Search the catalogues and request items

What catalogues do we have

Our collection is primarily recorded in three catalogues:

• The interim main catalogue – This catalogue is a searchable version of our main catalogue of books and other printed material, and some freely available electronic resources. It is being updated with records for new material periodically.
• The interim Sound and Moving Image catalogue – use this to search our sound and vision collection
• Archives and Manuscripts catalogue - this catalogue is not online at the moment, please contact our Reference team so we can help you find what you need and advise on its availability.  

You can also search for specific items, including ones held in other institutions, through British National Bibliography, English Short Title Catalogue and Incunabula Short Title Catalogue.

What is cataloguing?

Each item we receive is catalogued – we create a descriptive record of each item so that we can identify it again. If it’s a book, we note the author, the title, the publisher, the physical dimensions, and the subject. 
These records are collected together to form our catalogues, which you search for the items you want. You can search for books, journals, scores, maps, conference proceedings, and newspapers (although they may not all be available to consult). 

How do I see items in the catalogue?

In most cases, the items you want will not be on the shelves in the Reading Rooms, but in basement storage areas. This means you need to request the item you want to see, whether it’s a book, map, score, or journal, and wait for it to be delivered to the Reading Room.

Although our catalogues do not list everything we have, there are still millions of items available to you, and searching the catalogues is the first step in seeing that material. Find out more about how to search and order from each catalogue on this page.

Some of our collection isn’t available at the moment following a cyber-attack in October 2023. You can find out more about the content available here.

Our Reference team are specialists in our collection who can help you navigate our resources.  

Whether you are conducting scholarly research, seeking historical documents, or looking for the latest publications, our team can answer your questions and help you find accurate and relevant information.  

You can speak to us in the Reading Rooms, send us a message at any time, or speak to us instantly on Chat, open Monday to Friday 10.00 - 17.00