Some of our collection items are temporarily unavailable

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Stay updated on any disruption to the availability of items in our collection

Published date:

We're on the move

We're making some changes to our storage facilities to create more space. As a result, some of your booked items might not be available while they're being moved. Please check My Reading Room Requests before you set out to make sure your items will be here when you are.

British Library and Google digitisation project

A number of items from our collection are temporarily unavailable to readers as a result of a major digitisation project the British Library is running with Google.

These items, which include books and pamphlets in English and other mainly European languages dated 1501 to 1870, will be typically unavailable for 8-12 weeks while preparation and scanning take place.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused, and urge Readers to check the availability of materials online before visiting the Library.

As a result of the project, ca 600,000 books from our collections are already available online for free via the Library's catalogue, Explore the British Library, and via the Google Books platform.