The British Library is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to our Archives & Manuscripts Catalogue at https://searcharchives.bl.uk/.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the exemption listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
- Non-English phrases within catalogue search results (e.g. arising from metadata relating to non-English works) are not marked with appropriate ‘lang’ attributes, meaning that assistive technologies cannot programmatically detect the language and switch pronunciation rules and users of such technologies may not be able to understand the content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts). The catalogue metadata content cannot be re-extracted from the original manuscripts by automated and cost-efficient means in order to transform it into content compatible with the accessibility requirement. It is therefore exempt from the Regulations under Reg 4(2)(f)(ii).
How we tested this website
This website was last tested in full on 27 November 2025. A full test of the catalogue was conducted by Resillion on four different Operating systems (Windows, Mac, iOS and Android), using several browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Accessibility testing included screen readers NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver and Talkback as well as assistive technologies such as Apple Zoom, Windows Magnifier and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. A manual WCAG compliance review was also performed to assess additional relevant accessibility criteria like colour contrast testing and keyboard accessibility testing. After remediation work, the British Library re-tested the catalogue using Google Lighthouse, and via manual checks on personal devices, laptops and phones, including some with screen reader functionality, and via desktop browser emulation of a variety of mobile devices. Spot checks by the British Library using Google Lighthouse reconfirmed the results on 13 October 2026.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This accessibility statement was prepared on 27 November 2025. It was last updated on 13 October 2026.
Feedback and Contact Information
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on the page for a specific Site or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, or if you need information on this website in a different accessible format, please contact the Head of Corporate Information Management:
- Email: FOI-Enquiries@bl.uk
- Write to: Corporate Information Unit, British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 20 working days.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).