CENL News

18th August 2020

British Library: Reopening for everyone

We’re so excited to have reopened more of our spaces to more of you

You can now visit our galleries, Members’ Room and public spaces once more by pre-booking tickets online.

We’ve been working really hard to ensure you can visit the Library safely. We’ve already successfully opened six Reading Rooms in St Pancras and our Reading Room in Boston Spa, Yorkshire, as well as our Bookshop and two cafes in St Pancras. Find out more about how we’re reopening gradually to keep everyone safe.

You can pre-book to visit:

Hebrew Manuscripts: Journeys of the Written Word

Journey beyond the Bible to discover the history, culture and personal stories of Jewish people through the ages. Rarely-seen treasures from as far back as the 10th century will take you from Europe and North Africa, to the Middle East and China. Along the way you’ll meet the sages versed in magic, Kabbalah and alchemy, and even learn a love potion or two, as you discover the power of the written word.

Generously supported by the Dr Michael and Anna Brynberg Charitable Foundation.

Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library

Magna Carta. Shakespeare. Florence Nightingale. Gandhi. Explore some of the world’s most significant books, maps and manuscripts on a journey around the best-loved treasures in our collection, for free. Find out what you’ll see in the gallery in our blog post.

Desks in our public areas

Have you missed the inspiring spaces and sounds of the Library as much as we have? We’ve opened a small number of desks in our public areas for you to return to work here. You’ll need to pre-book a desk and your booking will be from 12.00 for three hours. We’ll be releasing seats weekly on Thursdays at 11.00.

Members’ Room

For working or relaxing, we’re really pleased to have reopened our Members’ Room with a pre-booked ticket. We’re limiting capacity to start off with to keep everyone safe, but look forward to welcoming back more Members as soon as we can. We’ll be in touch with Members soon to let you know how to book.

Not in London? We’ve got just the ticket

Like you, we were disappointed to have to postpone our biggest ever events season when we closed in March, but we’re excited to reveal many of those events will now appear in our first season of digital events this autumn. Tickets are now on sale, with all tickets free or just £5. Highlights include our Food Season, returning for the third year running, with speakers like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Asma Khan and Claudia Roden.

Food Season is supported by KitchenAid

Whether it’s in person or in our online audience, we can’t wait to welcome you back to the Library.