Navigating the British Library’s
Collections
An Introduction to the British Library and its
Science Collections and Services
Richard Wakeford
Reference Specialist - Science
www.bl.uk 2
Introduction
•The British Library
•Using the reading rooms
•Science collections, print and digital
•Research tools for discovery
www.bl.uk 3
The British Library
• Sites in London and Boston Spa
• Collection covers all subjects and all
formats
• Acquisition by legal deposit,
purchase, donation and exchange
• Exhibitions and events
www.bl.uk 4
Reader Registration
• Pre-registration online option
• ID needed upon visit
• Registration interview and photo pass issued
• Max 3 years & renewable
• See registration details
www.bl.uk 5
Using the Reading Rooms
• Conditions of use
• Create a user name and password
to use the catalogue for ordering
and accessing “My workspace” and
“My Reading Room Requests”
• Secure IT network blocks e-mail
access. WiFi is available
www.bl.uk 6
Reading Room Opening Times
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun &
Public
Holidays
• Science
• Social Sciences
• Business & IP Centre
• Humanities
• Rare Books & Music
• News & Media
10:00-
20:00
09:30-
20:00
09:30-
20:00
09:30-
20:00
09:30-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
Closed
• Asian and African Studies
• Maps
• Manuscripts
10:00-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
09:30-
17:00
Closed
www.bl.uk 7
Origins of the Science Collection
• The British Museum Library, 1753
• The Patent Office Library, 1855
• National Lending Library, 1962
• The British Library, 1973
• St Pancras, 1998
• History of the British Library
www.bl.uk 8
Research Resources - Printed
• Journals
• Books
• Grey literature
• Patents
• Official publications
• Technical standards
• Business Information, Rare books, Manuscripts, Maps, Stamps, Music,
• Sound Archive, and many other types of material
www.bl.uk 9
Research Resources - Digital
• Journals & books
• Databases
• Research datasets
• UK Web Archive
• Theses via eThos
• Oral history
• Legacy digital formats, audio and video
recordings
… and other multi-format items
www.bl.uk 10
Research Tools
www.bl.uk links to: e-resources
• Scopus
• Web of Science
• IEEE Xplore
• Engineering Village
• Catalogues
• Online guides
www.bl.uk 11
Discovering the Collections
• British Library catalogue Explore
• “Details”
- Shelf marks
(Dewey, Science Classification etc)
- Holdings data
• “I want this”
- Order items
- Identify delivery times
www.bl.uk 12
Collection Storage and Delivery
Print and Digital
• Open access - science books
and journals from 2009 -
• Delivery from stacks:
- 70 minutes - St. Pancras
basement
- 48 hours - Boston Spa
• Digital content via “Explore”
- In copyright only in reading
rooms
- Out of copyright available as
open access
,
www.bl.uk 13
Onsite Free Reading Room Services
• Reference desks for face to face help
• Remote enquiries QuestionPoint
• Online Chat
• WiFi and eduroam
• Discovery sessions & 1-2-1 sessions
• Photography of print collections
within copyright limits
www.bl.uk 14
Onsite Priced Reading Room Services
• Networked printers and printer accounts
• Digital scanning
• Copy counter assistance
www.bl.uk 15
Offsite Priced Services
• On Demand Document Supply
• Inter-library loans of lending collection
• Imaging Services
• Images Online
www.bl.uk 16
Contact Us
Science Reading Room
scitech@bl.uk
0207 412 7288
BL blogs
www.bl.uk/blogs
@britishlibrary
@BL_Ref_Services
@SciencesBL
www.bl.uk 17
Thank you
Review these slides at http://www.tinyurl.com/BLreadingroom

BLreadingroom

  • 1.
    Navigating the BritishLibrary’s Collections An Introduction to the British Library and its Science Collections and Services Richard Wakeford Reference Specialist - Science
  • 2.
    www.bl.uk 2 Introduction •The BritishLibrary •Using the reading rooms •Science collections, print and digital •Research tools for discovery
  • 3.
    www.bl.uk 3 The BritishLibrary • Sites in London and Boston Spa • Collection covers all subjects and all formats • Acquisition by legal deposit, purchase, donation and exchange • Exhibitions and events
  • 4.
    www.bl.uk 4 Reader Registration •Pre-registration online option • ID needed upon visit • Registration interview and photo pass issued • Max 3 years & renewable • See registration details
  • 5.
    www.bl.uk 5 Using theReading Rooms • Conditions of use • Create a user name and password to use the catalogue for ordering and accessing “My workspace” and “My Reading Room Requests” • Secure IT network blocks e-mail access. WiFi is available
  • 6.
    www.bl.uk 6 Reading RoomOpening Times Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun & Public Holidays • Science • Social Sciences • Business & IP Centre • Humanities • Rare Books & Music • News & Media 10:00- 20:00 09:30- 20:00 09:30- 20:00 09:30- 20:00 09:30- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 Closed • Asian and African Studies • Maps • Manuscripts 10:00- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 09:30- 17:00 Closed
  • 7.
    www.bl.uk 7 Origins ofthe Science Collection • The British Museum Library, 1753 • The Patent Office Library, 1855 • National Lending Library, 1962 • The British Library, 1973 • St Pancras, 1998 • History of the British Library
  • 8.
    www.bl.uk 8 Research Resources- Printed • Journals • Books • Grey literature • Patents • Official publications • Technical standards • Business Information, Rare books, Manuscripts, Maps, Stamps, Music, • Sound Archive, and many other types of material
  • 9.
    www.bl.uk 9 Research Resources- Digital • Journals & books • Databases • Research datasets • UK Web Archive • Theses via eThos • Oral history • Legacy digital formats, audio and video recordings … and other multi-format items
  • 10.
    www.bl.uk 10 Research Tools www.bl.uklinks to: e-resources • Scopus • Web of Science • IEEE Xplore • Engineering Village • Catalogues • Online guides
  • 11.
    www.bl.uk 11 Discovering theCollections • British Library catalogue Explore • “Details” - Shelf marks (Dewey, Science Classification etc) - Holdings data • “I want this” - Order items - Identify delivery times
  • 12.
    www.bl.uk 12 Collection Storageand Delivery Print and Digital • Open access - science books and journals from 2009 - • Delivery from stacks: - 70 minutes - St. Pancras basement - 48 hours - Boston Spa • Digital content via “Explore” - In copyright only in reading rooms - Out of copyright available as open access ,
  • 13.
    www.bl.uk 13 Onsite FreeReading Room Services • Reference desks for face to face help • Remote enquiries QuestionPoint • Online Chat • WiFi and eduroam • Discovery sessions & 1-2-1 sessions • Photography of print collections within copyright limits
  • 14.
    www.bl.uk 14 Onsite PricedReading Room Services • Networked printers and printer accounts • Digital scanning • Copy counter assistance
  • 15.
    www.bl.uk 15 Offsite PricedServices • On Demand Document Supply • Inter-library loans of lending collection • Imaging Services • Images Online
  • 16.
    www.bl.uk 16 Contact Us ScienceReading Room scitech@bl.uk 0207 412 7288 BL blogs www.bl.uk/blogs @britishlibrary @BL_Ref_Services @SciencesBL
  • 17.
    www.bl.uk 17 Thank you Reviewthese slides at http://www.tinyurl.com/BLreadingroom

Editor's Notes

  • #2 Welcome attendees to the British Library, this workshop and outline objectives. Explain how long the session will take, and whether or not you’d like questions throughout the session, or to be addressed at the end. Introduce yourself and your colleague (if applicable), stating which reference team you work in Fire alarm: if the alarm sounds, follow me/my colleague and we’ll get you out of the building.
  • #3 Outline the programme - 45 minutes, Focus on Science RR; readers may want to use other collections for their own interests keep their questions to the end. - This a brief overview - we can help you when you start
  • #4 National library: distinction between a national library with legal deposit duties and a university and public library. (Also NLS and NLW) UK Legal deposit libraries: 5 UK legal deposit libraries in the UK, deposit copy of each new book. Digital Legal Deposit for digital publications including archiving UK web sites. BL Act 1973 - incorporated several libraries , - funded by DCLMS and generated income - Second largest library after Library of Congress St Pancras - started 1982 , opened 1998 Boston Spa - storage , back office , reading room , - document supply from the centre of the UK for postage Collection - 3 M items a year ; 12Km shelving - all subjects, languages, formats BUT NOT everything! - LD since 18C - ELD started 1996 > 2003 Act > 2013 regulations - Increasing E content. - Challenge of preservation for future (eg Domesday) - legacy E content on old formats Exhibitions - Treasures Gallery; Edmund to tell more
  • #5 - Reader Admissions Office on UGF - Bring ID ; separate for name and for Address - In reading room create BL Online Account for ordering - Print account attached to this - Separate WiFi access
  • #6 - No pens – only pencils
  • #7 Reader Pass gives access to all RR Items can be ordered to any RR except special materials pre -1850; music; Mss, maps Depends on which RR you find most comfortable - Science is popular! Pressure on seats at busy times – students - Access opened several years ago to all with need to use . Compared to previous rules
  • #8 British Museum Library started with Hans Sloane and Joseph banks - natural history and anthropology - Moved to NHM in 1880s Patent Office Library – Open entry for the ordinary inventor and mechanic - Open access shelving in subject order for browsing in the pre-computer age National Lending Library – document supply - Reason for multiple copies, multiple records, different shelfmarking systems Science RR - physical sciences, biology, mathematics, engineering Post graduate / research level Mainly English language ; also others Major STEM holdings across the collections NBB Wildlife Sound Collection
  • #9 Emphasis the variety of holdings and that digital is still less than 20% of collections Value Chain - from conference proceedings via peer reviewed articles to standards and guidelines
  • #10 Journals and books - digital parallels print - Issues of access and paywalls for journals - Open Access Datasets - BL leads the DataCite programme for assigning dois UK Web Archive - .uk domain crawl ; 3 times a year, 7M sites and petabytes of data Theses – ETHos portal to collaborating HE libraries (not all eg Cambridge) - Most new theses are born digitall and avilable on Open Access. Print copies – charges for first view Oral History Working with Alan Turing https://www.bl.uk/voices-of-science/interviewees/geoff-tootill/audio/geoff-tootill-working-with-alan-turing Legacy - donated collections with floppy discs , paper tape , belts - search for kit!
  • #11 Subscription bibliographic databases for search Selection of key titles for technology Only in the reading room - Not freely available elsewhere Focussed on selected peer review literature
  • #12 Search Example < Turing Leavitt > Show - records display - Book(s) and reviews Features - LH bar filters - Articles – since 1993 – top 20,000 journals requested Details - LCSH and Dewey - different shelfmarks I want this - 70 min & 48 hr delivery My Workspace My Reading Room Requests
  • #13 3 floors of basement storage at St Pancras ABRS and MBHS (Mechanical Book Handling System) Overnight van service from Boston Spa ELD restrictions on use parallel printed LD - single copies - Out of copyright items are open access
  • #14 Basics are easy and (almost) self explanatory but difficulties can easily arise As well as above - BL does not have everything - Referrals: libraries, archives, institutions and relevant web sites and free online resources.
  • #15 Networked printing accounts: and self-service copying and scanning. Copy counters: staff sell USB sticks, pencils, can credit print accounts and assist with assessing collection material for copying, advise on copyright and help with printing and scanning processes.
  • #16 Document supply: primarily for business – BL processing charge PLUS publishers’ copyright charge Inter-library loans: lending collection items available through public and college libraries but not through the reading rooms Imaging services: available through our web site remotely at home or in the reading rooms. Images online:
  • #17 Mention that there are other workshops available which they can attend - refer to other sessions (eg databases) which overlap slightly with this one Mention any handouts (if being provided) Feedback - we'd be very grateful for any feedback they'd like to give on today's session. Tomorrow they'll receive a feedback survey via email as well as some information about the Reading Rooms which they should find useful. The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Mention the ‘ask a reference team’ service, should they have any more in depth subject queries, or to speak to someone in the relevant Reading Room.