We held a virtual event on 14 October 2026 to celebrate the 1st birthday of the UK Print Book Collection (UK PBC) and to explore how it is transforming the way libraries safeguard access to scarce print monographs. UK PBC is a national collaboration, supported by RLUK, SCONUL, Jisc and the British Library, that coordinates retention activity across the sector to ensure that at least seven libraries hold a copy of each print book. Powered by the National Bibliographic Knowledgebase (NBK), it gives libraries the confidence to make informed space and collections management decisions without risking long-term access.
The session heard case studies from colleagues at the University of St Andrews, Imperial College London, and University of Leeds about how UK PBC is working in practice and how it can benefit both institutions and the wider library community. The event also heard the latest programme updates and participation figures and answered audience questions on how libraries can join the initiative and how participation can strengthen both local and national collections.
If you are interested in finding out more about the UK PBC and becoming a member, please see the UK PBC website for more information.
Speakers:
- Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, SCONUL
- Theo Stubbs, Head of Academic Services, University of Huddersfield
- Joanna Little, UK PBC Programme Manager
- Jane Saunders, Associate Director: Content and Discovery, University of Leeds
- Jennie-Claire Crate, Customer Success Lead, Jisc
- Jonathan Heath, British Library
- Graeme Kemp, Head of Library Collections, University of St Andrews
- Andrew Knight, Acquisitions & Content Services Manager, Imperial College London
- Louise Birch, Collections Management Team Manager, University of Leeds
