Posted June 11, 2004.

British Library Needs Air-Conditioning Overhaul

The British Library has asked for more than £4 million ($7,270,000 U.S.) from the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport to upgrade air-conditioning and lighting-control systems. Although the facility at St. Pancras in London is relatively new, experts say that the systems were designed many years before the library opened in June 1998, the London Evening Standard reported June 4.

The administration estimates that the current air-conditioning units could hold out for another five years, but a library spokesperson told the Standard that “by 2006 these systems will have been in use for 10 years. Unsurprisingly, they will need upgrading. We also want to ensure we have tye most energy-efficient systems in place.”

The library’s rare books and manuscripts, including the original Magna Carta, are kept at temperatures of 17–18° C. (62–64° F.) to avoid damage.

Posted June 11, 2004.