Science

Our resources support the needs of specialists working in academia and business, and can support multidisciplinary research interests

Collection guides

Science overview
We support the needs of specialists working in academia and business, and can support multidisciplinary research interests
Europe PMC
Free access to biomedical and life sciences research articles, biological and medical patents records, grant data and more
Science electronic resources
We subscribe to a large and growing number of electronic resources and bibliographic databases
Patents
The British Library is the UK’s national patent library
Wildlife and environmental sounds
The largest collection of its kind in Europe and the most comprehensive in the world

How to …

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Science Reading Room

Floor 2 focuses on Medicine and Life Sciences, Floor 3 focuses on Physical Sciences and Engineering.

Find information on the open-access shelves
Access online databases and electronic journals
Order collection items to the Reading Rooms via our catalogues
Get help from Reference Specialists at the Enquiry desk

You’ll need a Reader Pass

Mon: 10.00 – 20.00
Tue – Thu: 09.30 – 20.00
Fri – Sat: 09.30 – 17.00
Sun & English Public Holidays: closed

Opening hours for all Reading Rooms

For enquiries, please contact the Reference Service

News stories

School pupil looking at a model molecular structure

Science in schools: what are the options?

28 September 2015

Come and discuss the future of secondary science education with our expert panel

Blog posts

Memory Matters: The Art and Science of the Brain

12 November 2015

Alexander Brown reflects on the recent Memory Matters event in collaboration with UCL Neuroscience. If I wanted to define ‘Memory Matters: The Art and Science of the Brain’ with a quote, it would be the words of Lewis Carroll’s White...

Science in Schools: What are the options?

09 November 2015

Here we share some of the highlights from our most recent TalkScience event. The topic under discussion at the 30th TalkScience event was the future of secondary science education. We welcomed Ed Dorrell (Times Educational Supplement) to chair a panel...

Magna Carta Conservation Team at the ICON Awards

23 October 2015

The British Library conservation team that worked on the Magna Carta project attended a glamorous awards ceremony at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers last night. The team were shortlisted for the Institute of Conservation (ICON) Anna Plowden Trust Award for...

Parchment Internship at the British Library

21 October 2015

Intern, Parchment Research & Conservation, British Library British Library job reference 00476 11 month Internship, 36 hours a week (full time), London The British Library is pleased to offer a funded Internship, concentrating on parchment research and conservation. The internship...

Science projects

Access to Understanding

Access to Understanding is a collaboration, led by the British Library, which unites individuals and organisations that want to promote wider understanding of biomedical research findings.

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Gray's Anatomy

Using sumptuous illustrations and clear, matter-of-fact descriptions, Dr. Gray unleashed a classic on the world more than 100 years ago.

£25

How to Cure the Plague

Julian Walker presents a fascinating illustrated compilation of some of the most curious and disturbing cures from history, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

£10.00