities opening up on the web and this year our online Report has been the focus of major innovation."

Previous online versions of the British Library Annual Report have been straightforward copies of the print version. Last year's online Report featured more dynamic linking: it received a very positive response and, significantly, ten times more readers than the print version. Its successor breaks new ground in presenting an account of the Library's performance to a large and diverse audience in as lively and engaging a manner as possible.

Beyond the medium, the message of the British Library Annual Report 2006-07 is resoundingly positive. Highlights include:

• 94% satisfaction rate for users of the Reading Rooms
• 26% increase in page hits of the British Library website www.bl.uk
• Over 25 million searches of the Library’s online catalogue
• £15,900,000 of efficiency savings.

"The Library has had an extremely successful year across the full range of our activities. We have hit or exceeded every important target," says Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library. "The Library's success owes much to our talented and committed staff. I am proud of them all and we will continue to strive to support them and provide opportunities to recruit and retain the very best people to sustain our great library and its service to the nation and beyond."

For further information please contact: Ben Sanderson at the British Library Press Office (telephone +44 (0) 1937 546126, email: ben.sanderson@bl.uk) or Lawrence Christensen (telephone +44 (0) 20 7412 7114, email: lawrence.christensen@bl.uk)

Editors Notes

1. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The British Library's collections include 150 million items from every era of written human history beginning with Chinese oracle bones dating from 300 BC, right up to the latest e-journals. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk