Thursday, August 26, 2010

Blog 1: Introduction to the British Library

Today I solely utlized web resources for the first 3  posts which describe the key information on the history, construction and architecure of the British Library.
One of the dominant libraries in Britain is the British Library located at Euston Road in London, England. The library has been known for having millions of items within its collection and enabling millions of interlibrary loan requests.

The collection contains several unique collections including: Original Beatle manuscripts, Magna Carta, Lindisfarne Gospels, Leonardo da Vinci's Notebook, The Times first edition from 18 March 1788. Material over 3,000 years old (Chinese oracle bones) - and today's newspapers, 310,000 manuscript volumes,Over 4 million maps and over 260,000 journal titles.

Why not view some photos of the British Library?  Follow the web link below:


The British library came into existance on the 1st of July in 1973 and In 1972 The British library was declared by Parliament as a single entity well after the established building plans had been completed. The library also easily assesible from various forms of transport.
The British Library has consistency been an impressive facility with a systematic approach to its services and has been frequently compared to leading libraries around the world such as the library of Congress.
Building was designed by architect Colin St John Wilson, the key features of this masterpiece have been published in London in 2007, the title is conviently named "The British Library"

Reflection on blogger experience:
I did not find all the required information from one website which was my orignal expectation. I used the Google search to search for The British library. I had found many websites with similar content. However I aim to incorporate a good scope of resources which provided a well rounded view (in my opinion) on the same subject. I learned how to edit blog posts, insert a picture and place hyperlink to provide ease of access to my blog readers.

References:
1.Welch and Lomholt, 2006, British Library Building : Information + Photos, E-architect, viewed 20 August 2010, http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/british_library.htm.
2. British Library, 2010, British Library, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, viewed 20 August 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Library.

Research brief

This research plan outlines the requirements for assessment submission; sub topics which I intend to cover and overall aim to enhance the assignments scope and quality.

Areas to be covered:
• Describe and analyse famous historical libraries in England
• The historical backgrounds of the libraries
• The significance of these older libraries today
• Changes within time periods eg. 1700 – 1800
• Describe Literacy works
•Social aspects of public libraries
• Library architecture
• Culture and history of Britain oldest libraries
• Other adjoining topics
 
Resources that may be utilized:
• Websites

• Online encyclopaedias and dictionary
• Monographs
• Serials
• Journals
• Reference books
• DVDs and video recordings
• Newspapers
• EBSCO Host
• Informit
• Other online databases

Strategy for Assignment:
• Incorporate at least 3 differential information resources
• Aim to provide with readers with thought provoking and informative material
• Avoid unnecessary repetition
• Provide links to articles on the topic
• Use Harvard Referencing to cite resources used