British Library

Three primary school aged children are in an exhibition space. They're looking up in wonder at a large glowing, pink ball.

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

Hi Tom, congratulations on your new book! You can get in touch with our team at legal-deposit-books@bl.uk to confirm receipt of your book and the cataloguing of it.

A woman looking at books on a shelf.

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...

Thank you for your patience and understanding – if you need any assistance, we’re here to help.

In the meantime, please find quick links to our catalogue: bit.ly/BLInterimCat... and item request form: bit.ly/BLCollection...

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.

Stay cosy folks!

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

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

Front cover of Clod Magazine anothology, showing a white and black narrow horizontal striped background, and a headless suit jacket in the same print but vertical.

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...

People standing around a long table, looking down at a variety of books and papers laid out.

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

Melinda Schwakhofer - As Long As Grass Grows.

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...

Archive of Mustapha Matura, showing a pile of handwritten scripts arranged in fan shape.

Archive of Mustapha Matura, showing a flat lay of two pages of a handwritten script.

Archive of Mustapha Matura, showing a collection of doodles.

Archive of Mustapha Matura, showing a two typed pages of script.

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...

Image: Beryl Gilroy, courtesy of the Beryl Gilroy Estate and Peepal Tree Press.

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...

The average chess players of Bletchley Park and AI research in Britain There is a good chance that AI research in Britain would not have evolved the way it did had Alan Turing been a great chess player. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t hold a candle to the chess masters,...

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

Three primary school aged children are in an exhibition space. They're looking up in wonder at a large glowing, pink ball.

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...

A yellow graphic card with an illustration from Macbeth and text reading: KS4 teacher CPD: Macbeth in Context.

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...

Map of Hedjaz [Hejaz] province showing various routes including the Hajj pilgrimage, Carsten Niebuhr exploration journey, and J.G. Hulton and Charles J. Cruttenden expedition of 1836.

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

The Rest is History podcast artwork, showing two historical figures face to face on a red background.

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...

Five outstanding manuscripts acquired for the nation We are thrilled to announce that the British Library has acquired five medieval manuscripts of outstanding national heritage significance, formerly in the collection of Longleat House. Together, these...

Explore the collection online 📜

The Red Book of Bath. Add MS 89789

Richard Rolle’s ‘The Form of Living’ and related works. Add MS 89790

Middle English sermons. Add MS 89791

Arma Christi. Add MS 89792

• A trilingual Hebrew dictionary co-created by monks & Jewish scholars
• The Red Book of Bath, revealing daily life
• Richard Rolle’s The Form of Living in Hiberno-English
• Middle English sermons on Church debates
• A richly illustrated Arma Christi devotional manuscript

Trilingual dictionary, Psalter, and Hebrew grammar. Add MS 89788

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…

An illustration of a man riding a horse while blowing a horn, with a yellow sun above. The illustration is laid over faded text on a blue backdrop.

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

A blue-teal graphic with text reading: Young Creators Lab: Connect & Create, Friday 30 May with a photograph of a young woman smiling wearing oversized novelty spectacles in a 360 photobooth.

A collage of four headshots: Yomi Adegoke, Sophia Smith Galer, Keith Afadi and Historical Han.

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

Oh no! Please see our reshared bee post below

Oh no! We have reshared our bee post below

A manuscript with an illumination of a bear sat beside some beehives, with bee friends flying around him.

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

📜 Harley 3448

A collection of pamphlets from America & Oceania collection

🚨 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...

Artwork for Voices of the Fans exhibition, a composite image made up of photographs of football fans posing in front of stadiums, cheering at a match, and holding football zines.

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