Development of an interactive library guide at the British Film Institute

The British Film Institute was founded in 1933 and is based at various sites in central London, the South Bank of the Thames (at the National Film Theatre and the Museum of the Moving Image) and at Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The library, in central London, comprises the largest collection in the world of information about film and television. The 33.5 full time staff in the library and information service serve the 476 employees of the BFI as well as members of the public. The BFI library also acts as a national and international resource. It contains about 35,000 books, 15,000 unpublished scripts, 350 current serials (from 45 countries), newspaper cuttings, donated papers, souvenir programmes, press books and so on. A database (known as SIFT — sumMary of information on film and television) has been developed inhouse and a CD‐ROM, Film Index International, based on this is available from Chadwyck‐Healey.