Evolution of the concept 1999 - 2004

The concept of developing Society support for a National Aerospace Library (NAL) first came about in the late 1900s when a casual contact made several RAeS members aware of the Caird Library annexe of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. As a dependency of a large national museum collection, the Caird library is fully funded by the UK Government and is the guardian of a national collection of books, artefacts and other materials which document the historical growth of British Maritime activities from the14th century onwards.

Since the present and future importance of aeronautics might appear to rival or complement Britain’s maritime past it seemed worthwhile to explore the prospects of a UK National Aviation Library.  The Society responded by setting up a small working group under Frank Turner, a then member of Council. Its studies, which included discussions with the British Library staff, led to the conclusion that the assembly of a large collection of books from the several existing major aeronautical collections such as the RAF Museum and former Science Museum archives would be an unsustainable task, given the reluctance of such bodies to part with their collection and the very high costs involved in developing a large central facility.

In recognition of these realities, the working group was re-named the Archives Working Party.  In its report to Council in February 2001 it highlighted the need to make the majority of the Society’s archive material readily accessible and argued that all archive material should generate a financial, technical or prestigious return to the Society.  It also discussed the possibilities of making more material available to members electronically, of generating income from archive material, and of the Society taking a leading role in establishing a Virtual National Aeronautical Library (though with the proviso that the Working Party “have yet to understand how this would generate revenue for the Society”). A specific recommendation was that in 2001 “a full time extra person for the library be employed, working up to a total of three staff when sufficient revenue has been generated.”

As regards a national library, it appeared that a practical way forward was to embrace fully the increasing use of IT library management and use this to develop a specialised “library net” interlinking existing collections, even envisaging the eventual long term use of digital LCD paged books, which could be “programmed on request” at the major portals sited at the larger libraries. It is worth noting however that, also in February 2001, a director of the British Library in a meeting with the working party cautioned the Society against the use of the name National Aerospace Library, on the grounds that it could jeopardise the Society’s ability to charge non-members for access to its database.

Before further progress was made in exploring the interests of other aerospace libraries in the possibility of a national electronic network, the Society library came under pressure to relocate its archival store at No 4.  This was occupying space for which more a profitable use might be found and was considered not a satisfactory place for the archive because of the risk of flooding of the basement at No 4.

Coincidentally the rundown of the MOD presence on the old site at Farnborough was leading to considerable debate about the use and/or preservation of some of the early RAE buildings, matters which have now been determined.

In these earlier debates the use of the so called Trenchard building, now the home of Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST), to provide an archive store was considered. One of the parties in these discussions was the Hampshire County Council, which expressed a possible interest in using the archive as part of a study centre activity. This might help foster an interest in engineering and technology amongst secondary school age children and provide some replacement for the cultural impetus of the old RAE.

Uncertainties about finance and building availability brought ths particular initiative to an end early in the new decade. At the same time, taking a broader view, the need was recognised to encourage the development of active and enthusiastic co-operation between the other aeronautical library collections that it was hoped would come together to create the new virtual National Aerospace Library.

The obstacles to such collaboration, though not obvious, were certainly present. For whatever reason, recent years had seen the No 4 Library itself relatively low in the Society’s budget priorities, as witness the reduction of library staff from two to one when Arnold Nayler retired in 2000.  And, as the working party had been forewarned, there were potential problems in the use of the name National Aerospace Library.

In consequence, whatever high opinions the Society itself might have held about its library's pre-eminence, there were also well funded contemporaries such as the RAF Museum and Imperial War Museum with well equipped facilities and staff who were probably better fitted to take on the leadership role should they wish.

This then was the position in 2004, when the Society’s National Aerospace Library appeal was launched and National Aerospace Library Working Group was formed, in very large part as a result of the continuing enthusiasm of the Chief Executive.

As set out in Appendix 3B, this new initiative recognised the need for the working library to remain at Hamilton Place, where it would become one of the 4 or 5 major entry portals to the virtual National Library envisaged since the start of the studies in 2000. The retention of a powerful library at Society HQ was seen as a necessity for the proper functioning of the Society. What was to be located at Farnborough was the important but less frequently searched archive material.

At this stage, although there was enthusiasm for the development of a NAL within the Society itself, it had not yet spread to other potential partners. Also, at this stage, the priority was to find a home outside London for the archive material.  The result has been that, although maintaining contact with some others via a liaison group, the Society set out on a path of establishing a National Aerospace Library largely independently, without properly taking into account the very large resources required to achieve a truly national facility or obtaining any formal agreements with the other future major partners essential to a national project.    

Appendix 3A   Evolution of the concept 1999 – 2004

Appendix 3B   Development of the NAL 2004 – 2009

Appendix 3C Other significant aerospace libraries

Appendix 3D NAL past and future – an essay