News

The British Library would like to invite colleagues and partners who attend the UKSG Conference to an open day at the Boston Spa Campus

Published date:

24 January 2017

Following the conclusion of the three day UKSG Conference, on Wednesday 12 April, the British Library at Boston Spa will throw its doors open to conference attendees and delegates, who will be able to find out the goings on at the site, which opened in 1961.

The Boston Spa campus, just ten miles from Harrogate, is home to the British Library On Demand service, our publisher digitisation studio and much, much more.  The tour will include an introduction from Andy Appleyard, the Head of Operations North, visits to the Boston Spa Reading Room, our digitisation studio, the National Newspaper Building and a chance to see robots at work in the Additional Storage Building.  There will be an opportunity to learn more about cataloguing, the retrieval process, metadata services and digital preservation - including the British Library's Web Archive.  Refreshments will be provided and guests will have a chance to meet with and question British Library staff from the different departments based in Boston Spa.

Transport and registration

There will be transport to and from the UKSG Conference, which is being held at the Harrogate International Centre from 10-12 April 2017.  There will also be provision to take visitors directly to York train station.

To register your interest and secure a place on the British Library at Boston Spa tour, please e-mail peter.chymera@bl.uk before Friday 31 March 2017.  If you have any special requests or you have a specific area of interest that you would like to know more about, please provide details in your e-mail and we will do our best to accommodate them.  We would also request that you confirm your preferred drop off location at Harrogate International Centre or York train station.  Alternatively, if you would prefer to make your own way to the British Library by your own private transport, then please let us know and we will be happy to welcome you.

For more information and to register for the UKSG Conference, please visit the UKSG webpages.    

Plan and timings of event

13.15 - UKSG Conferences closes
13.45 - Bus departs Harrogate International Centre
14.30 - Arrival at Boston Spa, welcome from Andy Appleyard, Head of Operations North.  Refreshments will be served in the Conference Suite and visitors will have a chance to speak with British Library staff
15.15 - Guests are invited on a tour of the Boston Spa site
16.15 - Tours concluded and guests can return to Conference Suite for refreshments
16.30 - Bus departs Boston Spa
17.15 - Bus arrives at drop-off points