Due to ongoing strike action, all St Pancras Reading Rooms will be closed on Saturday 8 November. Reader Registration will also be closed on 8 November. Find all service updates on our website. bit.ly/StrikeAction...

Due to ongoing strike action, all St Pancras Reading Rooms will be closed on Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 November. Reader Registration will also be closed on 1 November and operating at a reduced level on 31 October. Find all service updates on our website. bit.ly/StrikeAction...

Apologies if you are having any problems accessing the British Library website. There is currently an issue with our hosting provider and we hope to be back online shortly. You can visit: Guides: bl.libguides.com/guides Catalogues: bit.ly/BLOnlineCatalogue Events: events.bl.uk Shop: shop.bl.uk

Secret Maps opens today! 🤫 🗺️ From medieval manuscripts to Cold War espionage, our new exhibition explores how maps have hidden as much as they revealed for over 600 years. Book now: bit.ly/BLSecretMaps

Some of our Reading Rooms will be closed between 27 October and 9 November due to planned strike action at our St Pancras site, and there may be other short notice disruption. To check what’s impacted, please visit our website: bit.ly/StrikeAction...

Apologies if you are having any problems accessing the British Library website this morning. We're working to resolve an intermittent technical issue. Our sub-sites are working as usual: Guides: bl.libguides.com/guides Catalogues: bit.ly/BLOnlineCata... Events: events.bl.uk Shop: shop.bl.uk

Don't miss our free, online Open and Engaged Conference 2025, as part of #InternationaOpenAccessWeek. This year we're exploring the power, ethics, and responsibility embedded in how cultural heritage is created, shared, and preserved. Register for free: bit.ly/BLEngagedCon...

Hwæt! 🐉 Ever wondered what the epic poem Beowulf sounds like spoken in Old English? #NationalPoetryDay

Opening March 2026, our new family exhibition will explore the enchanting world of fairy tales! ✨ 🏰 Read more about what 2026 has in store: bit.ly/BL-Exhibitio...

Our blogs have a new look: bit.ly/BL-Blogs All previously published blogs will be available in our archive, launching in coming weeks. Watch this space for an update on when that goes live.

Are you an early career researcher with an interest in our collection? Apply to develop an independent research project funded by AHRC. Hear more about the opportunity at a virtual town hall event on Monday 6 October: bit.ly/BL-EarlyCare...

It's Agatha Christie's birthday today, and we're delighted to announce a major exhibition on the Queen of Crime, coming autumn 2026 🕵️‍♀️ Find out more: bit.ly/BL-AgathaChr... #AgathaChristie #CrimeFiction

There are just a few days left to get your submissions in for the 2026 Writer's Award! Apply by Friday 12 September: bit.ly/BL-WritersAw...

Due to planned transport strikes, on Monday 8 September – Thursday 11 September our St Pancras site will open 09:30 – 18:00. Reading Rooms and Reader Registration will open at 10.00 and close at 17.00. Plan your visit: bit.ly/BLPlanVisit

Join us for a fascinating debate on 15 September, where leading experts, including Timandra Harkness, Dr Shahreen Ahmad, Professor Dean Barratt, Charlotte Blease, Dr Niels Peek & Dr Nicola Byrne, will explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on our health and wellbeing. bit.ly/BLEventsAIHe...

Working on a book about the Americas? 🌎 Apply for the Writer's Award residency. Winners will get exclusive access to our collection, platform their work at Hay Festival events around the world, and £20,000 to develop their publication. Submissions close 12 Sep: bit.ly/BL-WritersAward2025

Unlock the secrets behind some of the world’s most extraordinary maps 🤫🗺️ Secret Maps opens 24 October, book now: bit.ly/BLSecretMaps

The Treasures Gallery will be closed between 18 August and 26 September 2025 while we make necessary changes to our climate control system. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) 🎼 From published scores, autograph manuscripts, and sound recordings, read our new blog post with an overview of our Coleridge-Taylor collections: bit.ly/BLBlogColeridgeTaylor

We will be observing the national two-minute silence at 12.00 today, Friday 15 August, as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. #VJDay #VJ80

Happy #NationalBookLoversDay! 📚 What’s one book you think everyone should read at least once?

Don’t miss your last chance to see Voice of the Fans at Leeds Central Library until 10 August. Explore over 60 years of fan-made media, from the Library and Leeds Libraries collections, that has defined the beautiful game ⚽️ bit.ly/BLVoiceOfTheFans

There’s still time to cast your vote for the Library in the School Travel Awards, organised by @SchoolTravelOrg magazine! We’re proud to be nominated in the Best Venue for English Learning category. Vote by 31 July: bit.ly/BL-SchoolTravelAwards2025

Our catalogue will be unavailable for 24 hours from 06.00 on Saturday 12 July due to planned maintenance. You can still place item requests during this time at bit.ly/BLCollection... and may find shelf mark information by using other catalogues. Find out more: bit.ly/BLCatalogueU...

We’ve recently launched our new website. While we’re excited to share this improved experience, you may see a 'Please refresh this page' message before accessing our website. If so, you'll simply need to refresh the page, or click on the link, to see the website.

Nothing like the iconic @britishlibrary.bsky.social door!

Libraries are a pretty cool place to be right now. (We have air con).

We recently opened our studio doors to the editors of Clod Magazine – Luton’s long-running surrealist satirical gem – for a marathon seven-hour session of recordings and interviews. Covering everything from Clod classics to Luton Haiku, hear more on our Sound and Vision blog: bit.ly/BLBlogClodMa...

Are you a PhD student using the Library for your research, or interested in doing so? Join one of our Doctoral Open Days for a deep dive into the areas of our collection which might be relevant to your research, as well as top tips on using the Library 👇 bit.ly/BLPhDOpenDays

Our free Summer Scholars talks are back, starting next week on Thursday 3 July. Drop in to explore wide-ranging research into our Americas collections – from hidden women mapmakers to community curriculum in rural Jamaica. See the full programme and find out more: bit.ly/BLSummerScho...

We’ve acquired the archive of pioneering Black playwright, Mustapha Matura. Packed with drafts of all his plays, unrealised scripts, and personal material, this is an incredible resource offering valuable insight into his creative process: bit.ly/BLMaturaArch...

Ahead of #WindrushDay, we're looking back at the bold, pioneering women who left everything behind to build new lives. Wasafiri honours the women writers of the Windrush era, including Beryl Gilroy, poet, author, and the UK’s first Black woman headteacher: bit.ly/BLWindrushWo...

Submissions are open for the 2026 Eccles Institute & Hay Festival Global Writer’s Award! The prize grants £20,000 annually to two writers for a yet-to-be-published book relating to the Americas, as well as a unique research residency at the Library. Find out more & apply: bit.ly/BL-WritersAw...

Alan Turing wasn’t a great chess player – but his weekly chess games with Donald Michie while at Bletchley Park inspired ideas that led to early chess-playing algorithms and laid groundwork for machine learning. 🧠♟️ bit.ly/BLBlogChess

We’re delighted to have been nominated as the Best Venue for English Learning in the annual School Travel Awards, organised by School Travel Organiser magazine! You can cast your vote for the Library until voting closes on 31 July 2025: bit.ly/BL-SchoolTra...

English teachers! Don’t miss our free online CPD session on Macbeth, this25 June. Join Professor Emma Smith and author Michael Donkor for fresh insights, tips, and resources on themes of agency and blame. Book your place: bit.ly/BLCPDMacbeth...

On this Eid al-Adha, we look back at 19th-century images of the Kaʿba and the Hajj Season from the India Office Records and Qatar Digital Library – capturing the heart of Hajj and centuries of devotion. Explore the blog: bit.ly/BLBlogHajjSe... Explore the digitised collection: bit.ly/QDLMapofHedjaz

Already hooked on The Rest is History podcast? Don’t miss an exclusive bonus episode, as Tom Holland explores the newest additions to our medieval manuscripts collection, and unravels the religious intricacies hidden in these remarkable texts. 🎙️ bit.ly/BLRestIsHist...

We’ve acquired a remarkable group of rare medieval manuscripts that reveal new insights into life in Britain & Ireland during the Middle Ages – from religious dialogue to daily urban life. Items include…

You can now access a beta version of the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC). A bibliography of about 500,000 records, the ESTC aims to record every distinct letterpress item produced before 1801 in the English-speaking world. Explore the catalogue: datb.cerl.org/estc/

Don’t miss your last chance to see Karanjit Panesar: Furnace Fruit at @leedsartgallery.bsky.social until 15 June. Discover new works inspired by the Library and Leeds Art Gallery collections in this free exhibition: bit.ly/BLFurnaceFruit

Calling all creators! Join us this Friday 30 May for Young Creators Lab: Connect & Create – an evening of talks, creative networking, workshops, and more 🎤✨ With Yomi Adegoke, Sophia Smith Galer, Keith Afadi & Historical Han. Free tickets: bit.ly/BLEventsYCL

“What day is it?” said Pooh. “Why, it’s #WorldBeeDay“ 🐝 📜 Harley 3448

🚨 Calling all UK-based creatives! 🚨 The Eccles Institute for the Americas and Oceania is launching two new fellowships for artists working in zines or photography. Dive into our rich Americas collections and fuel your next project. Applications close Monday 2 June: bit.ly/BLEcclesCrea...

Now open ⚽️ Explore how football fanzines have defined the beautiful game in Voice of the Fans, a free exhibition co-produced with Leeds Libraries, at Leeds Central Library until 10 August 2025. Discover 60 years of fan-made media: bit.ly/BLVoicesOfTh... 🎥 Cole Robinson

Did you know we have our own in-house publishing team? @blpublishing.bsky.social brings treasures from our collection to life, publishing original, previously unpublished or forgotten stories. Take a look at what they've recently published and give them a follow for more brilliant books 📚

To document #VEDay80, the UK Web Archive is curating a collection of how the UK is commemorating the end of WWII – from national events to local efforts – preserving it for the future. Learn how you can contribute 👇 bit.ly/VEDayUKWebAr...

How do we commemorate war in the digital age? Explore how Britain’s views on conflict and service are shaped by online memories of WWI and WWII – and how this could shape the future of remembrance: bit.ly/VEDayDigitalMe…

"It was the crowds that impressed me the most, they were completely care-free & happy & profoundly good natured..." Discover how nurse Betty Clay celebrated #VEDay in the heart of London. bit.ly/VEDayCelebra... #VEDay80

As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of #VEDay, explore the programmes for the legendary National Gallery Concerts, which provided musical uplift to audiences in central London every weekday between October 1939 and April 1946: bit.ly/VEDayConcerts #VEDay80