Some of our Western manuscript collection has been restricted by our curatorial team.
Manuscripts might be restricted because they are fragile, need repair, are particularly large or difficult to issue, or a high value item. They may also be restricted because they are vulnerable through overuse.
You must have a valid Reader Pass that was issued since 21 March 2024 to access any Select or Restricted material.
There are a few levels of restriction:
Common manuscript – available with a valid Reader Pass.
Select manuscript – if there is no surrogate available, to see an original item a Reader must supply a Letter of Introduction written on headed paper and signed by a colleague or tutor from your institution, place of work or an appropriate society or organisation stating why you need to see the original item and that you have experience handling manuscripts. This letter should be sent to the Manuscript team as an email attachment to mss@bl.uk.
Please note that you need to provide us with a new letter of introduction whenever you renew your Reader Pass.
Restricted and highly restricted – If there is a specific research reason for needing to see the original item, please contact mss@bl.uk for an application form.
Please allow plenty of notice when submitting an application, as it may take some time to process.