About the Business & IP Centre

How to get your Reader Pass to use the Business & IP Centre

Funded by the London Development Agency, the British Library supports inventors, small businesses and entrepreneurs from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business.

The Centre offers free access to the UK's most comprehensive collection of business and intellectual property information, including around 50 million patent specifications, unique databases on trade marks and registered designs, thousands of market research reports, company reports, trade journals, business directories and guides to legal information and government publications. British Library information experts are on hand to guide you to the resources.

There is also a programme of workshops and events run by experts and an extensive partner programme with other business support organisations.

Find out more

• Sign up to our monthly e-newsletter to stay informed of all the latest activities in the Centre.
• Read our Business & IP Centre blogs
• Watch testimonials from our users
• Read the evaluation on the return on the LDA's initial £1m investment in the Business & IP Centre - [PDF 2.74MB]
• Read our most recent press releases for the Centre
• Read the Richard Report on business support services, in which the Centre appears as a case study

Using the Centre

The Centre is located in the heart of London on Euston Road, close to King's Cross, St Pancras and Euston rail stations. Everyone is welcome to visit the Library. To use the Centre you need a free Library Reader Pass. All it takes to get one is a few pieces of identification and a visit, in person, to our Reader Registration team.

Find out more about visiting the British Library, including information on disabled access.