The following table can help you find the content types you require:
| Content type | Where to search |
|---|---|
| Physical Archives | Printed catalogues and handlists are available in our Reading Rooms, or you can also try searching the National Archives Discovery catalogue and filtering by “Other archives only”. |
| Ebooks | The majority are included in the online catalogue, but ebooks collected under legal deposit are currently unavailable Work underway to restore in 2025 |
| Electoral registers and parliamentary papers | Several are searchable through printed catalogues and handlists, please contact us or speak to teams in the Reading Rooms. Find out more in our guide. |
| Eresources | Currently unavailable Work underway to restore in 2025 |
| Digitised manuscripts and archives |
Over 1,000 available online, with more to come Some available through the Endangered Archives Programme |
| Images from collection items | Some available from the British Library Flickr account |
| Physical manuscripts | Several are searchable through printed catalogues and handlists, please contact us or speak to teams in the Reading Rooms. You can find some of our collections using the National Archives Discovery catalogue and filtering by “Other archives only.” |
| Microfilms and microfiche | Please check with the Reference team for further details about access |
| Newspapers |
These are included in our online catalogue. You can consult hard copy newspapers in our Newsroom in London, and our Boston Spa Reading Room in Yorkshire. Where possible we will provide the requested newspaper on microfilm, as some of our collection is restricted due to its fragile state. Many newspapers are also available to search on the British Newspaper Archive, including a limited amount of 'free to view' |
| Online journal articles and serials | Currently unavailable Work underway to restore in 2025 |
| Printed books | The majority is included in the online catalogue |
| Printed journals and serials | The majority is included in the online catalogue |
| Rare books | The majority is included in the online catalogue Also included in printed catalogues in the Reading Rooms |
| Printed maps | The majority is included in the online catalogue |
| Printed music scores | The majority is included in the online catalogue |
| Sound archive content | Some of our audio collections can be accessed onsite in St Pancras by making an appointment. Please contact us so we can help you identify what you need. |
| UK Web Archive | Currently unavailable Work underway to restore in 2025 |
| Video and moving image content | Currently unavailable |
| Visual arts content | Some available. Please contact us to make an appointment |