British Library Chief Executive receives honour from HRH The Prince of Wales
22 May 2008
Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, was made a Dame of the British Empire in the New Year Honours. Lynne Brindley received the insignia of her award from HRH The Prince of Wales in an investiture ceremony held at Buckingham Palace last Friday (16 May).
She receives the honour for services to education, having led the Library since July 2000.
Lynne Brindley said, "I am delighted to receive this recognition. It is, of course, a great personal honour but it is also a tribute to my many talented colleagues at the British Library and in the library and information profession.
"It is particularly pleasing that the citation is for services for education: in a world that is ever more focused on information, expanding access to knowledge – in schools, universities, and through lifelong learning – is vital to all our futures.
"The 'investiture ceremony', during which I was presented with a breast badge and a star by HRH The Prince of Wales, was held in the Palace Ballroom and went like clockwork. It was a truly memorable day for myself and my family."
For further information or images, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44(0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
Notes to Editors
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. 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 Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk.
Lynne J Brindley – short biography Lynne Brindley has been the Chief Executive of the British Library since July 2000. She is the first woman and the first information professional to have held the post. Since her appointment Lynne has led a major strategic development and modernisation programme to ensure that the BL remains a relevant, innovative and accessible national institution in the 21st century. The BL provides services that underpin UK competitiveness in research and contributes to innovation and creativity in our knowledge society. The BL reaches out to a wide public, increasingly through its digital services. Lynne came to the British Library from the University of Leeds where she was Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Previously she was a senior consultant with KPMG and has held leadership positions in information technology and knowledge management at Aston University and at the London School of Economics.
Lynne is active in high level international, European and national bodies concerned with media and information society initiatives, digital infrastructure and libraries, and cultural and public sector leadership. She is a visiting professor at City and Leeds universities. She speaks and writes on digital society, copyright and IP, knowledge management and innovation, and leadership. She has received a number of honorary degrees, including from the universities of Oxford, Leeds, Sheffield and University College London. She is a Companion of the Institute of Management and has recently been elected to the Court of the Goldsmiths' Company.
She enjoys music and is a competent pianist and enjoys buying modern art, particularly abstract landscapes and ceramics with Cornish influences; she likes to walk in the Yorkshire Dales and on the Cornish coastal footpath.