The British Library

Welcome to one of the largest library in United Kingdom, The British Library. In 1972 The British Library Act was passed by Parliament, bringing the Library into operation with effect from 1 July 1973.The British Library is located at 96 Euston Road next to King's Cross and St Pancras International stations, which are served by National Rail, First Capital Connect and London Underground. It is one of the most famous London attractions. London Tours allows you to see some of the very best London tourist attractions that have been on top of the chart of world tourism map.

Under the Act the following institutions were administratively combined to form the British Library: the library departments of the British Museum (which included the National Reference Library of Science and Invention), the National Central Library, and the National Lending Library for Science and Technology (the centre for interlibrary lending, located at Boston Spa in Yorkshire). In 1974 the British National Bibliography and the Office for Scientific and Technical Information joined the UK's new national library.

Two additional institutions subsequently became part of the Library increasing the breadth of its collections: the India Office Library and Records (1982) and the British Institute of Recorded Sound (1983).

Over the intervening two hundred years, the library of the British Museum had grown into one of the largest in the world, sustained by its privilege of legal deposit whereby it was entitled to a copy of most items printed in the United Kingdom - not only books and periodicals, but newspapers, maps and printed music. In addition, the Museum's comprehensive holdings of non-legal deposit items had reportedly earned it the accolade from Lenin of possessing (in the 1900s) a more comprehensive collection of Russian books than libraries in Moscow and St Petersburg.

The British Library was formally opened by HM The Queen in June 1998. Since then it has become firmly established as a major addition to London's library, intellectual and cultural scene.

The British Library works with the library and information network across the UK, raising awareness of the breadth, depth and local and regional relevance of its collections and services. We published our Regional Strategy in 2006. They organise  a programme of events around the UK, including activities to accompany some of the Library’s major exhibitions in London as well as stand-alone panel exhibitions focusing on iconic treasures, such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Luttrell Psalter, or on specific themes from our collection. Each year the British Library lends a large number of items from our collections to exhibitions throughout Britain and around the world. Our curators and other experts share their knowledge of the Library's collections through public lectures. These may accompany a travelling exhibition, events or exhibitions in London, or focus on our treasures, significant new acquisitions or loans to other institutions.

NEWSPLAN is the co-operative programme for the microfilming and preservation of local and regional newspapers and for making them accessible to users. It involves public, academic and national libraries, archives, and the newspaper industry.

Each year the British Library invites librarians to come and learn more about their national library. Champions Days are open to all public library staff but will be of particular interest to new librarians and those currently working towards certification or chartership.

The British Library describes some of the ways they work with public libraries. In spring 2007 the British Library, in collaboration with the Society of Chief Librarians, Scottish library chiefs and Microsoft, launched a spectacular competition to put treasures held in public libraries online. Five winning libraries have had 30 pages of their nominated treasures digitised, converted into Turning the Pages 2.0 format, and hosted online by the British Library for three years.

This introduction of Public Libraries Training Package to the British Library’s collections and services was created by Sue Cook of Leeds Library and Information Services on secondment to the British Library, specifically for staff in public libraries and in association with the Society of Chief Librarians

Policies are formed by the British Library Board and the senior Executive Team.The Library is a world-class cultural and intellectual resource that serves the needs of today’s researchers as well as being the custodian of the nation’s written and spoken heritage. Read about what we are doing, as well as our plans for the future.the Strategies and policies include the Code of Service, Research ethics , Endangered archives and more.

The Freedom of information provides an overview of the Freedom of Information Act, links to documents released in association with the British Library's publication scheme, and a description of how we handle requests for information.

The British Library helps and collaborates with Higher and Further Education institutions in the UK.The best way to see the sights and sounds of London is through the London guided tours or the coach tours London.


Visitor Information:


St Pancras Reading Rooms

The Reading Rooms are closed on Sundays and English Public Holidays. See seasonal closures.

All times quoted are UK local time.