British Library Video Clips of High Profile Readers

As part of the programme to celebrate the ten years since the St Pancras building first opened, we ran a special Reader event on 25 November, when a panel of high-profile Readers revealed how the Library has been a source of inspiration for them. This animated evening was hosted by Sue MacGregor, the well-known broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 4's A Good Read and The Reunion. Her fellow speakers included the eminent historian Dr David Starkey, who spoke of his work as the Guest Curator of the Library's forthcoming exhibition on Henry VIII opening next April. Professor Martin Kemp spoke of using technology to make items understandable, challenging the audience to consider that digitisation should be about "digital exposition, not just digital storage". Tim Campbell, winner of The Apprentice television programme, explained how the Business IP Centre has provided him with crucial planning information for setting up The Bright Ideas Trust, a social initiative to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. The award-winning architect M J Long was also on the panel. She has particularly close links with the Library; her firm Long and Kentish designed the Centre for Conservation and, with her husband, the late Sir Colin St John Wilson, was architect of the Library's St Pancras building. Website: British Library