BRITISH LIBRARY

The British Library at St Pancras is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest national library in the world by number of items catalogued. There main catalogue for millions of records for books, journals,  printed maps, scores, electronic resources, sound archive items an extensive archive of documents and correspondence and electronically, newspapers, where the collection goes back to the 1700’s .

To view items in the Library , a free readers pass is necessary. Before applying you should search their main catalogues online to confirm they have the material you require. A card is not likely to be issued where the material you are interested  is freely available elsewhere. Once you have a card then you are free view any other material even if it is freely available elsewhere. Passes are valid for a period of between one month and three years.

Once you have got your Reader Pass, you need to get an account before you can order items in advance  to view in the Reading Rooms unless the item is on open shelves which can be viewed any time
Check their website for current opening times and other details relating to registration and use use of the Library.