Asset registers

Details of the British Library's fixed assets can be found in our Annual Accounts. Our complete fixed assets register (TXT format) is also available for download. The downloadable file will be updated on an annual basis in the first quarter of each calendar year.

The Library's Information Asset Register (excel format).

CCTV

The Library's CCTV Policy (PDF format).

Disclosure log

The Library does not maintain a Freedom of Information Disclosure Log.

Register of gifts & hospitality provided to trustees, Board Members and senior personnel 

The number and value of gifts and hospitality (excel format) provided to senior members of staff in financial year 2021/21.

Register of interests

In accordance with the recommendations of the Nolan Committee, the Library maintains a Register of Interests of Board Members (PDF format). 

Any other register or list (as required by law or otherwise)

The Library's KPIs and other operating statistics for 2017/18 (PDF format).

The Library's Strategic Risk Register (PDF format).

The Library's Missing Item Database (excel format). This listing includes everything recorded on the ABRS (Automated Book Requesting System) as mislaid or lost from November 1997 (when the ABRS system was first used) to present day. It must be noted that many historical losses of items which occurred pre 1997 were entered onto the system. For example, this can be seen with the Oriental items with many historical losses (approx. 800 items) added in 2010. Similarly, this is true for the lost Document Supply items with approx. 17,700 being bulk loaded onto the system in June 2010. The spreadsheet is comprised of separate sheets displaying information by collection (e.g. Humanities, Music), providing details of shelfmark, author, title, publication year and the date it was added to the system. The number of mislaid or lost items expressed as a percentage of the entire collection of 150 million items is 0.02%. 

In most cases, mislaid items not at the correct shelf position have been misplaced on the shelves or the catalogue record may not have been altered to reflect a changed shelf mark. Although rigorous procedures are in place, the British Library’s collection is an exceptionally busy working collection and human error cannot be entirely eliminated. Furthermore items that were destroyed in the WWII bombings were not all identified as such and so may have been entered onto the system as mislaid. The Library has a rolling programme of collection audits, with priority given to auditing the most valuable items and those used most heavily in our collections. We also undertake other checks to locate mis-shelved items. 

With regards to the India Office material (with shelfmarks beginning IOR) many of these entries on ABRS are for numbers which were never used as gaps were left in the sequences. When India Office Records items were entered wholesale on the ABRS in 1998, the designation ‘Missing’ was used, where it should in very many cases have been corrected to ‘number not used’, or ‘transferred’.  In consequence many cross-reference entries and transferred items in India Office Records lists, as well as many deliberate gaps in number sequences’ have all now mistakenly appeared as ‘mislaid’ items. 

In addition to mislaid items, there are items described as 'lost' which are primarily items from the Document Supply Service Collection. In instances where a Document Supply item is not returned by the customer, the customer is invoiced and the item status is changed to ‘Lost’.  In this way we ensure that no Library resources are spent on replacing un-returned Document Supply loan items. We do not regard such ‘non-returns’ as theft, but we do take very seriously the loss of the items. Customers who persistently fail to return loan items are prevented from using the loan collection. 

Fortunately instances of theft and serious damage are very rare, when defined as a percentage of the collection items used by Readers. Every instance is thoroughly investigated and Readers who steal from, or seriously harm our collections will have their Reader passes permanently suspended. Such instances are reported to the police and the Library will always press for a prosecution.