News

We have been working on a new and improved version of our Archives and Manuscripts catalogue, and we are now making this available to everyone.

Published date:

14 March 2023

When you search this new version you’ll find all the same records, but we’ve made a few changes to make it easier to find what you need:   

• details are now displayed in the full record
• it’s clearer when content is available online
• links to request collection items are more visible
• Resource Recommender links to related content
• the creation date filter is easier to use
• Improved accessibility

You can do everything you normally do, and any collection item requests you place will be live requests, but we want you to test out this beta version and tell us what you think. We will then use your feedback to make further improvements.

We’re looking for feedback about how records are displayed, the features offered, the language we’ve used, and any other improvements you can suggest for making Explore Archives and Manuscripts easier to use.

We’ll update you regularly on what we do, although we can’t guarantee that we will be able to implement all your suggestions.

You can access the new interface on our web portal, and via links on the Explore Archives and Manuscripts and Explore the British Library catalogue homepages.

If you have any feedback, please use the Feedback link on the right-hand side of the catalogue screen.