Conservation Appeal 2024
Can you help us conserve 4,000 years of history?
Today, we’re launching an appeal to raise £25,000 towards our vital conservation work.
Your support could help our conservation team care for a wide range of items, from the manuscript that gives an intimate insight into the time Mary, Queen of Scots spent imprisoned, to an Anglo-Saxon gospel fragment which has survived for 1,000 years.
What’s more, the first £10,000 of donations will be matched, doubling any gift you make today. Support our conservation appeal today and save stories for generations to come.
Discover how you can help: https://bit.ly/BLConservationAppeal2024
Morning Glory | September Flower of the Month | British Library
Happy September! As the leaves begin to change and kids head back to school, it's a time of new beginnings for many.
This month's birth flower is the morning glory, did you know they represent love, affection and longing?
Dizzee Rascal's Boy in da Corner | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
Dive into the roots of grime music with a spotlight on rapper and producer Dizzee Rascal!'s Mercury Prize winning debut album, Boy in da Corner – do you have a favourite track?
Final Weeks of Beyond the Bassline | British Library
There's only one week left to catch our ★★★★★ (Time Out) exhibition, Beyond the Bassline.
Don’t miss your chance to explore 500 years of fascinating musical heritage before it closes on 26 August: bit.ly/BLBeyondTheBassline
Gladiolus | August Flower of the Month | British Library
Happy August! This month’s birth flower – the gladiolus – is known for its tall, elegant spikes of vibrant flowers reaching for the sky. Did you know that its Latin name means ‘little sword’ and in Roman times, they were showered upon victorious gladiators as a symbol of admiration?
Rock Against Racism | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
‘It became a statement that they couldn’t ignore: “Love music, hate racism”’.
Reggae, punk and rock were brought together in a series of Rock Against Racism concerts from 1976. Former member of Steel Pulse, Mykaell Riley, recalls the way music became a core part of this movement.
Benjamin Zephaniah's Rasta | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
'We will not forget. We must not forget…’
Remembering the late, great Benjamin Zephaniah – whose works, including Rasta, feature in our Beyond the Bassline exhibition.
Water Lily | July Flower of the Month | British Library
Happy July! This month's warm, sunny days bring an abundance of life, with the water lily representing the height of summer. Have you seen them blooming?
Discover 500 years of Black British Music | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
From the courts of Tudor kings to today's chart-topping hits, Black British musicians have continually shaped our musical heritage – journey through 500 years of history 🎺
Reading for Wellbeing | LibraryOn | British Library
"These people gave me my life back"
When Ian found it difficult to leave the house, a reading group at Blaydon Library (part of Gateshead Libraries) helped him reconnect with his community.
Sometimes a simple change in circumstances can mean we lose touch with people. Inspired to (re)connect with your community? See what's going on in your local library via LibraryOn: https://bit.ly/BLLibraryOn
Funded by Arts Council England and powered by the British Library.
'It was all about the music'
This #WindrushDay, Beyond the Bassline curator Mykaell Riley remembers some of the talented individuals aboard the Empire Windrush who transformed the musical landscape in Britain.
Happy #SummerSolstice! 🌞
How will you be celebrating the longest day of the year?
Invention is rife in the latest series of Bridgerton Netflix.
From the hot air balloon that nearly whisked Penelope Featherington away, to the luminescence of Sir Humphry Davy's lamp, and the printing press churning out the latest Whistledown scandal, there's many marvellous inventions from the season that are now patents in our collection – like R.H Upson's hot air balloon from 1925.
💡 R. H. Upson's hot air balloon, 1,555,340, 1925.
Trailblazing Instrumentalist | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
Trailblazing instrumentalist Winifred Atwell made history with her 1954 chart-topping hit ‘Let’s Have Another Party’ 🎹
Hear more of the incredible story of a boogie-woogie and ragtime icon who was the first Black artist and only female instrumentalist to have an Official UK Charts number one.
Mapping an Empire | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
Mapping an empire 🗺
Crafted by John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, this map marks the beginnings of the 'British Empire' and Elizabeth's dominance over overseas lands.
🗺 Map by John Dee, c.1580. Cotton Augustus I.i.1
Black British music means... | Beyond the Bassline | British Library
‘…it’s an ancestral rhythm that's in all of us’ 🎵
What does Black British music mean to you?
Be transported through tracks that have echoed through generations at Beyond the Bassline: bit.ly/BLBeyondTheBassline
Discover your local library | LibraryOn | 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.
Donation appeal for rare books | ABAA & British Library
We’ve been given the opportunity to acquire a number of exceptionally rare printed books, several of which aren’t currently in any UK institutions 📚
We’ve got until 7 April to raise £85,000 ($108,650) to secure these incredible items and make them available to everyone. A donation today could help us expand our historical children’s book collection with the wonderfully witty and incredibly rare 19th-century book The Good Boy’s Soliloquy. The race is on!
Thank you so much to our partners, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and The American Trust for the British Library, for helping make this exciting campaign possible. We’re delighted to be the featured library for ABAA Connect at this year’s New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, organised by Sandford L. Smith + Associates.
Donate today and find out more: https://bit.ly/BLAcquisitionAppeal
Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black Music | British Library
Mark your calendars – there’s one month until Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music opens! 🎼
Travel from royal courts all the way to cyberspace through artworks, soundscapes and archival footage: https://bit.ly/BLBeyondTheBassline
Accessing our collection | British Library
Using our online catalogue is a bit different at the moment.
Watch this short guide to learn how to search for an item, and place an order in our Reading Rooms.
If you need any help, just let us know.
