Below is a piece I wrote about the British Library a years ago on February 17th 2024.
I still visit regularly (once or twice or month depending on research requirements) and I was there again on 17th February 2025.
The good news it that, thanks to hard work by Library staff, progress is being made.
It is half term week in London so the library itself (the public areas) was busy and the Humanities 1 reading room was reasonably well populated. There is still no computer access in the reading rooms so its via your own tablet or laptop using the BL’s current wi-fi.
The current (remote) ordering process for books (a several page form) is cumbersome prior to the pre-October 2023 system but it does work. The shelves at the issue desk which hold books ordered still seem rather unpopulated compared to then
Further good news is that access to the e-newspaper database has now been restored (in the reading rooms on personal devices) which should be useful to many researchers.
Its taking time and arguably it should have been addressed more quickly and energetically by the Culture Department rather than just leaving it to the Library. See my note of a year ago, below
From February 2024
Noting another article on the impact of the end of October 2023 cyberattack on the British Library a brief note about my most recent visit.
For those unfamiliar, and given that the BL is Britain’s national library and a major cultural asset, news and political concern has been limited, since October 31st nothing has worked in the Library e-wise. The on-line catalogue has been off line, no books could be ordered. No computers in the reading rooms worked etc etc.
Since January 15th some progress has been made, thanks without doubt to some very hard work by Library staff.
There is a read only catalogue on-line. You can search for material held at St Pancras, but you can only order it in person.
I ventured in and ordered a book via paper slip very similar to those used in the days of the Round Reading Room (Ive been a reader since 1984). There were some people in the main Humanities One reading room but it was far from thronged.I successfully ordered a book and consulted it. It did not appear there were many others doing so on that weekday afternoon.
Getting back an on-line catalogue to allow remote ordering and getting access to the BL’s digital collections is urgently needed but recovering from a cyberattack and urgency don’t work. It would be appropriate for the DCMS to promote getting things sorted and the local MP, quite a well known figure I understand, might have a word.
But this is Tory Britain 2024 and nothing works
Leave a Reply