Imaging Services terms and conditions

These Special Terms supplement the Terms and conditions - British Library for the Supply of Goods, Services and Digital Content in so far as they apply to our Imaging Services. Any expressions defined in the Core Terms and used in these Special Terms shall have the meaning given to them in the Core Terms.

These terms were updated in January 2026

Preservation of originals

We will provide copies and images on a single page basis in accordance with the International Standard Photography — Archiving systems — Imaging systems quality analysis ISO 19264-1 Part C. We reserve the right to provide an alternative format of a copy if the original item is not suitable for the reproduction process you have requested, although we will always consult with you beforehand as this could affect the pricing of your copy.

Turnaround times

For the standard service for using British Library Imaging Services, our team will process your order within thirty (30) working days once we have received the payment for the charges for your Order as outlined in the relevant Order Confirmation. 

The turnaround times apply from receipt of payment as outlined above, and does not include Saturdays, Sundays, or English Public Holidays and are subject to the following conditions:

• that the requested item is held within our collections and is available for retrieval at the time your Order is processed and does not require special treatment because of age, fragility or security of the requested item; and
• that you have provided us with a legible, correct and complete Order with full and clear bibliographic details.
• Please note that processing of difficult to handle material, large orders and special requirements will fall outside the advertised turnaround times and prices and will be subject to individual discussion and agreement.

Pricing and Payment

We shall charge you in accordance with pricing rates as set out in on www.bl.uk/digitisation which may be subject to change from time to time.

Payment must be made within seven (7) days of the date of your Order Confirmation and using the payment link within the Order Confirmation.

At the end of the seven (7) days the payment link will expire. Should you fail to make payment before expiry of the payment link, your Order will be cancelled. Should you still require the content of your Order after it has been cancelled you will be required to submit a further Order.

Cancellation Rights

Should you exercise your right of cancellation prior to the commencement of work on your Order, this will be subject to a £20.00 administration cancellation charge.

Because we work to meet the turnaround times set out above, you will not be able to exercise your right of cancellation under clause 16 of the Core Terms once we have started completing your Order (even if the cancellation period is still running). except on the payment of charges for any work carried out by us in fulfilling your Order prior to cancellation.

Queries and complaints

In the event that you have a query regarding your completed Order, please contact us within 60 calendar days of receipt. We reserve the right to treat your query or complaint as a new Order if received after this time, which could incur new charges.

Copyright and reproductions

Material offered or supplied via our Imaging Services may be subject to intellectual property rights, in particular copyright law. We offer no guarantee that use of the material will not infringe those third party rights and it is your responsibility to investigate and satisfy copyright and other restrictions on use before requesting reproductions of material from us.

You will need to establish either that copyright has expired or that your use of the material is permitted under an exception or limitation in UK or international copyright law. Otherwise you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holder and supply evidence to that effect before we will accept your Order. Please note that you must supply the original permission from the copyright holder and that photocopies are not acceptable. Please see here for more information on copyright [Internet Archive].

You must not copy or reproduce material supplied through our Imaging Services unless you have our written permission to do so. Such permission may be subject to additional fees. Please email permissions@bl.uk for further information.