What could my legacy do?
Whenever we receive a legacy you can be confident that it will always be greatly needed and carefully used, whatever its value. Imagine your bequest helping us exhibit the treaty which brings peace to the Middle East, or enabling us to acquire and conserve a manuscript in Shakespeare's own hand, should an example ever be discovered.
- Enriching a world-class cultural institution
- Conserving for future generations
- Widening access to the world's knowledge
- Tell us what you are interested in
Enriching a world-class cultural institution
Four million people each year, from all over the world, search out knowledge and thinking from every era and every civilisation through the British Library. A gift in your Will can help us continue to add to the diversity and depth of knowledge we hold, and keep it living and relevant by acquiring new material as it becomes available.
For example, a legacy of £45,000 received now could enable us to complete the appeal to acquire the family collection of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of modern-day Singapore and the Zoological Society of London.
Conserving for future generations
There are many items in the British Library that are key to understanding how we live and think today - such as Magna Carta. There are also thousands which large numbers of visitors feel a deep love for - such as the original Alice in Wonderland. Yet many of these are at risk of falling apart or fading away with age and use. Your legacy could ensure people not even born yet can also learn from and enjoy them, by covering the cost of their conservation.
For example, a legacy of £40,000 enabled us to employ an extra conservator, who was able to preserve many more important works than would otherwise have been possible. A legacy of £5,000 received now could provide a bursary to enable a sound archivist to acquire essential skills for saving our recorded heritage, like the recording of Nelson Mandela's trial speech.
Widening access to the world's knowledge
A gift in your Will could enable us to take the knowledge we hold out into communities to promote an understanding of how different peoples have contributed to what we value today. Through innovative technologies, we can also share information and thinking with people far away to provoke change and progress.
A legacy of £30,000 would have been enough to cover the costs of creating the 'Mozart's Catalogue' Turning the Pages, which allows people anywhere in the world to explore a virtual copy and listen to extracts of many of his works.
Tell us what you are interested in
If you are considering leaving a gift in your Will to the British Library, please get in touch. We would love to hear what it is about our work you are interested in, and would be delighted to show you behind the scenes. Please contact Paul Dennett, Head of Charitable Giving, on +44 (0)20 7412 7237 or legacies@bl.uk