238:, owned by BCRA and staffed part-time by a librarian. It mostly comprises published and archived material collected by BCRA and its predecessor organisations, with a minority of the items on long-term loan from clubs and individuals. The library function with the financial assistance of the British Caving Association, through which the library is able to offer its services to all cavers and to all those interested in cave science and related topics.
241:
The library comprises a reference section and an archive section of older material. The reference section includes a large collection of books and journals on caving topics from
Britain and abroad, which is frequently updated by donations and by journal exchanges with many caving clubs worldwide.
151:
took over NCA's function as the governing body for UK caving (as recognised by the Sports
Council). BCA consolidated various of the 'national body' services formerly provided by NCA and BCRA. At the start of 2006, a new membership structure limited BCRA membership to BCA members, who now pay a
155:
Having passed on most of its functions to BCA, BCRA is now able to focus entirely on cave science, technology and heritage matters; the latter involving the cataloguing of the vast amount of library and archive material that BCRA has collected over the years.
139:(BSA) and the Cave Research Group of Great Britain (CRG). When the National Caving Association (NCA) was formed in 1968, BCRA became one of its constituent bodies. Although NCA was recognised as the governing body for UK caving by the
119:
research, encouraging original exploration (both in the UK and on expeditions overseas), collecting and publishing speleological information, maintaining a library and organising educational and scientific conferences and meetings.
221:
BCRA hosts an annual
Science Symposium at which short papers are informally presented. Contributions are invited on any aspect of cave or karst science or caving technology and abstracts are published in
550:
565:
250:(BGS), the archive material specifically relating to BCRA and its predecessor organisations was moved, in 2009, to BGS for safe-keeping in controlled storage conditions.
570:
555:
26:
348:
253:
For further information see the
British Caving Library website, which includes an on-line catalogue of the collection, and an on-line audio archive.
294:
136:
44:
560:
289:
299:
284:
243:
148:
124:
115:. Its object is to promote the study of caves and associated phenomena, and it attains this by supporting cave and
75:
247:
226:. BCRA has also hosted symposiums on Cave Technology, featuring contributions from its Special Interest Groups.
25:
575:
218:. Although BCRA still underwrites the event, it is now billed as being jointly hosted by BCRA and BCA.
195:
series of booklets and manages various
Special Interest Groups that also publish material, notably the
214:
In 1996 the UK's annual caving conference (the 'BCRA Conference') was given a face-lift and re-titled
147:
the national body. This situation was resolved in 2005 when NCA was dissolved and a new body, the
234:
The
British Caving Library (BCL) is a national research and reference library based in the
112:
65:
544:
235:
272:
262:
483:
461:
108:
206:, edited by Tony Waltham and David Lowe, with Volume 2 published in 2017.
323:
164:
One of BCRA's main activities is publishing. It publishes the periodical
140:
135:
The
British Cave Research Association arose from a merger in 1973 of the
275:. It remains in common use today and is based on a scale of six grades.
143:
it did not allow individual membership and so BCRA was seen by many as
123:
BCRA is a registered charity in the UK, and a constituent body of the
505:
267:
BCRA produced a methodology in the 1960s to assess the accuracy, or
116:
535:
439:
395:
127:(BCA), undertaking charitable activities on behalf of BCA.
373:
417:
202:
In 2013 BCRA published the first volume of a major work,
530:
86:
176:, which was published from 2003 to 2014, as BCRA's
81:
71:
59:
51:
40:
32:
484:"Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales Vol 2"
462:"Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales Vol 1"
8:
440:"Cave Radio & Electronics Group Journal"
18:
551:Caving organisations in the United Kingdom
197:Cave Radio & Electronics Group Journal
24:
17:
566:1973 establishments in the United Kingdom
571:Sports organizations established in 1973
556:Research libraries in the United Kingdom
312:
168:(three issues per year) and the annual
204:Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales
47:, Cave Research Group of Great Britain
7:
318:
316:
508:. British Cave Research Association
486:. British Cave Research Association
464:. British Cave Research Association
442:. British Cave Research Association
420:. British Cave Research Association
398:. British Cave Research Association
376:. British Cave Research Association
14:
531:British Cave Research Association
295:International Union of Speleology
137:British Speleological Association
101:British Cave Research Association
45:British Speleological Association
19:British Cave Research Association
242:Following an agreement with the
290:French Federation of Speleology
244:National Geoscience Data Centre
300:National Speleological Society
184:was published under the title
1:
285:Caving in the United Kingdom
263:Cave survey § Accuracy
172:. The BCRA Review replaces
592:
374:"Cave & Karst Science"
356:British Caving Association
260:
257:Cave survey grading system
149:British Caving Association
125:British Caving Association
76:British Caving Association
248:British Geological Survey
152:supplement to join BCRA.
23:
224:Cave & Karst Science
191:BCRA also publishes the
561:Libraries in Derbyshire
506:"BCRA Surveying Grades"
324:"The Formation of BCRA"
210:Conference and meetings
536:British Caving Library
166:Cave and Karst Science
418:"Cave Studies Series"
261:Further information:
111:organisation in the
20:
186:Caves & Caving
180:. Prior to 2003,
97:
96:
583:
518:
517:
515:
513:
502:
496:
495:
493:
491:
480:
474:
473:
471:
469:
458:
452:
451:
449:
447:
436:
430:
429:
427:
425:
414:
408:
407:
405:
403:
392:
386:
385:
383:
381:
370:
364:
363:
353:
345:
339:
338:
336:
334:
320:
93:
90:
88:
28:
21:
591:
590:
586:
585:
584:
582:
581:
580:
541:
540:
527:
522:
521:
511:
509:
504:
503:
499:
489:
487:
482:
481:
477:
467:
465:
460:
459:
455:
445:
443:
438:
437:
433:
423:
421:
416:
415:
411:
401:
399:
394:
393:
389:
379:
377:
372:
371:
367:
351:
347:
346:
342:
332:
330:
322:
321:
314:
309:
302:(United States)
281:
265:
259:
232:
212:
162:
133:
85:
62:
12:
11:
5:
589:
587:
579:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
553:
543:
542:
539:
538:
533:
526:
525:External links
523:
520:
519:
497:
475:
453:
431:
409:
387:
365:
340:
311:
310:
308:
305:
304:
303:
297:
292:
287:
280:
277:
258:
255:
231:
228:
211:
208:
161:
158:
141:Sports Council
132:
129:
113:United Kingdom
95:
94:
83:
79:
78:
73:
69:
68:
66:United Kingdom
63:
61:Region served
60:
57:
56:
53:
49:
48:
42:
38:
37:
34:
30:
29:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
588:
577:
576:Cave research
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
548:
546:
537:
534:
532:
529:
528:
524:
507:
501:
498:
485:
479:
476:
463:
457:
454:
441:
435:
432:
419:
413:
410:
397:
396:"BCRA Review"
391:
388:
375:
369:
366:
361:
357:
350:
344:
341:
329:
325:
319:
317:
313:
306:
301:
298:
296:
293:
291:
288:
286:
283:
282:
278:
276:
274:
270:
264:
256:
254:
251:
249:
245:
239:
237:
236:Peak District
229:
227:
225:
219:
217:
209:
207:
205:
200:
198:
194:
189:
187:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
159:
157:
153:
150:
146:
142:
138:
130:
128:
126:
121:
118:
114:
110:
109:speleological
106:
102:
92:
84:
80:
77:
74:
70:
67:
64:
58:
54:
50:
46:
43:
39:
35:
31:
27:
22:
16:
510:. Retrieved
500:
488:. Retrieved
478:
466:. Retrieved
456:
444:. Retrieved
434:
422:. Retrieved
412:
400:. Retrieved
390:
378:. Retrieved
368:
362:. July 2004.
359:
355:
349:"Newsletter"
343:
331:. Retrieved
327:
268:
266:
252:
240:
233:
223:
220:
216:Hidden Earth
215:
213:
203:
201:
196:
193:Cave Studies
192:
190:
185:
181:
177:
173:
169:
165:
163:
160:Publications
154:
144:
134:
122:
104:
100:
98:
72:Affiliations
33:Abbreviation
15:
328:bcra.org.uk
273:cave survey
170:BCRA Review
41:Predecessor
545:Categories
446:26 October
424:26 October
402:26 October
380:26 October
307:References
182:Speleology
174:Speleology
52:Formation
490:27 April
468:27 April
333:27 April
279:See also
178:Bulletin
145:de facto
271:, of a
246:at the
230:Library
131:History
107:) is a
82:Website
512:2 May
352:(PDF)
269:grade
117:karst
514:2009
492:2019
470:2019
448:2016
426:2016
404:2016
382:2016
335:2019
105:BCRA
99:The
89:.org
87:bcra
55:1973
36:BCRA
91:.uk
547::
358:.
354:.
326:.
315:^
199:.
188:.
516:.
494:.
472:.
450:.
428:.
406:.
384:.
360:1
337:.
103:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.