Most of our items are held in store rather than on open access in our Reading Rooms. To view material in the St Pancras Reading Rooms you must order most items using Explore the British Library.
Some collection items have to be requested on manual tickets; these include some Maps, Patents and Official Publications and certain highly restricted and fragile items.
You can order items when you are in our Reading Rooms, or in advance of a visit either online or by contacting us. We recommend that you order in advance so you will be able to make best use of your time here.
You can track the status of your requests with My Reading Room Requests.
Please note that there are potential delays to delivery of items. We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause
How to use Explore the British Library to order items in advance
Contact us to order items in advance
