This library has every book ever published.

I didn't know about the library what a fantastic and important endeavour

This huge, automated archive is giving me flashbacks to the door storage in "Monsters Inc."

I bet they don't have the book my grandmother wrote

I am not sure why it cant be digitised. I am a member of the Bodleian in Oxford which is also a copyright library and so many books are never opened for decades. It strikes me that most books are in fact published in a digital form now.

Do the uk have banned books?
If yes are they in this library?

I would love all of the knowledge that these buildings hold. That'd be just WOW.

looooks like coffins

This is like me keeping every single item in Skyrim because I never know when I'm going to need it.

IMO: waste of money and resources. Why not take scans and store digitally?

14 videos to go... I don't like seeing you go. Don't leave...

Archiving, it is hard enough with real items but digital just adds several layers on complexity.

Getting a British Library Reader Card is one of my best decisions ever

This is so cool!
Does that mean they have manga in these libraries?

Pleasedont let those Buildings bed destroyed

Looks like Harry Potter fighting scene

I love tom’s cot

Alexandria? Is that you?

Wilfried Zaha in a Tom Scott video about the British Library? All my interests coming together

UTS in Sydney, Australia also has one of these for one of their campus libraries.

bit of a misleading title tho isn't it??? it has every book ever published IN THE UK

Do they have the same book multiple times ? In different versions ? Harry Potter for example has multiple different versions but it’s always the same book

This is a hoarder's dream :P

As a Librarian working at a National Library, I find the British Library really really fascinating. I am inspired every single time. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

The ultimate library requires the ultimate robot librarian.

mumbo jumbo redstone book storage

I used to work for the National Archives of Norway, and we where then building a massive mountain repository for long term storage of archives, using similar robots like this.
Also the National Library of Norway is located in the same mountain, using the same tech as us.

I hope this place has the best fire protection available to man, when the Library of Alexandria burned we lost a very significant portion of our written history, around a quarter of a million scrolls in a time when there were only so many million scrolls in existence.

Those wooshy book finding bots are kind of funny, kind of reminds me of something on The Incredibles

There's goes England, taking everything from everyone as they see fit... smdh /s

this is honestly very creepy. i hope the us doesn't do the same thing for digital "publishing" because i would hate to write a blog and have that kept for many years, available long after i deleted it...

Someone recently sued the US and won for the US's unconstitutional theft of requiring published books to be sent to them free of charge.

Wow. I'mma be honest, I totally thought that was clickbait. But no, I'm really impressed with the British Library! And yes, it is only the stuff in the UK. But that is absolutely incredible!

What about things like packaging? For example: the paper that comes wrapped around a roll of bog-roll. It has print on it, and it changes over time. Who is to say that it might not hold the key to humanities survival sometime in the future? I mean if these folks are as diligent as they would have us presume they are they should be archiving every single thing that is printed in the u.k..

ccpgrey could make use of this

Have they got a copy of Fly Fishing, by J R Hartley?

I love the fact they have to have a sign up saying photography allowed.

omg.... its the library of bable..... the land of apocrypha.... wan shi tong's library... you get the picture... amazing

What is meant by low oxygen environment? How does Tom breathe if there's low oxygen there?

Great job on the hand gestures today, Tom. Especially liked what you did with your left hand

Even Fly fishing by J R Hartley?

I wonder if they even collect those ronchy furry fanfics

The title says, "This library has every book ever published" but the script of the actual video says, "This library has every book ever published **in the UK**" [emphasis mine]. These are very different statements. @TomScottGo, since when have you been in the business of clickbait? 🙂
I should mention that I hovered my mouse over the thumbnail to see the beginning of the video, saw the discrepancy and clicked anyhow, because I trust that a Tom Scott video will be interesting and well made, regardless of what the title is—but I was disappointed to see the lie in the title.

Haha, bet it doesn't have my books. Too spicy.

I don't publish. I just print a few words on some pieces of paper.

Wait - Every single parish newsletter has to send a copy to the British Library by law?
I know for a fact that doesn't happen here.

This is the library of Alexandria waiting to happen

Wish every country did this.