When was BIC founded?

BIC was founded in 1991 by CILIP, The Booksellers Association, The Publishers Association and The British Library.

Where are you located?

Our registered address 4 Aztec Row, Berners Road, London N1 0PW. However, since October 2021 we are a fully remote-working operation.

BIC is owned by its member organisations – you can find out more in our Terms and Conditions and our Articles of Association on Companies House.

What are the requirements for joining BIC?

Any organisation wishing to join BIC needs to be either based in or have offices in the UK. They should be involved with the UK book industry and be trading with and/or within the UK. You will also be asked about your UK turnover as part of the application process: we ask this so that we know which subscription tier to apply.

How are you structured/governed?

In summary, we are governed by a Board of Directors comprised of senior industry representatives most of whom come from within our membership. Reporting into the Board are BIC’s 5 strategic committees: Digital Supply Chain , Metadata Supply Chain , Physical Supply Chain , Libraries , and Green Supply Chain . Each committee has its own Terms of Reference and is responsible for collaboratively ensuring our membership’s needs (and the wider industry’s needs) are met with regards to establishing industry initiatives, best practice, standards, training, and events etc., in their respective areas.

Who can join the BIC Board?

The Board will announce to the BIC membership when elections are due to take place. All fully paid-up membership organisations are eligible to nominate someone operating at director level from within their own organisation or from within another member organisation that they think would be suitable.

How long do Board members serve?

The minimum term for sitting on the board is 3 years.

Are BIC Board members paid?

All BIC’s Board members are volunteers except for BIC’s Executive Director which is a salaried position.

Can I join a BIC Committee?

Membership of any BIC committee is reserved exclusively for employees of BIC member organisations only. If you work for an organisation that is a fully paid-up BIC member, please contact us to find out what will be expected of you as a committee member and how to apply to join a committee.

The organisation I work for isn’t a BIC member – can I participate in a BIC project?

Participation in any BIC project is reserved exclusively for employees of fully paid-up BIC member organisations only. If you’re not from a BIC member organisation but are interested in BIC membership, please contact us to find out more.

I’m from a BIC member organisation - how can I join a BIC project?

Participation in any BIC project is reserved exclusively for employees of fully paid-up BIC member organisations only. If you work for an organisation that is a fully paid-up BIC member, please contact us to find out what will be expected of you as a project member and how to apply to join the project that interests you.

I want to apply to one of your accreditation schemes, but I’m not from a BIC member organisation – can I apply?

Yes, you can – application to all of our accreditation schemes is free, and open to everyone. Good luck!

I’ve got an idea for a BIC project/initiative/training etc., that I think would benefit BIC members and the industry more widely, how do I share that with BIC?

If you’re a BIC committee member already, please do share it with your committee’s Chair and BIC’s Executive Director directly. If you’re from a BIC member organisation but not sitting on any committee, please contact us and share your suggestions/ideas.

I’ve missed a few BIC Brunches and other BIC seminars/events – are there any recordings available?

Yes! Please head over to our YouTube channel (click the icon in the footer of our website) and catch up on our BIC Brunch series (including the BIC Thema Brunches and the Green BIC Brunches), and other seminars that we’ve recorded over the years. You don’t need to be a BIC member to watch them.

Can I join BIC as an individual/personal member?

BIC membership is available at organisation level only.

Where can I find out about events and/or meetings you have coming up?

You can join our mailing list and/or head over to our diary/events page .

I’m from a BIC member organisation and would really like an introduction to someone in another BIC member organisation Can BIC help with that?

If your organisation is a fully paid-up member we certainly can, yes! Let us know which organisation you’re interested in, and we’ll find a contact for you. Once we have permission from our contact to connect you directly, we’ll make the introductions and let you take it from there.

Do you ever recommend the services of any of your member organisations?

No. BIC is a completely neutral member organisation and so to be fair to all of our members we will never make recommendations or pass comment on any of our members’ operations/services/business. We pride ourselves on our neutrality and confidentiality.

Frequently Asked Questions - Book Industry Communication

When was BIC founded?

BIC was founded in 1991 by CILIP, The Booksellers Association, The Publishers Association and The British Library.
Where are you located?

Our registered address 4 Aztec Row, Berners Road, London N1 0PW. However, since October 2021 we are a fully remote-working operation.
Who owns BIC?

BIC is owned by its member organisations – you can find out more in our Terms and Conditions and our Articles of Association on Companies House.
What are the requirements for joining BIC?

Any organisation wishing to join BIC needs to be either based in or have offices in the UK. They should be involved with the UK book industry and be trading with and/or within the UK. You will also be asked about your UK turnover as part of the application process: we ask this so that we know which subscription tier to apply.
How are you structured/governed?

In summary, we are governed by a Board of Directors comprised of senior industry representatives most of whom come from within our membership. Reporting into the Board are BIC’s 5 strategic committees: Digital Supply Chain, Metadata Supply Chain, Physical Supply Chain, Libraries, and Green Supply Chain. Each committee has its own Terms of Reference and is responsible for collaboratively ensuring our membership’s needs (and the wider industry’s needs) are met with regards to establishing industry initiatives, best practice, standards, training, and events etc., in their respective areas.
Who can join the BIC Board?

The Board will announce to the BIC membership when elections are due to take place. All fully paid-up membership organisations are eligible to nominate someone operating at director level from within their own organisation or from within another member organisation that they think would be suitable.
How long do Board members serve?

The minimum term for sitting on the board is 3 years.
Are BIC Board members paid?

All BIC’s Board members are volunteers except for BIC’s Executive Director which is a salaried position.
Can I join a BIC Committee?

Membership of any BIC committee is reserved exclusively for employees of BIC member organisations only. If you work for an organisation that is a fully paid-up BIC member, please contact us to find out what will be expected of you as a committee member and how to apply to join a committee.
The organisation I work for isn’t a BIC member – can I participate in a BIC project?

Participation in any BIC project is reserved exclusively for employees of fully paid-up BIC member organisations only. If you’re not from a BIC member organisation but are interested in BIC membership, please contact us to find out more.
I’m from a BIC member organisation – how can I join a BIC project?

Participation in any BIC project is reserved exclusively for employees of fully paid-up BIC member organisations only. If you work for an organisation that is a fully paid-up BIC member, please contact us to find out what will be expected of you as a project member and how to apply to join the project that interests you.
I want to apply to one of your accreditation schemes, but I’m not from a BIC member organisation – can I apply?

Yes, you can – application to all of our accreditation schemes is free, and open to everyone. Good luck!
I’ve got an idea for a BIC project/initiative/training etc., that I think would benefit BIC members and the industry more widely, how do I share that with BIC?

If you’re a BIC committee member already, please do share it with your committee’s Chair and BIC’s Executive Director directly. If you’re from a BIC member organisation but not sitting on any committee, please contact us and share your suggestions/ideas.
I’ve missed a few BIC Brunches and other BIC seminars/events – are there any recordings available?

Yes! Please head over to our YouTube channel (click the icon in the footer of our website) and catch up on our BIC Brunch series (including the BIC Thema Brunches and the Green BIC Brunches), and other seminars that we’ve recorded over the years. You don’t need to be a BIC member to watch them.
Can I join BIC as an individual/personal member?

BIC membership is available at organisation level only.
Where can I find out about events and/or meetings you have coming up?

You can join our mailing list and/or head over to our diary/events page.
I’m from a BIC member organisation and would really like an introduction to someone in another BIC member organisation Can BIC help with that?

If your organisation is a fully paid-up member we certainly can, yes! Let us know which organisation you’re interested in, and we’ll find a contact for you. Once we have permission from our contact to connect you directly, we’ll make the introductions and let you take it from there.
Do you ever recommend the services of any of your member organisations?

No. BIC is a completely neutral member organisation and so to be fair to all of our members we will never make recommendations or pass comment on any of our members’ operations/services/business. We pride ourselves on our neutrality and confidentiality.