British Library

Hello Elizabeth, we apologise for the inconvenience. Our Members Room and Cafes are open as usual but there is the chance of short notice disruption during the coming week. We recommend checking our website before you visit: bit.ly/StrikeActionDec2025

Planned strike action in St Pancras We have been notified of planned strike action taking place between Monday 8 and Friday 12 December 2025.

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

Handwritten vocabulary chart by Andrea Levy for her novel Small Island, listing vocabulary for some of her characters Hortense, Queenie, Gilbert and Bernard. © with the permission of the Andrea Levy estate. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. 

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

Planned strike action in St Pancras We have been notified of planned strike action taking place between Monday 8 and Friday 12 December 2025.

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 with code: MSS15. This weekend only for Museum Shop Sunday. Exclusions apply." Gift items of books, ornaments and a floral cushion are displayed beneath the words.

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.

A woman and a man are sat at reading desks with the woman in the foreground. A book is propped open before her.

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

Two women, one with long straight hair staring at the camera and one with shoulder-length curly hair smiling to the side, are pictured next to text announcing them as the winners of the Eccles Institute and Hay Festival Global Writer's Award.

🎉 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

A man wearing glasses and a black fleece smiling.

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...

A green graphic with a person smiling warmly with headphones and a microphone. A quote reads "All the sources I need are on hand"

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...

Find out more: bit.ly/BLWritersAwa...

Graphic with headshots of shortlisted writers for the Writers Award.

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

A person reaches for an item from a shelf of books.

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...

An illustration of poppies on a grassy cliff-edge, with a derelict building in the background.

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

#ArmisticeDay

Manuscript page showing a detailed illumination from Cotton MS Nero DIV

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...

Planned strike action in St Pancras We have been notified of planned strike action taking place between Monday 27 October and Sunday 9 November 2025.

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...

Planned strike action in St Pancras We have been notified of planned strike action taking place between Monday 27 October and Sunday 9 November 2025.

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...

An aerial view of the St Pancras site of the British Library, showing the ship like building and piazza.

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

This exhibition is supported by Wayland Games and Tony & Maureen Wheeler.

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...

Autumnal leaves, and a new Reader Pass? Can't think of anything more perfect!

An aerial view of the St Pancras site of the British Library, showing the ship like building and piazza.

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

A collage of images including a person with headphones on working at a desk, a person weaving straw together and someone in a lab holding a bottle. A open padlock graphic is laid over each image and text reads Open and Engaged 2025. Who owns our knowledge? Monday 20th, Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd October, online conference..

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

Two young children stand in an exhibition space in front of a moon and stars on the wall. Spotted lights shine down, and the children are looking up in wonder shining their own torch.

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...

Blogs and updates from curators, staff and guests - British Library Get the latest stories and updates from our curators, cataloguers, reference staff and guest contributors. Find out more about amazing items in our collection.

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.

A group of students sat at a table examining documents and books from the Library's collection.

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...

Agatha Christie poses at home on December 1956 in Wallingford, United Kingdom. Photo by Hubert de Segonzac/Paris Match via Getty Images.

Agatha Christie’s Remington typewriter from 1937. © The Christie Archive Trust

Agatha Christie boarding the EET Salon at lunchtime on the train from Bulawayo to the Cape. In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10-month voyage around the world. Her husband Archie had been invited to join a trade mission to promote the British Empire Exhibition and Agatha was determined to go with him © The Christie Archive Trust

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