News

Most On Demand services will be closing for Christmas and New Year. Read below for more details.

Published date:

7 December 2018

Firstly, let us take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and our best wishes as we head into 2019!

The British Library’s site in Boston Spa, Yorkshire will be closed from Saturday 22 December to Wednesday 26 December inclusive and on Tuesday 01 January. This includes the processing of British Library On Demand orders from our physical collections and third-party suppliers, our Customer Services and the Reading Rooms at Boston Spa.

You will still be able to order items from our electronic stores for immediate download.

On Demand order processing

If we receive your order after 02:30 GMT on Saturday 22 December, we won’t start processing it and delivery speeds will not be timed until we reopen on Thursday 27 December at 08:00 GMT. Similarly, if we receive your order after 15:00 GMT on Monday 31 December, we will not start processing and timing orders until we reopen on Wednesday 2 January at 08:00 GMT. This includes orders with 2-hour and 24-hour delivery speeds.

Key times and dates:

All Document Supply services will be closed on the following dates

Christmas: 04.30 on 22 December – 08.00 on 27 December (UK time)

New Year:  17.00 on 31 December – 08.00 on 02 January (UK time)

• All Document Supply services will be closed from Saturday 22 December to Wednesday 26 December inclusive and on Tuesday 01 January

• The Boston Spa Reading Room will close at 16.30, as normal, on Friday 21 and Monday 31 December

• Customer Services will be open from 08.30 to 17:30 on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 December

• Customer Services will close at 17.00 on Monday 31 December.

Christmas:

• We will not process any requests received after 02.30 (UK time) on Saturday 22 December until our Document Supply service reopens Thursday 27 December at 08.00 (UK time). This includes any requests for the 2 hour service.

• All requests received at the British Library after 02.30 on 22 December will be timed from 08.00 on 27 December.

• Articles available for Immediate Download will continue to be delivered during this period.

New Year:

• We will not process any requests received after 15.00 (UK time) on Monday 31 December until our Document Supply service reopens on Tuesday 2 January at 08:00 (UK time). This includes any requests for the 2 hour service.

• All requests received at the British Library after 15.00 on 31 December will be timed from 08.00 on 02 January.

• Articles available for Immediate Download will continue to be delivered during this period.

From all of us in the British Library On Demand team, have a great festive period!