BRITISH LIBRARY (No. 2)

That this House acknowledges the British Library's visionary plan, Living Knowledge, which sets out the British Library's direction as it looks ahead to its 50th anniversary in 2023; commends the Save Our Sounds programme which seeks to preserve the recorded voice and stories from people's lives and currently consists of 6.5 million recordings; notes the importance of preserving oral history through digitalisation of recordings; recognises the significant role the British Library plays through its Business and IP Centre, which offers advice and assistance to entrepreneurs with a programme of practical workshops and helpful advice on business plans and intellectual property; further notes that the British Library carries out 200,000 reference transactions; further recognises the increased pressure the British Library is facing as it accommodates a growing number of students following the increase in university admissions; and calls on the Government to recognise the British Library as a vital cultural institution and to maintain its support for the British Library and committed financial settlement to ensure the strengthening of its valuable services in the years ahead.