| Lynne Brindley | |
|---|---|
Dame Lynne Brindley in 2008, Chief Executive of The British Library |
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Reading, University College London |
| Occupation | Librarian |
| Employer | British Library |
| Awards | DBE, FRSA |
Dame Lynne Janie Brindley, DBE, FRSA (born 2 July 1950)[1][2] is a British professional librarian and has been the Chief Executive of the British Library, the United Kingdom's national library, since July 2000.
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Brindley gained a first class degree in music at the University of Reading ca. 1975 and then began her professional career as a library trainee at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. She studied librarianship at the School of Librarianship, University College London, where she was awarded the Sir John MacAlister award as the top student on her course. She first worked for the British Library in 1979, in the Bibliographic Services Division and by 1983 she led the chief executive's office. She moved on to be director of library services at the University of Aston, and spent some time as a consultant for KPMG. She was librarian of the British Library of Political and Economic Science at the London School of Economics (LSE), before moving to the University of Leeds as Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, and later as Pro Vice-Chancellor.[3]
On 17 November, 2011, Brindley announced that she will step down from her post as Chief Executive at the British Library at the end of July, 2012.[4]
A switch from print to digital publishing by the year 2020 is anticipated; which implies that readers will have diminishing physical contact with books, the primary experience and foundation of civilization for the last 500 years. In this context of change, Brindley is committed to ensuring that the Library does not become little more than “a book museum”.[5] Brindley's point-of-view is forward-looking when she explains
"Most people are aware that a national switch to digital broadcasting is expected by the end of this decade. Less well known is the fact that a similar trend is underway in the world of publishing: by the year 2020, 40% of UK research monographs will be available in electronic format only, while a further 50% will be produced in both print and digital. A mere 10% of new titles will be available in print alone by 2020."[6]
If this means that readers and libraries lose touch with real books and treat their content as 'information', it becomes plausible to worry that a significant element of Western civilization will have been marginalized. Brindley is also forced to reassess deeper issues revolving around the distinction between information and knowledge. An index is the work of a mind with knowledge: however, all search engine results are the product of an algorithm with information.[5]
Brindley's BL has long been the conservator of historic print collections and regarded as a place of quiet study; but with the explosion of the internet and electronic publishing, users are increasingly turning their backs on libraries as a physical space, using them as virtual, digital environments instead. In this context, the BL role in warehousing large book collections is at risk.[7]
As head of one of the largest libraries in the world, Brindley accords special priority to the needs of researchers and believes that libraries should also play a key role in helping to teach information literacy skills. In this context, Brindley observed that,
"[That t]he younger generation is technologically more literate but not more information literate is a challenge that must be tackled by libraries and education more widely. Students who simply want to use Google and take what it says as gospel do a real disservice to the skills people will increasingly need to survive in the digital economy. Libraries add a degree of sophistication, support and richness of content, all of which will encourage creativity, quality research and participation of the citizen in the global digital world that we are in."[7]
Brindley's challenge in a digital world is to keep up with the demands of students and researchers for services that are integrated and consistent with their wider internet experience; the task is complicated by the fact that "information consumers" don't use services in the way libraries assume, and a one-size-fits-all policy towards the design of library systems will not be effective. In this context, Brindley engaged a process for monitoring and evaluating the way people use BL services.[7]
Brindley has received honorary degrees of D.Litt from the University of Leicester on 11 July 2002, the University of Reading in 2004 and the University of Leeds on 14 July 2006.[8][9][10] In April 2006 she was awarded an honorary degree from the Open University as Doctor of the University for "Public services and exceptional contribution to the educational or cultural well-being of society".[11]
A full list follows:
She chairs the UK Online Learning Task Force.
She is a Fellow (FRSA) of the Royal Society of Arts and became a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year's Honours List for services to education.[12]
Until December 2007 she would be formally addressed as Ms. Lynne Brindley; since then the formal style has been Dame Lynne Brindley (less formally Dame Lynne).