THE BRITISH LIBRARY

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THE BRITISH LIBRARY

• COLLECTIONS AND SERVICES IN THE
• LONDON SCIENCE READING ROOMS

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Kings Library Collection
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The BL - Three locations

• The New British Library building has -
• 11 reading rooms, staff offices
• Central London
• Newspaper Library
• Colindale, North London
• Document Supply Centre
• Boston Spa, Yorkshire

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OPENING HOURS

• Monday
  10.00 20.00
• Tuesday to Thursday 09.30
  20.00
• Friday and Saturday 09.30
  20.00
• Sunday / Bank Holidays reading rooms closed
• but
  public areas open
• 11.00
  17.00

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Reader Admissions

• Reader Admissions Policy
• More liberal access has been introduced -
• Bring with you
• Proof of identity
• passport, or
• driving licence, or
• cheque card
• A utility bill with your name and address
• Evidence of research and concrete examples of
  items identified on the BL opac

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Rules And Regulations

• No Food Or Drink
• Coats And Bags To Be Left In Lockers Or Cloakroom
• Items To Be Carried In Clear BL Carrier Bags
• Mobile Phones To Be Switched Off
• No Pens In The Reading Rooms Pencils Only
• Laptops Are Permitted

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London Science Reading Rooms

• Science 1 South Official publications social
  sciences plus engineering
• Science 1 2 North Innovation Centre
  Business industrial property
• Science 2 South Life Sciences, Medicine
  Chemistry
• Science 3 South Physics, computing, IT,
  maths, earth space science

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The Science and Technology Collections

• 20,000 plus current print journals
• (4,000 plus electronic journals)
• Research-level books, encyclopaedias,
• Electronic resources portfolio including
• Online standards (BS, ISO, ASTM, ANSI, IEC)
• Electronic journals databases

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Collections Innovation Centre

• 49 million patents
• Business information
• Market research reports
• Company annual reports
• Trade and product literature
• Redesigned and refurbished reading rooms to
  include private meeting spaces, e-resources,
  seminars, patent surgeries and business advice.

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Other Collections Containing Science

• Humanities
• includes a lot of science technology
• can order into the science reading rooms
• Document Supply Centre
• 50,000 journals
• conferences
• report literature
• order to reading rooms for next day

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Other BL Collections

• Rare Books
• Manuscripts
• Maps
• National Sound Archive
• Newspapers (at Colindale site)

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British Library Integrated Catalogue

• Available on the web directly at -
• http//catalogues.bl.uk
• Search whole BL collections together or by
  individual catalogue
• Or via the BL web site at
• http//www.bl.uk/

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Stock Organisation Classification - Science

• Subject arrangement for browsing before 2003
  under the old Sanderson in-house classification
  scheme including most serials.
• 2003 onwards the stock is arranged by the Dewey
  classification system
• Currently from 1997 library stock on open access
• Earlier material can be ordered in advance from
  London based reserve stores in 2 hours before 3
  pm.

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E-resources Electronic Journals

• E-Resources - Electronic journals
• The following e-journal collections are
  accessible
• http//www.bl.uk/collections/wider/eresources/ejou
  rnals.html
• ESTAR offers keyword searching across 4,000 FT
  titles
• Plus A-Z title index browsing to find known
  issue.
• Other online journal collections include EMERALD,
  JSTOR,
• Project MUSE, Nature, Swetswise etc

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E-Resources Electronic Databases

• The science reading rooms have a wide range of
  databases accessible only in the reading rooms
  and not remotely on the following interfaces
• SilverPlatter WebSPIRS
• CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts )
• Plus access to specialist free databases on the
  WWW for full details refer to -
• http//www.bl.uk/collections/databstb.html

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Photocopy Support services

• The photocopy support services offers a
• Self service copiers 20p/A4 page
• (Non-subsidised and based on cost recovery)
• These use EMOS rechargeable white plastic cards
• While-you-wait service -
• Researcher finds material from the collection,
  tag up the pages they want copied and the staff
  do this.