The British Library

What are you looking for? It might be in the library.   The one around the corner. Behind those doors, you’ll find community and friendly faces, music lessons and workspaces, free to work in with all the WiFi you need. Libraries are the poster child for borrowing too – and not only films, music and printed books. Download ebooks and audiobooks. Trace your family history from the archives. It’s sustainable, free and online. So whatever it is you’re looking for, a librarian can help you find it.   LibraryOn is the new way to discover your local library and all that it can do for you. Head online to find yours, be inspired and get involved – and look out for new features and content as LibraryOn continues to grow. LibraryOn is a programme that shares all things libraries and what people love about their local. So you, and everybody, can get the most out of the library.   Discover yours: https://bit.ly/BLLibraryOn Funded by Arts Council England and powered by the British Library. #BritishLibrary #Library #LibraryOn

Interested in how archives are preserved from risks including conflict and climate change? Join us for a conference marking 20 years of the Endangered Archives Programme. Bringing together many of the institutions and individuals working in documentary heritage preservation, the conference will provide an opportunity to network with peers, share knowledge and explore some of the key challenges in preserving endangered archives. Find out more and book your place: https://lnkd.in/eQP8dMmq #BritishLibrary #Library #Archives #Heritage

“Being at the helm of the British Library has been – and continues to be – the greatest privilege of my life.” After 12 years as Chief Executive, Sir Roly Keating has announced that he will step down from the role in April next year: https://lnkd.in/ezSF_NRE

Calling all library professionals! You can now catch up with LibraryOn’s Press Play recordings and presentations. Earlier this month, LibraryOn welcomed the library sector to Press Play, an interactive event celebrating all things digital. Hosted at our St Pancras site, it featured a jam-packed line-up of speakers from the UK and abroad. The event combined inspirational big picture talks from the likes of Tony Ageh, OBE, Lucy Crompton-Reid and Nicholas Higgins (Brooklyn Public Library) with a diverse programme of sessions clustered around three key themes - Inclusion, Data and Engagement. Recordings include: · Maaike Verberk presenting her vision for future-proofing libraries  · A short-form video masterclass from viral TikTok librarian Kelsey Bogan · Giles Turnbull lifting the lid on how to communicate with busy stakeholders · Discussion about widening access to collections, with us and representatives from the National Library of Scotland · Dr Tola Dabiri FRSA considering the inclusion potential of digital spaces in a library context · A panel about why libraries need open data, chaired by Luke Burton, Libraries Director at Arts Council England. Catch up here: https://lnkd.in/eZ4PfZ_Y   #LibraryOn #BritishLibrary #Library #Digital #Tech

Do you already work with sound recordings? Or maybe you have records, reels and cassettes that you don’t know how to use and look after? 💽 Sound collections offer a unique insight into our heritage and encompass musical genres from hip hop to sea shanties, as well as oral histories, wildlife, radio and so much more. But they also require specific skills and knowledge to preserve and access. The British and Irish Sound Archives (BISA) works to facilitate the exchange of information on all practical aspects of audio archiving. We're looking forward to joining those in the sound heritage sector at BISA 2024: Sound Heritage Today at the National Library of Scotland this 9 & 10 May for a programme of practical skill sharing and planning workshops. Registration for attendees is now open – we hope to see you there! Join us: https://lnkd.in/e6rmgjrk #BritishLibrary #Library #Collection #Archive #SoundArchive

Today we’ve published a paper about the cyber-attack that took place last October. Its goal is to share our understanding of what happened and to help others learn from our experience. You can read the paper on our website, and hear from our CEO, Sir Roly Keating, in this accompanying blog post: https://lnkd.in/eDa6Q2xx #BritishLibrary

From JSTOR journals to digitised collections, our new blog post summarises ways you can access our collection, resources and expertise while our services recover from October’s cyber-attack: https://lnkd.in/eRUMCRj6 #BritishLibrary #Library #Collection

Discover the lives of women musicians from the 18th century to today in our free study day: Celebrating women musicians, past and present. Learn about their achievements, and the challenges faced in the careers of women composers and performers from speakers including Suzanne Aspden, Samantha Ege, Sophie Fuller, Laura Hamer, Katy Hamilton, Charlotte Harding, Barbara Kelly, Hannah Kendall, Rhiannon Mathias and Tim Parker-Langston. Find out about curating and researching women musicians’ archives with our curators Sandra Tuppen, Loukia Drosopoulou, Frankie Perry and Chris Scobie. Hear more on International Women's Day, Friday 8 March: https://lnkd.in/e5yP7s5s #BritishLibrary #Library #WomenInMusic #InternationalWomensDay

The Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has appointed Shobi Khan and Kate Mosse CBE as Board Members to the British Library: https://lnkd.in/e8KsrBaP #BritishLibrary #Library #Collection

Introducing Phoebe and Ely, Co-Chairs of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network here at the Library 🏳️🌈    𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐆𝐁𝐓𝐐+ 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲? “We’re open to all employees who identify as LGBTQ+, as well as allies who actively support the rights and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people. The Staff Networks are a really lovely part of British Library culture and a good way to ‘network’ with and get to know other people inside the Library. Network membership also offers access to personal development opportunities, as our programming includes talks and training sessions for our colleagues. We are also a source of support for individual staff who may be facing challenges at work, whether as guidance or, where appropriate, suggesting where further advice may be sought. We aim to help raise awareness of issues within the wider organisation while also encouraging all staff within the Library to understand the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals.” 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐛𝐞: “As a bisexual woman, currently in a straight-passing relationship, I have had to fight with my own internal battles of my identity and could quite easily go through life without having to ‘come out’ to my work colleagues. When the Network was looking for new Co-Chairs last year, I was hesitant at first, but after speaking to my peers and mentors it became obvious that I couldn’t miss the opportunity to make a difference. I knew that being a key part of the community would help me in my own journey of self-identity, whilst also helping others who may be on a similar journey to me.” 𝐄𝐥𝐲: “As a trans person who doesn’t ‘pass’, navigating the workplace can be complicated and challenging in ways that are difficult to articulate, and I joined the Network in part to get involved in that kind of advocacy and culture change work. Plus, I wanted a way to meet and connect with other LGBTQ+ people inside the Library – and, through the Network, I have! Everyone has been so welcoming and so enthusiastic that any fear I had around taking on the role has just completely evaporated.” We'll be introducing more of our Staff Networks here at the Library over the next few months, so watch this space! #BritishLibrary #Library #LGBTHistoryMonth #LGBTQ+