Research collaboration

Research underpins all core purposes of the British Library. We play a key role in the UK research community and work with national and international partners to support and stimulate research of all kinds.

We lead and support research projects, supervise a range of collaborative PhDs, research placements and fellowships, and run a regular programme of training events. Our staff have extensive research expertise and we contribute actively to the development of research policy.

You can read more about our activities in our 2017-18 Research Report.

(An older edition of the Research Report, covering the academic year 2016-17, is available here).

How we collaborate

Doctoral research

We support postgraduate research through our Reading Rooms and online resources, through collaborative projects, and through research training events.

Projects and partnerships

We actively lead on and support research.

Research expertise

Our research, professional and methodological expertise covers all disciplines and spans traditional and digital scholarship in all its forms.

Training and events

We convene and support research events and training activities throughout the year.

Policy

As the national library of the United Kingdom, we are an integral part of the national research infrastructure and have an active approach to research and higher education policy.

News

Call for Proposals for AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships

4 October 2019

Apply by 22 November 2019.

Chevening British Library Fellowships, 2020/21: Applications now open

14 August 2019

Find out about two new year-long fellowship opportunities for international experts.

New edition of British Library Research Report published

20 May 2019

The 2017-18 Research Report is now available, covering the impressive range of collaborative research at the British Library.

Help

Proposing a new research collaboration with the British Library

How to propose a new research collaboration with the British Library.

Case studies

More Case studies

…The British Library is a unique institution that gathers research and source materials in one place.…

Research on Turkic periodicals: Akmal Bazarbaev, Chevening-British Library Fellow 2018-19

…Getting to explore the Library’s rich collection of pamphlets is a huge privilege as a doctoral researcher.…

Researching American political pamphlets from between 1919 and 1945.

…Book historical research has transformed the way we look at books and their role in society.…

Researching the social and political impact of printed music in the long eighteenth century.

Photography of the PhD student Hannah Connell

…The wide range of ideas and inspirational projects in which I have been involved through working with British Library staff and collections has allowed me to explore my research from new and unexpected perspectives.…

Exploring migration and diasporic community identities through Russian-language émigré publishing

…I have particularly enjoyed developing new knowledge of the Library’s web archiving work.…

Exploring the challenges and opportunities of collecting interactive web-based works.

…I have most enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere of learning at the Library.…

AHRC Innovation Placement Fellow

Research collaboration events

MA in Early Modern English Literature: Text & Transmission

Fri 1 Sep 2017 - Sun 30 Sep 2018

The British Library is working in partnership with King’s College London to teach an MA in English literature, entitled Early Modern English Literature: Text and Transmission.

Blog posts

Call for participants: April 2020 book sprint on the state of the art in crowdsourcing in cultural heritage

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

One of the key outcomes of our AHRC UK-US Partnership Development Grant, 'From crowdsourcing to digitally-enabled participation: the state of the art in collaboration, access, and inclusion for cultural heritage institutions', is the publication of an open access book written...

New project! 'From crowdsourcing to digitally-enabled participation: the state of the art in collaboration, access, and inclusion for cultural heritage institutions'

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

We - Mia Ridge (British Library), Meghan Ferriter (Library of Congress) and Sam Blickhan (Zooniverse) - are excited to announce that we've been awarded an AHRC UK-US Partnership Development Grant. Our overarching goals are: To foster an international community of...

One more step along the road I go: Tracking the first three months of my Chevening Fellowship

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

My first day in the UK saw me meeting with some individuals at the British Library who are integral parts of my one-year journey. I met with Jody Butterworth, curator for Endangered Archives Programme (EAP), Phil Hatfield (Head Eccles Centre...

Recording of the week: Wax cylinder recordings of Nigerian music

Monday, December 30, 2019

This week's selection comes from Dr Janet Topp Fargion, Lead Curator of World and Traditional Music. Northcote Whitridge Thomas The Library’s World and Traditional Music collections include some of the world’s earliest ethnographic recordings, made on wax cylinders. Amongst these...