Short answers, pulled from the story.
The British Library officially came into existence on the 1st of July 1973. This date marked the end of an era where national library functions were scattered across various departments within the British Museum.
Architect Colin St John Wilson designed the building with his wife MJ Long developing the initial plan that was subsequently built. The structure became a Grade I listed building since the 1st of August 2015.
The entire website went down due to a cyber attack attributed to ransomware group Rhysida. Catalogues and ordering systems became affected, rendering most collections inaccessible to readers for several weeks until services were restored by October 2024.
The British Library Sound Archive holds more than a million discs and 185,000 tapes covering recorded sound from over 100 years ago. Moving image services launched in October 2012 provide access to nearly a million sound and moving image items onsite.
The British Library officially opened on the 25th of June 1998 when Queen Elizabeth II cut the ribbon on its new home next to St Pancras station. Before this grand opening, the library stock began moving into the St Pancras building after the Round Reading Room closed on the 25th of October 1997.