On Tuesday 3 March, the Piazza and Entrance Hall at our St Pancras site will close from 17.00 for a private event, including the Treasures Gallery, shops and Origin Café. All other public areas and Reading Rooms will remain open. Between 17.00–20.00 please enter and leave via Gate 8 on Midland Road.

Apply by 9 March for @kingsartshums.bsky.social MA in Early Modern English Literature, taught in partnership with us. Find out more about this rich and unique course where you will learn from our expert curators and examine rare texts in our collections. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/kpr

We’re delighted to share that A History of the British Museum Library, 1753–1973 by P. R. Harris is now digitised and freely available to all interested in the history of the Museum and librarianship. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vvx

Our St. Pancras site will be closed on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March for essential maintenance work. We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. There are further details on our website for affected Readers and bookers here link.bl.uk/5ym

Story Explorers is now open at Leeds Central Library 📚 Visit outer space, explore the jungle and dive under the sea to experience the joy of stories through imagination and play in this free family exhibition. Running until Saturday 30 May. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/gpg

IIPC CDG won the Celebrating Digital Innovation in Sporting Heritage Award 2025 for their preservation of Olympic & Paralympic Games. @sportingheritage.bsky.social @netpreserve.bsky.social Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vyu #WebArchiving #SportingHeritage #IIPC-CDG #Olympics #Paralympics

Despite recent challenges, our UK Web Archive team remains dedicated to safeguarding the nation’s online heritage. Find out more about UK Web Archive recovery in this latest blog post here: link.bl.uk/aaq

It's International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Here are a few highlights from Kodak Research Laboratories in Harrow, documenting innovations led by women in as early as 1891. #KodakHistory #Harrow #WomenInSTEM #Innovation #PhotographyHistory #HiddenHistories

Is your research related to Asia or Africa? Join us on Friday 27 February for an open day exploring our Asian and African collections as well as those of @soasuni.bsky.social , @sas-news.bsky.social and @senatehouselib.bsky.social Book your place here: link.bl.uk/ctf

Missed our Frankenstein event? Watch Jacob Elordi & Guillermo del Toro in conversation here: link.bl.uk/toy

The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in Italy where 2,900 athletes from 92 National Olympic Committees will take part in Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey and more. Find out how you can help preserve web content for this historic event here: link.bl.uk/7yj #Olympics @netpreserve.bsky.social

Using our collection for your research? Join one of our open days for a deep dive into the collection areas most relevant to your research and the opportunity to pick the brains of our experts. Find out what areas we’re exploring this spring and book your place. link.bl.uk/DoctoralOpenDays

Apply for our PhD placement scheme to get involved in extraordinary research at the Library. There are eight available placements exploring a variety of themes including war poetry, 21st-century digital tools, illustrated newspapers and decarbonisation. Find out more: link.bl.uk/PhDPlacements

Want to learn more about how libraries can promote positive climate action? Join us on 26 February to explore how libraries can contribute to a circular economy. Book your free place: link.bl.uk/9sy

A dragon has landed at the British Library 🐉 Created exclusively for Fairy Tales, this new illustration from the legendary Chris Riddell will guard the doors to our magical family exhibition opening in March. Tickets are now on sale at link.bl.uk/FairyTales

Today marks Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. To commemorate, we’re sharing a small selection of survivors’ stories from our collection – voices preserved in memory and testimony. Read here: link.bl.uk/hij

Looking to grow your library career? Don’t miss the chance to join us this summer for our International Library Leaders Programme. Applications close on 5 February. Learn more: link.bl.uk/ILLP2026

We're delighted to have acquired the archive of writer and essayist Ronald Blythe, best known for book Akenfield, which explores changing rural life in Suffolk during the 20th century. Discover more in this blog post by curator Helen Melody: link.bl.uk/86s

Due to an issue with the water supply, our Boston Spa Reading Room will be closed on Friday 16 January. There is also the possibility of disruption on Monday 19 January, please check our social media channels for any updates before you visit. We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Coming soon…Story Explorers in Leeds 🚀 🐯 🌊 Our popular Story Explorers exhibition is launching off to Leeds Central Library. Explore imaginary worlds in this free, playful family experience. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/gpg

Have you completed a PhD in the last 10 years? Applications are open for our Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship in Sustainability and Environment. Funding covers an £8000 bursary for part-time (0.5) research over 8 months, plus travel expenses. Apply by Monday 9 February. link.bl.uk/VisitingFellowship

English teachers! Don't miss our free online CPD session exploring The Tempest on 3 February. Join Professor Emma Smith, and teacher and author Michael Donkor for fresh ideas, tips and resources, as we explore the thorny role of magic in the play. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/CPDTempest

Want to level up your library career this year? We’re looking for international mid-career library and archive professionals to join us this summer at our International Library Leaders Programme. Learn more link.bl.uk/ILLP2026

It’s your last chance to see Secret Maps! Closing 18 January, don’t miss your final chance to explore some of the world’s most mysterious maps. 🗺️ We are expecting the final weeks of the exhibition to be very busy so book in advance to guarantee entry. Book now: link.bl.uk/SecretMaps

A New Year’s greeting from the collection! Wishing you all a thoughtful and hopeful start to the year ahead. 🖼 Gift Cards for the New Year by W.Place Dickes, 1874 #BritishLibrary #Library #Collection #HappyNewYear

Season’s greetings from all of us at the British Library. #BritishLibrary #Libraries #Christmas

To mark Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we hosted Wild About Jane Austen: The Woman Behind the Novels, an event exploring Austen as an ambitious, politically aware writer. Watch the full event on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_V... #BritishLibrary #Libraries #JaneAusten250

As we reflect on a year of inspiration at the Library, we wanted to thank our partners, sponsors and Business Members for their support including Wayland Games, JP Morgan, Bloomberg, Miele, Netflix, RELX and Bloomsbury Publishing alongside other donors. Learn more link.bl.uk/BusinessPartnerships

We’re excited to share our new main catalogue, making it easier for you to find and request the majority of our published collection. We’ve also launched an interim version of our Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue. Find out how to start searching and requesting on our website bit.ly/BLNewCatalogues

We can confirm that all St Pancras Reading Rooms will be closed this week due to the current strike action. They will reopen on Saturday 13 December. We're very sorry for the disruption this may cause to your research. Find all service updates on our website. bit.ly/StrikeActionDec2025

Due to ongoing strike action, all St Pancras Reading Rooms will be closed today (8 December). We are also likely to have to close our Reading Rooms for the rest of the week and will update if this is the case. Please make sure you check our service updates before you visit: bit.ly/StrikeAction...

Planned strike action taking place between 8 and 12 December will affect our services including an extension to our collection access suspension. There is also the possibility of short notice disruption. Please make sure you check our latest status updates before you visit bit.ly/StrikeActionDec2025

English teachers! Explore our new resources designed to help widen the representation of ethnically diverse authors in your classroom. Find a timeline charting South Asian writing in Britain, articles and short films on Andrea Levy, Olaudah Equiano and more: bit.ly/BLDiscoveringLiteratureResources

Arab astronomers in the early Islamic Golden Age were pioneers of science and innovation. They developed technologies for navigation, timekeeping and the study of the cosmos. Discover the texts that shaped the training of these scholars: www.qdl.qa/en

Our services will be affected between 8 and 12 December due to planned strike action at our St Pancras site. This includes an extension to our current collection access suspension. To check what’s impacted, please visit our website. bit.ly/StrikeAction...

Get 15% off the online Shop* for Museum Shop Sunday, all weekend! Use code MSS15 to activate the discount now at shop.bl.uk 🛍 *This weekend only for Museum Shop Sunday. Exclusions apply.

Ready to take your library career to the next level? Applications are now open for international mid to senior library and archive professionals to join us in July 2026 for the International Library Leaders Programme. Learn more bit.ly/BL-ILLP

🎉 Writers Jacqueline Crooks and Vanessa Londoño have been named as the 2026 winners of the Eccles Institute and @hayfestival.bsky.social Writer’s Award. Find out more about the winning writers and their exceptional works: bit.ly/BLWritersAward25

Discover maps, private letters, music and more from the Qatar Digital Library. With over two million digitised pages devoted to Middle Eastern history and culture, this free resource is available for anyone anywhere. What will inspire you from our collection? www.qdl.qa/en

Schools, explore geography and history themes through the lens of secret maps with your Key Stage 2 and 3 students in this special event with author Chris Haughton. Join for free in-person or online. Book your place bit.ly/BLChrisHaugh...

I delved into oral history, scanned news archives and discovered what climate change policy has to do with the cost of living crisis. Richard Power-Sayeed explains how political gossip and diplomatic cables can chart changing times: bit.ly/BLUserStoryC...

Six incredible writers working across memoir, history and fiction make up the shortlist for the 2026 Eccles Institute and @hayfestival.bsky.social Writer’s Award: Carmen Ávila Jacqueline Crooks Misha Ewen Rowan Hisayo Buchanan Maddie Mortimer Vanessa Londoño

We’re launching our new catalogue on Monday 8 December. To keep our collections safe while we do this, access and ordering will be suspended for a week before launch and all requests for 8 December onwards must be made on the new system when it launches. Find out more: bit.ly/CollectionSu...

We will be observing the national two-minute silence for Armistice Day at 11.00 today, Tuesday 11 November. #ArmisticeDay

Could you co-supervise a PhD working with unexplored areas of our collection? We’re seeking proposals from academics at HEI’s on four specially selected research themes: bit.ly/BritishLibra...

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...