75. Mr. Robert G. HughesTo ask the Minister for the Arts how many titles are currently listed as being held in British libraries; and what were the figures five and 10 years ago.
§ Mr. LuceDetails of titles held are not kept centrally. Figures for total bookstock held by public libraries are published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The figures for England for 1987–88 and the fifth and 10th preceding years are:
Million 1977–78 109.0 1982–83 113.1 1987–88 105.5 The figure for 1987–88 is distorted because the CIPFA actual statistics show returns from only 98 authorities.
The British Library's holdings (including monographs but excluding serials, manuscripts, microform, music, newspapers) in these years were:
Million 1977–78 11.8 1982–83 11.9 1987–88 13.0