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.

Our activities are summarised in the 2016-17 Research Report.

In addition to exploring these pages, you might find the following areas of the British Library’s website of interest:

Our Reference team can answer subject-specific research enquiries.

Find out how we contribute to Learning and higher education.

Read about our International collaborations.

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

British Library PhD Research Placements: Call for Applications

14 January 2019

Apply to undertake one of our forthcoming PhD research placements.

British Library publishes inaugural Research Report

24 September 2018

Find out about the British Library's diverse research activity.

Case studies

More Case studies

…I am incredibly lucky to be working within an institution that encourages self-reflection.…

Researching Hans Sloane’s books, one of the foundation collections of the British Library.

…This placement introduced me to a career path I had not considered before.…

During her PhD research placement, Laura examined the Library’s holdings of North American migrant literature.

Parthasarathi Bhaumik Chevening Fellow British Library

…The British Library holds not only the 'official' history of South Asia, but also its 'histories', which are personal, pluralistic, and intimate.…

Nationalism, Partition, and Independence in South Asia, 1900-1950.

…Data visualisation tools allowed me to present a new perspective on the EAP projects in Africa…

Data visualisation tools allowed me to present a new perspective on the EAP projects in Africa.

…A PhD can be a lonely journey, but collaborative PhDs are certainly not that.…

Investigating constructions of identity in the works and archive of the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

…Being at both Leicester and the British Library has given me two outlets to present my research to the wider public.…

Exploring how the Anglo-Saxons used manuscripts to experience Rome from afar.

Research collaboration events

Doctoral Open Days 2018/19

Tue 4 Dec 2018 - Mon 18 Mar 2019

Practical and inspiring open days for first year PhD students.

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

The BL Labs Symposium, 2018

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

On Monday 12th November, 2018, the British Library hosted the sixth annual BL Labs Symposium, celebrating all things digital at the BL. This was our biggest ever symposium with the conference centre at full capacity - proof, if any were...

Digital Conversations @BL: Data, Place and Digital Economies

Friday, January 11, 2019

As part of our Digital Conversations series, we invite you to join us for an evening discussing the use of place data in understanding politics and economies; this takes place on Tuesday 29 January, 18:30 - 20:30, in the British...

Music Doctoral Open Day - 4 December 2018

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Have you just started a PhD in Music or are you a Masters student considering studying at doctoral level? If your answer to either of these questions is "yes", then the British Library Music Doctoral Open Day on Tuesday 4...

Recording of the week: Montserrat Volcano Observatory

Monday, October 15, 2018

This week's selection comes from Emme Ledgerwood, Collaborative Doctoral Award student with the British Library's Oral History department and Leicester University. “I think great science comes from this natural curiosity” This recording for #EarthScienceWeek comes from Stephen Sparks, a volcanologist...