The British Library suffered a devastating ransomware attack in late October. Its recovery will cost millions of pounds. What went wrong?
The British Library did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but after this episode was published it asked Tortoise to clarify the claim that "the British Library themselves are saying that they are going to have to dedicate 40 per cent of their reserves". In a statement, the British Library said:
"The final costs of recovering from the recent cyber-attack are still not confirmed. The British Library and its government sponsor, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), remain in close and regular contact. The Library always maintains its own financial reserve to help address unexpected issues and no bids for additional funding have been made at this stage."
Writer and journalist Liv Little and Observer critic Miranda Sawyer get notes from editors all the time – now it’s their turn to hand them out. Every Wednesday morning, Liv and Miranda weigh in on the latest cultural happenings, from reality TV meltdowns and art house films, to gallery openings and TikTok trends. Smart, funny, and full of sharp observations. We Have Notes is culture with commentary.