More British Library services
Information about British Library services, including Public Lending Right (PLR) and legal deposit.
We're continuing to experience a major technology outage as a result of a cyber-attack and will update information about our systems and services as they become available.
Latest information about our Reading Rooms and collections is available here.
Public Lending Right (PLR) service
If you are a published author, illustrator, editor, translator or audiobook narrator you could receive remuneration as a result of public library book loans.
PLR payments
We're now able to update on timings for PLR statements and payments, following the recent delays to distribution. We expect statements and payments, where due, to be distributed as follows:
- Irish statements distributed week commencing 29 January 2024
- Irish payments made between 19 February–1 March 2024
- UK statements distributed week commencing 26 February 2024
- UK payments made between 18–29 March 2024.
If you normally receive a hard-copy statement, you should expect it to arrive in the post as normal. Otherwise, as PLR online accounts remain unavailable, we'll email a statement to you. This will come from plrservices@mail.plr.bl.uk, but please check your spam folder if you don’t receive it.
We apologise for the delay in getting statements out. This disruption was caused by a major technology outage following the cyber-attack on the British Library. We're making good progress to restore online PLR accounts and resume normal services as soon as we can.
Registering for PLR
We're currently unable to register new users for PLR payments. However, the deadline to register for inclusion in next year's payments is not until 30 June 2024. We are making good progress towards having a registration system working in advance of this date.
Registering new titles and amending your details
Unfortunately, PLR online accounts are currently unavailable for users to amend personal details or register books. We’re working hard to reinstate access before the end of the PLR year on 30 June 2024. In the meantime you can contact us and we’ll advise you on the next steps to amend your details, or you can complete and send us this Additional Book Registration Form (PDF, 0.5mb) to register any new titles.
Please note, due to the current circumstances, you will be required to complete additional security checks – including verification of your identity and postal address – before we can make changes to your personal information. This is to help protect your account from potential fraudulent activity.
Contact the PLR team
If you have any questions, please email us at plrauthorservices@bl.uk or write to us at:
Public Lending Right – British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
LS23 7BQ
United Kingdom
Follow @PLR_UK for the latest news and information.
Legal deposit
Legal deposit is the statutory obligation to deposit at least one copy of every publication from the UK and Ireland, free of charge, at the British Library and other designated deposit libraries.
We are currently unable to receive digital legal deposit content via the publisher submission portal. Publishers who want to upload their titles via the portal are advised to contact the Digital Processing Team at the British Library by emailing LDO-Electronic@bl.uk, who will be happy to advise on alternative deposit options.
The Digital Processing Team will also forward requests from Scottish and Welsh publishers to their national deposit libraries, and requests from Irish publishers to the Library of Trinity College Dublin.
For those publishers who do not have an agreement to deposit digitally we are still accepting print legal deposit. To send us your publication, please post a copy to:
Legal Deposit Office
The British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
LS23 7BY
United Kingdom
Publishing
British Library Publishing actively publish from our collection to bring forgotten stories and original non-fiction to new audiences. Find out more about stocking our books.
Contact us
Please email customer@bl.uk (08.30 - 16.30 Monday to Friday).
Our telephone service is currently unavailable, apologies for any inconvenience.