We’re continuing to experience a major technology outage as a result of a cyber-attack. The outage is still affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services, however our buildings are still open as usual. Wi-Fi is available again at both sites, and we can also take card payments onsite at St Pancras. We anticipate restoring more services in the next few weeks, but disruption to certain services is expected to persist for several months.
Having confirmed that this was a ransomware attack, we now have evidence that indicates the attackers might have copied some user data, and additional data appears to have been published on the dark web.
We will continue to work with cybersecurity specialists to examine what this material is and we will be contacting our users to advise them of the practical steps they may need to take.
As a precaution, we recommend that if you have a password for British Library services that you use for other websites or services, that you change it on those other accounts. The National Cyber Security Centre offers advice on staying secure online, including how to create a strong password, as well as specific guidance for individuals who may have been impacted by a data breach.
In the meantime, we’ve taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of our systems, and we’re continuing to investigate the attack with the support of NCSC, the Metropolitan Police and cybersecurity specialists. Thank you for bearing with us during this ongoing investigation. We’ll update you as soon as we can.
The Library’s buildings remain fully open and the following services are available onsite:
Anyone who has previously purchased tickets for our new exhibition, Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, can still use them. Exhibition tickets can now also be booked via See Tickets or bought onsite.
Our free exhibition, Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories, and our free Treasures Gallery at St Pancras are open as usual and no booking is required.
All of our upcoming public events and our St Pancras building tours are going ahead. Read our latest blog post about planned events for more information.
Our Family Station in St Pancras is open from 10.00–12.00 every Friday and we’re continuing to welcome schools, as well as families and adult learners to our courses and access events. All our in-person and livestreamed events are going ahead.
Our Business & IP Centre (BIPC) in St Pancras is open as usual to support businesses but digital services accessed onsite are unavailable. You can find additional business support in BIPCs within regional and local libraries across the UK. Discover your local BIPC
You can also still join BIPC events and webinars and access one-to-one support. See what’s available at the British Library in St Pancras or online and in person via BIPCs in libraries across London.
If you would like to talk to us about a new or existing digitisation project, this service is currently unavailable but we’ll update our channels as we have more information to share. Thank you for your patience.
You can contact us by emailing [email protected]. We’ll do our best to answer your queries but please bear with us. This inbox is reviewed from 08.30 to 16.30 Monday to Friday. We’re experiencing a high volume of enquiries so it may take us some time to respond. We’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.
We’d like to thank all of our users and partners for your continued patience and understanding.
Use the following information to find us at our sites in London and Yorkshire:
British Library
96 Euston Rd
London NW1 2DB
Nearest rail and tube stations: King’s Cross St Pancras and Euston
British Library
Boston Spa
LS23 7BQ
This includes our public spaces, our permanent Treasures Gallery and our Entrance Hall display space, with the exception of special event days, when these areas may close earlier.
Monday 09.30 – 20.00
Tuesday 09.30 – 20.00
Wednesday 09.30 – 20.00
Thursday 09.30 – 20.00
Friday 09.30 – 18.00
Saturday 09.30 – 17.00
Sunday 11.00 – 17.00
Monday 10.00 – 20.00 (Maps, Manuscripts and Asian & African Studies close at 17.00)
Tuesday 09.30 – 20.00 (Maps, Manuscripts and Asian & African Studies close at 17.00)
Wednesday 09.30 – 20.00 (Maps, Manuscripts and Asian & African Studies close at 17.00)
Thursday 09.30 – 20.00 (Maps, Manuscripts and Asian & African Studies close at 17.00)
Friday 09.30 – 17.00
Saturday 09.30 – 17.00
Sunday Closed
Monday –Thursday 09.30 – 17.45
Friday 09.30 – 16.15
Saturday 09.30 – 16.45
This includes our temporary exhibitions in our PACCAR galleries.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 09.30 – 18.00
Tuesday 09.30 – 20.00
Saturday 09.30 – 17.00
Sunday 11.00 – 17.00
Monday to Thursday 09.30 – 20.00
Friday 09.30 – 18.00
Saturday 09.30 – 17.00
Sunday 11.00 – 17.00
Refreshments available until 30 minutes before the room closes.
Monday – Friday 09.00 – 16.30
For the most up-to-date information follow us on:
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Catch up on our Living Knowledge Network events
To find information about items held in our collection
At the moment, we are only able to offer limited access to our general collection items held in St Pancras. They can be ordered manually via paper tickets in the Reading Rooms. To find out if an item is held in St Pancras, in Library Hub Discover’s Advanced Search you can limit your search to BL St Pancras in the Library section. You can then make a note of the shelfmark and bring it to the Library. However, not everything available in St Pancras can be ordered to a Reading Room at the moment. Please check with staff when you arrive.
To access some of our digitised content
To find content from our website
Find out what your local library has to offer at LibraryOn.