The BFI National Library: Information and Research Services in the British Film Institute in a Time of Change

Abstract

The British Film Institute (BFI) is funded largely by the UK government. Changing political government support for film will affect the future of the BFI National Library. This library, which is open to the public, provides users with access to one of the world's most extensive collections of documentation on the subject of film and television. The library offers inter alia consultation in the reading room in London and services to remote users via telephone, letter, fax or e-mail. It supports and encourages the use of local and regional resources. A key element is the building of databases of film and television information, which, as well as being available to users, arc used for a range of internal applications that rely on authoritative filmographic data. Emerging strategies for exploiting information and communication technologies for the delivery of resources to remote access points include the development of the BFI website, and a new project known as BFI Online which will deliver moving image materials and a range of supporting documentation in digitized form to a limited number of trial sites.