About us
We are the national library of the UK. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day.
Although our roots extend back centuries, we collect everything written today, tomorrow, and decades into the future.
We have millions of books, but we have so much more. Our London and Yorkshire sites have everything from newspapers to sound recordings, patents, prints and drawings, maps, and manuscripts.
We work with partners and other libraries to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collection. From fostering an early love of learning with local schools, to livestreaming events for audiences joining us from across the UK, to helping researchers around the world find the information they need.
Our spaces are open for research and study, to find business support, as a place to meet friends, or to get inspired by visiting our galleries.
The Library is free to use and open to everyone. Visit us or find out how to use the Library.
What we do
Our strategy
Our mission is to make our intellectual heritage accessible to everyone, for research, inspiration and enjoyment.
Explore our vision for the British Library and the big themes that will guide us between now and 2030.
Our purposes
Custodianship
We build, curate and preserve the UK’s national collection of published, written and digital content.
Research
We support and stimulate research of all kinds.
Business
We help businesses to innovate and grow.
Culture
We engage everyone with memorable cultural experiences.
Learning
We inspire young people and learners of all ages.
Our big themes between now and 2030
Access, engagement and inclusion
Ensuring that the services we offer, and the collection we hold, are truly ‘for everyone’.
Modernising our library services
Investing in skills, processes, systems and capabilities to deliver the quality of library services our users deserve.
Deepening our partnerships
Collaborating with libraries and memory institutions of all kinds across the UK and around the world, to achieve more than we ever could by ourselves.
Sustainability and climate change
Reducing our carbon impact and collaborating with partners to create a more sustainable future.
Read a summary (PDF, 5mb) or our full sustainability strategy (PDF, 4mb).
New spaces, North and South
In Yorkshire and in London, delivering new, world-class physical spaces designed to welcome future generations of visitors and users.
More about us
Annual reports
Find out more about us and what we have achieved in our annual reports and accounts on the gov.uk website.
Work with us
We're more than a Library. We offer careers in a diverse range of fields, from curation and preservation to finance and facilities. Discover why the British Library is a great place to work and find your next role.
Book contributors and publishers
Authors, illustrators and other book contributors can register for Public Lending Right (PLR) to receive payments when a library lends a copy of your work. Or if you're a UK publisher find out more about legal deposit.
Our organisation and governance
Complaints and feedback
We are committed to providing excellent service and welcome feedback to improve what we offer. Find out how to send us feedback or make a formal complaint.
Pay Gap Report
We want to ensure that the Library is a welcoming, fair and empowering workplace for everyone. Each year we voluntarily publish pay gap figures relating to ethnicity and disability, as well as gender. Our Pay Gap Report 2025 (PDF, 1.53mb).
How to borrow items for exhibitions
We are proud to lend items from our collection to exhibitions and displays around the world. Please read our policy and procedures for borrowing for exhibitions.
Contact us
Email customer@bl.uk or use our online chat (Monday – Friday, 09.30 – 16.00).
Support our work
As a charity, we work to preserve and share our collection of over 170 million items, which grows every day.