The Student Room Group

british library

outside term time, i live in the outskirt suburbs of london so do most of my work... in my room. but i was just thinking about going to do revision in the british library - my dad lives more central (around baker street) so it wouldn't be at all far to walk there/get a cab..

i've never been before though; is it the kind of library where you can just take a backpack of books and a file and get on with independent work? is it intimidating at all? (odd question i know). i really miss that sort of environment where you can just stroll down to the library whenever you want.
Are you wanting to bring your own books or...? Just they have policies regarding bags because of thieves and you can only use the BL for referencing. Plus you'll need a library card to access the reading rooms.
Reply 2
hmm, i guess i wouldn't need a bag, perhaps just a ringbinder and one or two books of my own could be held in my hands. i wouldn't really require any of their books; it would just be a case of finding somewhere peaceful (yet a large library, something which i'm used to i guess) to work.
Reply 3
looks like if you want to use their reading rooms where you just get on with your own work, you have to apply for a 'reader's pass' : http://www.bl.uk/services/reading/admissions.html

looks quite straighforward though
Reply 4
its easy to get a readers pass - just make sure you say you have a specialised area of interest when applying at the card desk, as they can be a bit nosey.
you cant take highlighters which is a real pain, and you cant take anything out...other than the stuff you bring in, obviously,
if you want to be really cool, you can get a see thru plastic carrier bag and they allow those in... they give them out on the bottom floor near the bag depo. Nb, you dont pay to stow your bag though, you only leave a £1 deposit for the locker which you get back when you leave.
its really good for revision( well the reading room i use, humanities one, is), and you will be tempted to use their books as well, cos they have everything!
Reply 5
Er, might I just say, I think it's rather unfair to come to the British Library just to revise. If you need the books, then fine. But if you're just coming to bring all your own stuff and take up a desk, it's taking up space which someone else probably needs more than you do. The place is completely crammed at the moment because it's been flooded by undergraduates who're just revising, not actually needing the books. (And they talk. All the time!)

There are other libraries in London, like the University of London Library at Senate House. If you're at another university it should be possible to get a card, I think. And they have lots of quiet space where you can work, too.

But, yes, it's quite easy to get a pass for the BL. And it is a nice place to work. But crazy at the moment...
Senate House is a member of some resource sharing schemes.
Reply 7
The British Library is round the corner from Kings Cross Station.

You might want to look at their website because you have to take certain proofs of identity with you to get a pass.
Reply 8
If you take any books in with you, when you then leave, they check through all your books to make sure that they are yours, taking books in is just not worth the hassle.
Reply 9
zigguratted
Er, might I just say, I think it's rather unfair to come to the British Library just to revise. If you need the books, then fine. But if you're just coming to bring all your own stuff and take up a desk, it's taking up space which someone else probably needs more than you do. The place is completely crammed at the moment because it's been flooded by undergraduates who're just revising, not actually needing the books. (And they talk. All the time!)

There are other libraries in London, like the University of London Library at Senate House. If you're at another university it should be possible to get a card, I think. And they have lots of quiet space where you can work, too.

But, yes, it's quite easy to get a pass for the BL. And it is a nice place to work. But crazy at the moment...

sorry, didn't know! it was just a random idea i had; but, having never been there, i suppsoe naivety got the better of me. i'm actually considering going back up to birmingham to revise now.
Reply 10
Oh, no, I feel really bad now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so pissed off in my last post. It'd been a long day.

Also, I noticed today, they have some signs up saying they've allocated some 'quiet rooms' - that is, places you can go if you want to work but don't need to use the reading rooms. Which are, perhaps, specifically designed for just such a purpose as yours...

Please don't let me put you off registering. It *is* a lovely place to work, and you never know when you might want to use it.
Reply 11
haha don't worry; i wasn't considering bham because of what you said, just that family are pissing me off a bit down here. it's quite bad, i've become so.. institutionalised and used to the whole uni environment that i'm finding it weirder/harder to study here at the moment.