Overview of the year’s main achievements
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- Major progress with digitisation
- Major acquisitions
- Business & IP Centre activities
- Collection stewardship achievements
- Copyright debate and the Digital Economy Bill
- Major exhibitions
- Achievements in science, technology and medicine
- Achievements in scholarship & collections
- Other notable developments
Major exhibitions
- Henry VIII: Man and Monarch
Guest-curated by historian and broadcaster Dr David Starkey, this highly popular exhibition celebrated the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, encouraging visitors to reassess their perceptions of the great Tudor monarch. 250 exhibits went on show, including correspondence, documents, maps and books. Record levels of positive feedback were received. Family events and a UK touring programme reached a wide audience.
Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs
The British Library’s first major photographic exhibition examined the development and influence of photography from its invention in 1839 up to the growth of a popular amateur market in the early 20th century. Rarely displayed items from the collection showed how photography had assumed a critical role as the primary means of visual expression.
