curator
A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
of the
British Library Philatelic Collections
The British Library Philatelic Collections is the national Philately, philatelic collection of the United Kingdom with over 8 million items from around the world. It was established in 1891 as part of the British Museum Library, later to b ...
from 1983–2013. He is a fellow and past president of the
Royal Philatelic Society London
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philately, philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History ...
(RPSL). In 2013, it was announced that Beech was to receive the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award for outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of
philately
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...
.
Early life
David Beech was born in 1954. As a child, he collected British private post stamps including railway stamps, college stamps, British circular delivery companies and bus parcel stamps but he ceased personally collecting stamps when he joined the philatelic auctioneers H. R. Harmer Limited in 1970."Mr President- at The Royal Philatelic Society" by Peter Jennings in Gibbons Stamp Monthly, October 2003, pp.75–77. He is a cousin to John Holman.
Career at the British Library
Beech became a curator at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
in 1983 where one of his first tasks was to build up a philatelic reference library which had increased to approximately 10,000 volumes by 2003. He became head of the Philatelic Collection in 1991.
Organised philately
Beech is active in organised philately. In 1974 he became a member of the Exhibition Committee of the British Philatelic Exhibition and in 1980 he became a Council member of the British Philatelic Federation and subsequently of the Association of British Philatelic Societies. He was a member of the Council of the National Philatelic Society from 1981 to 1996. He was the Controller of Exhibits for the International Philatelic Exhibition London 1980 and a member of the Philatelic Committee and Court of Honour Design Group for Stamp World London 90. He is a member of The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, the
Collectors Club of New York
The Collectors Club, often referred to as the Collectors Club of New York, is a private club and philatelic society in New York City. Founded in 1896, it is one of the oldest existing philatelic societies in the United States. Its stated purp ...
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
Philatelic Achievement Award "for outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of philately".
Beech was a joint founder of the
International Philatelic Libraries Association
The International Philatelic Libraries Association (IPLA) was formed in 1996 at the Capex 96 stamp exhibition in Toronto."The APRL is hobby's greatest treasure trove" by Kathleen Wunderly aLinns.com
Delegates from many countries attended includ ...
.
The Grinnell Missionary stamps
Beech was instrumental in the Grinnell Missionary stamps being expertised by the Royal Philatelic Society London in 2002 to 2004 and arranged access to the Missionary stamps held in the Tapling Collection at the British Library.Pearson, Patrick. ''The Grinnell Hawaiian Missionary Stamps'', The Expert Committee of the Royal Philatelic Society London, 2006, p.vi. .
Selected publications
Books
*''New Zealand and Dependencies – A Philatelic Bibliography'', Thames, New Zealand, 2004. (With Allan P. Berry & Robin M. Startup)
Articles
*"Philatelic research at the British Library", ''Cross Post'', The Friends of Postal Heritage, 10 (3), 2004, pp. 119–128 Download link. *"Stamp albums in the Printed Book Collections of the British Library", ''Philatelic Literature Review'', American Philatelic Research Library, 54 (1st quarter), 2005, pp. 16–24. .
*"New Zealand Philately at the British Library" in ''The New Zealand Stamp Collector'', The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand and The New Zealand Philatelic Federation, 85, 2005, pp. 38–41. .
*"The British Library Philatelic Collections 1998 to 2005" a paper given at a meeting of the Royal Philatelic Society London, 17 November 2005. .
*"Philatelic Research – a basic guide" in ''Stamp Lover'', National Philatelic Society, 100, 2008, pp. 101–104. .
* Great Britain and Ireland: The Carriage of Parcels by Tramway and Omnibus: Services and Stamps '' London: British Library, 2008.
*"Notes for philatelic researchers" in ''The London Philatelist'', The Royal Philatelic Society London, 118, 2009, pp. 8–11. .
*"The Printing Plate of the Mauritius 1847 Post Office Issue" in ''