British Library: Facts

the acquisitions of Joseph Smith, British consul in Venice, formed the basis of the drawings collection in the Royal Collection and the "King's Library" of George III at the British Library?
grants given to the British Library by the Friends of the British Library have enabled it to acquire many historical treasures, such as the Dering Roll?
Samuel Hieronymus Grimm, a Swiss painter, toured England for twenty years leaving 2,662 sketches in the British Library -- including the only known image of the coronation of Edward VI?
British architect Sir Colin Wilson, known for designing the new British Library near St Pancras station, donated his collection of modern art to the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester?

Facts on topics related to British Library

English botanist John Ralfs amassed a collection 3,137 microscopic slides, which he left in his will to the British Museum?
Irish writer and trade unionist Brian Behan once took part in a swearing match at the British Museum?
Charles Gray was one of the original trustees of the British Museum?
Minuscule 644 was bought by the British Museum from Constantine Simonides, a forger of manuscripts?
The British Museum Friends recently provided funding to help the British Museum acquire twelve Greek papyri from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri?
British art forger Shaun Greenhalgh was a self-taught artist, yet managed to fool the British Museum, the Tate Modern, and Bonhams, Sotheby's and Christie's?
a ship's chronometer from HMS Beagle made by Thomas Earnshaw is now in the British Museum?
a part of the Parthenon Frieze currently at the British Museum used to be kept at Marbury Hall in Cheshire, England?
a silver dish thought to be the Ancient Roman Risley Park Lanx was on display in the British Museum for several years before being determined to be a complete fabrication?
on his death in 1727, antiquary and historian Thomas Madox's unpublished notes ran to ninety-four volumes, which his wife later left to be added to the British Museum's Sloane library?

British painter Alessandro Raho, commissioned to portray Judi Dench for the National Portrait Gallery in London, imagined her as a wealthy housewife?

52 of Sholto Johnstone Douglas's paintings of First World War "dazzle ships" (dazzle camouflage pictured) are in the Imperial War Museum?

Channel 4 billed its Comedy Gala, held at the O2 Arena in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, as "the biggest live stand up show in UK history"?
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer made their sitcom debut with their 1992 Channel 4 pilot The Weekenders?
The People's Parliament was a Channel 4 programme in which a random sample of citizens sat in a mockup of the House of Commons, debated and voted as a deliberative democracy?
according to TV critic Gareth McLean, none of the Britons featured in the Channel 4 documentary series New Hero of Comedy are "Heroes"?
despite criticism in Channel 4's Dispatches for his work at UK firm Leonard Curtis, Keith Goodman went on to become President of the Insolvency Practitioners Association?
the sitcom pilot Free Agents is likely to become the third show from Channel 4's Comedy Showcase to be given a full series?
the participants of the Channel 4 programme Dumped were not told that they would be living on a landfill site for three weeks?

Alfred Merle Norman, whose collection of 11,086 species was acquired by the Natural History Museum in London, was awarded the Linnean Medal in 1906?
ornithologist James David Macdonald was employed in the bird section of the British Natural History Museum despite claiming complete ignorance about birds?

Polish bishop Józef Andrzej Załuski, founded Załuski Library, one of the largest 18th century European libraries?
Choa Chu Kang Community Library was the first library in Singapore to install self-check machines for borrowing and returning of books?
Ethelbert of York's 8th century library was probably the largest book collection of its day outside of Rome?
Robert Walpole, father of England's first Prime Minister, holds the record for the longest overdue library book at 288 years?
Escape from Paradise, a book which documents a Singaporean woman's divorce, was removed from bookstores and libraries in the country in 2002, even after it had been reviewed in the Singapore press?
American art historian Charles Rufus Morey published a pamphlet on library planning called "Laboratory-Library"?
besides a mobile library, the Mobile Public Library also operates a system of libraries with eight branches and a local history and genealogy division with permanent addresses in Alabama?
the Church of Scientology attempted to ban the non-fiction book Scientology: The Now Religion in Canadian libraries during 1974?
the library in Michigan's Calumet and Hecla Industrial District originally housed public baths in its basement?
the Welsh library educator Peter Havard-Williams served as Chief Librarian to the Council of Europe?