Read and rave event at Leeds Library
We're are celebrating the power of storytelling.
To mark the National Year of Reading, the BBC is partnering with the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network to bring their BBC CBeebies Bedtime Story read & rave events to libraries nationwide.
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/8lv
We’re hiring a Social Media Manager at the British Library.
Join our Digital Engagement team and help connect audiences with the stories, collections and ideas of the UK’s national library.
📍 St Pancras
Apply by 15 March 2026
More details here: link.bl.uk/rkj
On Tuesday 3 March, the Piazza and Entrance Hall at our St Pancras site will close from 17.00 for a private event, including the Treasures Gallery, shops and Origin Café. All other public areas and Reading Rooms will remain open. Between 17.00–20.00 please enter and leave via Gate 8 on Midland Road.
An illustration from the page of a book from the 1600s showing two men playing a game of chess. Text reads A game at chess as it hath sundrey times acted at the Globe on Bankside.
Apply by 9 March for @kingsartshums.bsky.social MA in Early Modern English Literature, taught in partnership with us.
Find out more about this rich and unique course where you will learn from our expert curators and examine rare texts in our collections.
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/kpr
Author Phil Harris on his retirement with a view of the Round Reading Room of 1857. Photo: BL Corporate Archive, PH 034/342
We’re delighted to share that A History of the British Museum Library, 1753–1973 by P. R.
Harris is now digitised and freely available to all interested in the history of the Museum and librarianship.
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vvx
Our St. Pancras site will be closed on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March for essential maintenance work.
We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause.
There are further details on our website for affected Readers and bookers here link.bl.uk/5ym
Story Explorers is now open at Leeds Central Library 📚
Visit outer space, explore the jungle and dive under the sea to experience the joy of stories through imagination and play in this free family exhibition.
Running until Saturday 30 May. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/gpg
A white background with an orange ring and the green IIPC log sitting on the right side of the ring. In the the centre of the ring in green text reads - IIPC Collaborative Collections #IIPC-CDG
IIPC CDG won the Celebrating Digital Innovation in Sporting Heritage Award 2025 for their preservation of Olympic & Paralympic Games. @sportingheritage.bsky.social @netpreserve.bsky.social
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vyu
#WebArchiving #SportingHeritage #IIPC-CDG #Olympics #Paralympics
Despite recent challenges, our UK Web Archive team remains dedicated to safeguarding the nation’s online heritage.
Find out more about UK Web Archive recovery in this latest blog post here: link.bl.uk/aaq
Part of a series of negatives, some half plate glass negatives, some large format film negatives labelled ‘Time and motion studies’ which feature women with wires attached to their hands and arms which record the movements made. These two images are black and white half plate glass negatives ordered from the Kodak Research Laboratory, Harrow by WH Smith on 20th October 1959. British Library, Kodak A3038/20(1-2)
Colour print of a woman in a lab coat and goggles using glass laboratory apparatus. Photograph part of a series used for Kodak's internal newsletters. February 1975. British Library, Kodak A3146/27(8)
It's International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Here are a few highlights from Kodak Research Laboratories in Harrow, documenting innovations led by women in as early as 1891.
#KodakHistory #Harrow #WomenInSTEM #Innovation #PhotographyHistory #HiddenHistories
A chunk of flat stone with a worn away inscription
Is your research related to Asia or Africa?
Join us on Friday 27 February for an open day exploring our Asian and African collections as well as those of @soasuni.bsky.social , @sas-news.bsky.social and @senatehouselib.bsky.social
Book your place here: link.bl.uk/ctf
Image of Jacob Elordi and Guillermo del Toro at the British Library for the Frankenstein event.
Missed our Frankenstein event?
Watch Jacob Elordi & Guillermo del Toro in conversation here: link.bl.uk/toy
Curling stones on an ice rink. Image by Felix from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in Italy where 2,900 athletes from 92 National Olympic Committees will take part in Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey and more. Find out how you can help preserve web content for this historic event here: link.bl.uk/7yj
#Olympics @netpreserve.bsky.social
A long, rectangular wooden box with an open lid on hinges. Inside is a folded world map. The outside of the box reads Betts patent portable globe.
Using our collection for your research? Join one of our open days for a deep dive into the collection areas most relevant to your research and the opportunity to pick the brains of our experts.
Find out what areas we’re exploring this spring and book your place. link.bl.uk/DoctoralOpenDays
The front page of the Daily Graphic newspaper published Saturday 25 August, 1917, featuring portraits of 'Women in the Order of the British Empire', including Lady Byron, the honourable Mrs Alfred Lyttelton, Her Majesty the Queen.
Apply for our PhD placement scheme to get involved in extraordinary research at the Library. There are eight available placements exploring a variety of themes including war poetry, 21st-century digital tools, illustrated newspapers and decarbonisation.
Find out more: link.bl.uk/PhDPlacements
Want to learn more about how libraries can promote positive climate action?
Join us on 26 February to explore how libraries can contribute to a circular economy.
Book your free place: link.bl.uk/9sy
This exhibition is supported by @waylandgames.bsky.social
Illustration ©️ Chris Riddell
A dragon has landed at the British Library 🐉
Created exclusively for Fairy Tales, this new illustration from the legendary Chris Riddell will guard the doors to our magical family exhibition opening in March.
Tickets are now on sale at link.bl.uk/FairyTales
An illustrated manuscript of a single candle on a table.
Today marks Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.
To commemorate, we’re sharing a small selection of survivors’ stories from our collection – voices preserved in memory and testimony.
Read here: link.bl.uk/hij
A woman in an orange sweater looks at a pull-out panel of stamps in the British Library's collection.
Looking to grow your library career? Don’t miss the chance to join us this summer for our International Library Leaders Programme. Applications close on 5 February.
Learn more: link.bl.uk/ILLP2026
Image of writer and essayist Ronald Blythe, best known for book Akenfield, which explores changing rural life in Suffolk during the 20th century.
We're delighted to have acquired the archive of writer and essayist Ronald Blythe, best known for book Akenfield, which explores changing rural life in Suffolk during the 20th century.
Discover more in this blog post by curator Helen Melody: link.bl.uk/86s
The exterior of British Library Boston Spa site.
Due to an issue with the water supply, our Boston Spa Reading Room will be closed on Friday 16 January.
There is also the possibility of disruption on Monday 19 January, please check our social media channels for any updates before you visit.
We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Coming soon…Story Explorers in Leeds 🚀 🐯 🌊
Our popular Story Explorers exhibition is launching off to Leeds Central Library. Explore imaginary worlds in this free, playful family experience.
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/gpg
An illustration of Battersea power station with a view of a boat from the river.
Have you completed a PhD in the last 10 years? Applications are open for our Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship in Sustainability and Environment. Funding covers an £8000 bursary for part-time (0.5) research over 8 months, plus travel expenses. Apply by Monday 9 February. link.bl.uk/VisitingFellowship
English teachers! Don't miss our free online CPD session exploring The Tempest on 3 February.
Join Professor Emma Smith, and teacher and author Michael Donkor for fresh ideas, tips and resources, as we explore the thorny role of magic in the play.
Find out more here: link.bl.uk/CPDTempest
A woman with long brown hair pulls a red book from a bookshelf.
Want to level up your library career this year?
We’re looking for international mid-career library and archive professionals to join us this summer at our International Library Leaders Programme.
Learn more link.bl.uk/ILLP2026
Gallery view of the Secret Maps exhibition at the British Library, with visitors viewing illuminated maps displayed in glass cases under low lighting.
Close-up of a historic map from the Secret Maps exhibition, featuring intricate illustrations, fine linework and annotations revealing hidden or secret geographical information.
Historic world map displayed in the Secret Maps exhibition at the British Library, showing detailed coastlines, handwritten labels and decorative elements on aged parchment.
It’s your last chance to see Secret Maps!
Closing 18 January, don’t miss your final chance to explore some of the world’s most mysterious maps. 🗺️
We are expecting the final weeks of the exhibition to be very busy so book in advance to guarantee entry.
Book now: link.bl.uk/SecretMaps
Illustrated Victorian New Year card featuring green leaves and pale blossoms framing a printed poem titled “The New Year” by H. Coleridge, with decorative borders and soft, muted colours.
A New Year’s greeting from the collection!
Wishing you all a thoughtful and hopeful start to the year ahead.
🖼 Gift Cards for the New Year by W.Place Dickes, 1874
#BritishLibrary #Library #Collection #HappyNewYear
Season’s greetings from all of us at the British Library.
#BritishLibrary #Libraries #Christmas
To mark Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we hosted Wild About Jane Austen: The Woman Behind the Novels, an event exploring Austen as an ambitious, politically aware writer.
Watch the full event on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_V...
#BritishLibrary #Libraries #JaneAusten250
