Dean Forest Mercury and the BNA (General)

by Mike Pinchin , Bedford, England, Sunday, March 10, 2019, 10:11 (2122 days ago) @ Jefff

Hi Jeff,

The intricacies of the finances are a mystery to me. Since the Archive was set up in 2011 as a joint venture between the British Library and Brightsolid/Findmypast (both these latter being D.C.Thomson ventures) I had always assumed that the publishing companies shouldered the cost of imaging with a view to recouping this via subscriptions and licensing to other organizations. I gather that there was some wailing and gnashing of teeth at this arrangement since other countries consider this kind of material part of their national heritage and, as such, make it available free of charge. I guess the BL did not have the resources to run a free on-line service itself.