The National Postal Museum Council of Philatelists has selected David Beech as one of the recipients of the 2013 Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award.
The Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award celebrates outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of philately, including original research that significantly advances the understanding of philately and postal history, exceptional service to the philatelic community and the overall promotion of philately for the benefit of current and future collectors.
Beech has been curator of the British Library Philatelic Collections since 1983, and built up a philatelic reference library to approximately 10,000 volumes over the course of 20 years. In 1991, he became head of the philatelic collections. Beech positioned the British Library as the preeminent library collection of stamps and literature in the world. He is a Fellow and past president of the Royal Philatelic Society London.