Academia warned to guard 'crown jewels' after British Library hack

The British Library's collection is one of the world's largest, comprising around 170 million items, including books, magazines, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, music scores, stamps, digital materials and sound recordings. Photo: AFP

While cyber-attacks on banks, utilities and media platforms may grab the most attention, the hacking of the British Library has led to warnings that academia has become an easy target.

The British Library's collection is one of the world's largest, comprising around 170 million items, including books, magazines, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, music scores, stamps, digital materials and sound recordings.