Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

Buddha Museum and British Library renew partnership

On April 21, 2023, the Buddha Museum and the British Library renewed their partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), represented by Chief Executive Officer Sir Roly Keating and Venerable Ru Chang. As the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the largest research libraries in the world, the British Library holds over 170 million items, including books, manuscripts, art, and music from various Buddhist traditions around the world. Its collection comprises a wide range of material, from early Buddhist texts to modern academic works, providing a valuable resource for scholars and the public alike. Through its use of digital technology, the Library makes these collections more accessible to researchers and enthusiasts on-site and online.

In addition to sharing resources and promoting cultural exchange, the renewed partnership between the Buddha Museum and the British Library aims to advance knowledge and mutual understanding of collections related to Buddhist culture. It follows a successful three-year MoU signed in 2018, which included sharing of skills and expertise in digital technology, and resources and collaborating on exhibitions. The initial partnership allowed the Buddha Museum team to visit the British Library and gain an in-depth understanding of its operations and digital technologies. The Fo Guang Shan also donated important Buddhist texts, such as the Fo Guang Buddhist Canon, the English and Chinese versions of the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts, and the Expanded Edition of the Fo Guang Buddhist Dictionary, to the Library. During the partnership, Fo Guang Shan lent items, including Venerable Master Hsing Yun's calligraphy, to the British Library's "Buddhism" exhibition (2019-20), and Venerable Ru Chang was part of the exhibition's Advisory Board.

About the British Library
We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things. 

We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog. Our public spaces are a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business, or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events and expertise. And we are always open online, along with more and more of our digitised collection.