CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charSet="utf-8"/><link href="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=GTM-TSFX37GD" rel="preload" as="script"/><link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com/"/><title>Privacy policy - The British Library</title><meta name="robots" content="index,follow"/><meta name="description" content="This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more."/><meta property="og:title" content="Privacy policy - The British Library"/><meta property="og:description" content="This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more."/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.bl.uk//privacy"/><meta property="og:type" content="website"/><meta property="og:image" content="/placeholder-meta-min.jpg"/><meta property="og:image:alt" content="Privacy policy"/><meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"/><meta property="og:image:height" content="630"/><meta property="og:site_name" content="The British Library"/><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.bl.uk/privacy/"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/><meta name="keywords"/><meta name="og:title" content="Privacy policy"/><meta name="og:description" content="This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more."/><meta name="og:image" content="/placeholder-meta-min.jpg"/><meta name="twitter:title" content="Privacy policy"/><meta name="twitter:description" content="This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more."/><meta name="twitter:image" content="/placeholder-meta-min.jpg"/><meta name="next-head-count" content="24"/><meta name="application-name" content="British Library"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="default"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="British Library"/><meta name="description" content="We are the national library of the UK"/><meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"/><meta name="mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/><meta name="msapplication-config" content="/icons/browserconfig.xml"/><meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#d62724"/><meta name="msapplication-tap-highlight" content="no"/><meta name="theme-color" content="#d62724"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/icons/touch-icon-iphone.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/icons/touch-icon-ipad.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/icons/touch-icon-iphone-retina.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="167x167" href="/icons/touch-icon-ipad-retina.png"/><link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json"/><link rel="mask-icon" href="/icons/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#5bbad5"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/css/9cbc3ce5f2a81f41.css" as="style" crossorigin=""/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_next/static/css/9cbc3ce5f2a81f41.css" crossorigin="" data-n-g=""/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/css/604b1f4eda0e33ba.css" as="style" crossorigin=""/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_next/static/css/604b1f4eda0e33ba.css" crossorigin="" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/css/b9ee062def7d944f.css" as="style" crossorigin=""/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_next/static/css/b9ee062def7d944f.css" crossorigin="" data-n-p=""/><noscript data-n-css=""></noscript><script defer="" crossorigin="" nomodule="" src="/_next/static/chunks/polyfills-c67a75d1b6f99dc8.js"></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/427.9f6c8b05ec6316d5.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/266.61a1ee8df91bece3.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/122.c9303c3a6e0c379a.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/150.a98fc2845499992d.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/986.e34c8c5a3c0053bb.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/296.5874e2831741dc41.js" crossorigin=""></script><script defer="" src="/_next/static/chunks/356.2e9eb437b369697c.js" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/webpack-83247ec6906c1f01.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/framework-5429a50ba5373c56.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/main-b874db6896089b42.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/pages/_app-22530dfdde612c0a.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/906-7f5529df90791fd7.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/284-65ad86fdbbfdb5d0.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/pages/%5B...page%5D-1fa4efbaa5af78c8.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/DF2EmaxEKyrM3joy9uz_G/_buildManifest.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script><script src="/_next/static/DF2EmaxEKyrM3joy9uz_G/_ssgManifest.js" defer="" crossorigin=""></script></head><body><noscript><iframe src=https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-TSFX37GD height="0" width="0" style="display: none; visibility: hidden;" /></noscript><div id="__next"><div class="layout"><header class="Header_header__BHndU"><div class=" Container_wide__UcEgu Container_container__wufUs Container_vertical-padding-none__iW4OW"><div class="Header_flex__IxrK6"><a aria-label="The British Library" class="logo" href="/"><svg width="52" height="100" viewBox="0 0 52 100" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M51.4 0H0V100H51.4V0Z" fill="var(--brand-red)"></path><path d="M15.8247 20.9853V26.5396H10.2051V29.0034H23.9839V26.5396H17.8939V20.9853H23.9839V18.5215H10.2051V20.9853H15.8247Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M27.3926 16.555H29.4382V11.0439H41.1478V8.58008H27.3926V16.555Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M41.1478 18.5215H27.3926V20.9853H41.1478V18.5215Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M22.1497 37.3462C22.1497 38.1458 21.8911 38.8374 21.6325 39.3993C21.3738 39.9612 21.0917 40.3503 20.9741 40.5232L22.7141 41.647C22.9022 41.4957 24.2659 39.81 24.2659 37.2165C24.2659 34.2556 22.5495 32.4834 20.0571 32.4834C17.4941 32.4834 16.6476 34.3637 15.7777 36.2872C15.1193 37.7352 14.696 38.7942 13.6144 38.7942C12.6269 38.7942 11.9685 37.8216 11.9685 36.5249C11.9685 35.6388 12.3447 34.7311 12.862 34.0179C12.9561 33.8666 13.0031 33.7801 13.0736 33.7153L11.4277 32.5915C11.3101 32.6995 9.92285 34.1475 9.92285 36.6978C9.92285 39.3561 11.5453 41.2148 13.8966 41.2148C15.6601 41.2148 16.6947 40.1125 17.4236 38.6861C17.7528 38.0378 18.0114 37.3894 18.3171 36.741C18.6698 35.9197 19.1401 34.9904 20.2217 34.9904C21.3503 35.012 22.1497 35.8117 22.1497 37.3462Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M23.9839 44.7588H10.2051V47.2226H23.9839V44.7588Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M33.4121 26.6477V27.6203C33.4121 28.2254 33.4591 28.8522 33.365 29.3709C33.2945 29.8896 33.1299 30.365 32.8007 30.7108C32.401 31.0999 31.9072 31.2295 31.4369 31.2295C30.9902 31.2295 30.4964 31.0566 30.1672 30.7108C29.5559 30.0841 29.3913 29.3925 29.3913 27.9877V26.6477H33.4121ZM39.2433 26.6477V27.6851C39.2433 28.5496 39.2669 29.7599 38.5615 30.4083C38.2558 30.6892 37.9031 30.8189 37.3858 30.8189C36.798 30.8189 36.2807 30.7108 35.975 30.365C35.3637 29.7167 35.3166 28.5712 35.3166 27.5771V26.6477H39.2433ZM28.7094 32.6559C29.3207 33.2827 30.3083 33.6933 31.484 33.6933C33.4356 33.6933 34.235 32.3318 34.4937 31.316C34.7053 31.8995 35.3401 33.2395 37.3858 33.2395C38.3969 33.2395 39.2198 32.9801 39.9958 32.2021C40.9833 31.2079 41.1244 29.868 41.1244 28.3983V24.292H27.3691V27.4258C27.3927 29.587 27.3927 31.3376 28.7094 32.6559Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M23.9839 56.3217V53.8362H12.2272V49.9893H10.2051V60.1903H12.2272V56.3217H23.9839Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M23.9839 62.957H10.2051V65.4208H23.9839V62.957Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M38.3498 54.7656L32.5185 56.6891V52.8853L38.3498 54.7656ZM30.5669 52.2585V57.359L29.3912 57.7697C28.9209 57.9426 28.145 58.1155 27.7923 58.4829C27.5101 58.7638 27.3926 59.1529 27.3926 59.9741V61.0115L41.1478 56.0839V53.5985L27.3926 48.6709V51.2211L30.5669 52.2585Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M12.1801 76.788V75.7506C12.1801 75.2103 12.1566 74.7348 12.2271 74.3026C12.2977 73.8919 12.4388 73.5461 12.7444 73.2436C13.0031 72.9842 13.5909 72.7249 14.2023 72.7249C14.7666 72.7249 15.3309 72.9626 15.7071 73.3516C16.3185 73.9784 16.436 74.8213 16.436 75.9667V76.788H12.1801ZM18.3876 76.788V76.3774C18.3876 75.8154 18.4111 74.8213 18.9519 74.281C19.6808 73.5678 23.0432 72.2062 23.537 71.7091C23.8897 71.3417 23.9838 70.9311 23.9838 69.9585V68.5537C23.0197 69.1372 18.7168 71.3849 18.176 71.9252C17.7763 72.3142 17.6587 72.66 17.6117 73.0707C17.4471 72.2926 17.1414 71.6875 16.6241 71.1688C15.9658 70.5204 15.1193 70.2395 14.2023 70.2395C13.0266 70.2395 12.0626 70.7149 11.4042 71.3633C10.5107 72.271 10.3226 73.3516 10.2755 74.5619C10.252 74.9726 10.2285 75.448 10.2285 75.9019V79.2302H23.9838V76.7664H18.3876V76.788Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M21.2092 85.088C21.8206 85.7147 21.9851 86.4063 21.9851 87.8111V89.1511H17.9644V88.1785C17.9644 87.5734 17.9174 86.9682 18.0114 86.4279C18.0819 85.9092 18.2465 85.4338 18.5992 85.088C18.999 84.6989 19.4927 84.5693 19.963 84.5693C20.4098 84.5693 20.88 84.7422 21.2092 85.088ZM12.1331 89.1295V88.0921C12.1331 87.2276 12.1096 86.0173 12.815 85.3689C13.1206 85.088 13.4733 84.9583 13.9906 84.9583C14.5785 84.9583 15.0958 85.0664 15.4014 85.4122C16.0128 86.0605 16.0598 87.206 16.0598 88.2001V89.1295H12.1331ZM19.869 82.1055C17.9174 82.1055 17.1179 83.467 16.8593 84.4828C16.6476 83.8993 16.0128 82.5593 13.9671 82.5593C12.9561 82.5593 12.1331 82.8187 11.3572 83.5967C10.3696 84.5909 10.2285 85.9308 10.2285 87.4005V91.5068H23.9838V88.373C23.9838 86.1902 23.9603 84.4396 22.6435 83.1212C22.0322 82.4945 21.0446 82.1055 19.869 82.1055Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M27.3926 76.8536V79.2525H32.8477L41.1478 83.5318V81.9973C41.1478 81.068 40.7951 80.9383 39.9251 80.506L35.1755 78.1071L41.1478 75.0598V72.5527L32.8477 76.8752H27.3926V76.8536Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M39.1728 65.3554V66.3928C39.1728 66.9331 39.1963 67.4086 39.1258 67.8408C39.0552 68.2514 38.9142 68.5972 38.6085 68.8998C38.3498 69.1592 37.762 69.4185 37.1507 69.4185C36.5863 69.4185 36.022 69.1808 35.6458 68.7917C35.0345 68.1866 34.9169 67.3221 34.9169 66.1767V65.3554H39.1728ZM32.9653 65.3554V65.766C32.9653 66.328 32.9418 67.3221 32.401 67.8624C31.6721 68.5756 28.3097 69.9372 27.8159 70.4343C27.4632 70.8017 27.3691 71.2123 27.3691 72.1849V73.5897C28.3332 73.0061 32.6361 70.7585 33.1769 70.2182C33.5766 69.8291 33.6942 69.4833 33.7648 69.0727C33.9058 69.8508 34.235 70.4559 34.7523 70.9746C35.3872 71.623 36.2572 71.9039 37.1742 71.9039C38.3498 71.9039 39.3139 71.4285 39.9723 70.7801C40.8658 69.8724 41.0539 68.7917 41.1009 67.6031C41.1244 67.1924 41.1479 66.717 41.1479 66.2631V62.8916H27.3927V65.3554H32.9653Z" fill="white"></path><path d="M39.1728 39.1395V40.1768C39.1728 40.7171 39.1963 41.1926 39.1258 41.6249C39.0552 42.0355 38.9142 42.3813 38.6085 42.6839C38.3498 42.9432 37.762 43.2026 37.1507 43.2026C36.5863 43.2026 36.022 42.9648 35.6458 42.5758C35.0345 41.9707 34.9169 41.1062 34.9169 39.9607V39.1395H39.1728ZM32.9653 39.1395V39.5501C32.9653 40.112 32.9418 41.1062 32.401 41.6465C31.6721 42.3597 28.3097 43.7213 27.8159 44.2183C27.4632 44.5857 27.3691 44.9964 27.3691 45.9689V47.3737C28.3332 46.7902 32.6361 44.5425 33.1769 44.0022C33.5766 43.6132 33.6942 43.2674 33.7648 42.8568C33.9058 43.6348 34.235 44.24 34.7523 44.7586C35.3872 45.407 36.2572 45.688 37.1742 45.688C38.3498 45.688 39.3139 45.2125 39.9723 44.5641C40.8658 43.6564 41.0539 42.5758 41.1009 41.3655C41.1244 40.9549 41.1479 40.4794 41.1479 40.0256V36.6973H27.3927V39.1611H32.9653V39.1395Z" fill="white"></path></svg></a><div class="Menu_menu__WUNEk Menu_headerMenu__y2Zmf"><ul><li><a class="" href="/research">Research</a></li><li><a class="" href="/bipc">Business</a></li><li><a class="" href="/whats-on">What's on</a></li><li><a class="" href="/learning">Learning</a></li><li><a class="" href="/visit">Visit</a></li><li><a href="https://support.bl.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="">Support us</a></li><li><a class="" href="https://shop.bl.uk/">Shop</a></li></ul></div><button class="hamburger " type="button" name="Toggle menu" aria-label="Toggle menu" aria-controls="navigation" aria-expanded="false"><span class="hamburger-box"><span class="hamburger-inner"></span></span></button></div></div></header><div style="opacity:1"><div class=" Container_wide__UcEgu Container_container__wufUs Container_vertical-padding-none__iW4OW"><div class="main offset"><div class="Breadcrumbs_breadcrumb__Yz_Dy"><ul><li><a href="/">British Library</a></li><li><span>Privacy policy</span></li></ul></div><div class="page"><div class="Introduction_component__g6XG0 "><h1>Privacy policy</h1><div><p>This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation. It applies to all interactions you may have with the British Library, for example visiting our website, using our systems (such as our free Wi-Fi), or visiting our buildings.</p><p>This is an abridged version of the Privacy Policy found on our main website (which is currently unavailable during this period of disruption). We will revert to our full policy when our website and services are restored. </p><h3>1. What type of information does the British Library collect about you?</h3><p>The nature and types of personal information we collect and process from you will depend on which of our Services you choose to use. We will normally collect personal information directly from you when you volunteer it to us, or when we gather it from your use of our Services. We try to limit our use of personal information to the details we need to provide the requested or agreed Service for you.</p><p>If you have visited the Library, registered as a Reader, attended a Library event, contacted the Library, or otherwise signed-up to use one of our services, this may include the following categories of personal data:</p><ul><li>your name and title</li><li>your contact information (telephone numbers, postal and/or email address)</li><li>age and/or date of birth</li><li>gender</li><li>login credentials (including username and password)</li><li>photograph (for example when you register as a reader with the Library, or those taken at our events, or those you upload to our systems)</li><li>payment information (such as debit or credit card details)</li><li>educational institute details (such as your school, university or college)</li><li>marketing preferences (for example where you have opted in to receive our newsletter(s))</li><li>visit history, habits, activities and behaviour (such as when you visited our buildings, or whether you attended as part of a group)</li><li>preferences, access needs and dietary requirements</li><li>reason(s) for contacting us, such as enquiries or requests</li><li>opinions, preferences, feedback, complaints, comments and/or suggestions (including comments made on our social media pages and online discussion forums)</li><li>security related information (such as proof of address if you register to become a reader, security incident reports, or CCTV footage of our public areas)</li></ul><p>Where you have previously used or accessed the Library's website (prior to the cyber incident in October 2023), or used the Library's Wi-Fi, the Library may also collect and process:</p><ul>device information (such as MAC <li>address, IP address, operating system and browser type)</li><li>location information (such as a GPS signal emitted by your mobile device)</li><li>online browsing habits, activities and behaviour (such as which of our web pages you have visited and when you visited them)</li></ul><p>This list is not intended to be exhaustive and may be updated from time to time as our business needs and legal requirements dictate.</p><p>Where it is necessary and lawful to do so, we may also collect information from and/or combine your personal information with information from other sources.</p><p>We do not normally collect any Sensitive Personal Information from or about you, and do not wish to do so unless it is essential. If we do, we will only ask you to provide the minimum amount of information required for that purpose. In other cases, we will collect and use this type of information only with your clear consent. Please do not provide us with Sensitive Personal Information under any other circumstances.</p><h3>2. How does the British Library collect your personal information?</h3><p>We may collect your personal information through our Data Collection Media whenever you use any of our Services, including using our website or visiting our buildings. This would include when you:</p><ul><li>communicate with us (via email, post, telephone, text messaging, social media)</li><li>visit our physical sites and use systems and equipment located in our buildings</li><li>access our main website, and the individual web portals associated with our Services, mobile sites and applications</li></ul><p>In certain circumstances, the British Library may also collect your personal information from (and/or combine it with information from) other sources, such as:</p><ul><li>individuals and/or organisations where you have confirmed that they may provide your personal information to us</li><li>government, tax or law enforcement agencies</li><li>other sources, such as when information about you is volunteered by a third party e.g. mentioned in a complaint, or part of a group booking arrangement that they facilitate</li></ul><p>We may also occasionally collect personal information from public sources where it is fair and lawful to do so. For example, we may use publicly available information to track down the owner of certain intellectual property rights. These sources may include internet search-engine results, publicly available data from Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and similar social media, or other information in the public domain.</p><h3>3. Why does the British Library use your personal information?</h3><p>The Library may use your personal information for a variety of purposes, depending upon the Service you have requested or are using. Quite often we will use your data simply to fulfil a request that you have initiated, such as to deal with your enquiry, give you access to the Library, provide a requested book to you, send you tickets to an event, or otherwise to provide you with and enable you to use our Services. You may also choose to share certain information with us as part of a research project or a joint academic collaboration.</p><p>The Library may also use your personal information to manage and develop the Services that we offer, for example to:</p><ul><li>contact you if we have not heard from you for a certain amount of time</li><li>invite you to provide feedback, assist with surveys and input into consultation exercises</li><li>provide you with administrative information and/or service announcements and updates (including changes to our policies and terms)</li><li>ensure our records are accurate and up to date</li><li>fulfil any contract the Library has with you (e.g., where you make a purchase in connection with any of our Services and we need to process your payment and/or deliver something to you)</li><li>administer our legitimate internal management analysis, audit, forecasts and business planning and transactions</li><li>enforce our rules and policies, and maintain our security (for example our rules about handling Collection items).</li></ul><p>The Library may also use personal data to ensure we can meet our legal, regulatory and good governance obligations, such as to:</p><ul><li>comply with our legal obligations and perform our statutory and public functions and duties</li><li>help ensure your safety and the security of our premises and Collections</li><li>establish, defend or exercise our legal rights</li><li>comply with orders/requests received from the public and regulatory, governmental and judicial bodies</li><li>comply with our legal, regulatory and internal governance obligations (such as our record retention policies)</li></ul><p>Where you have given your consent we may use your contact details to send you direct marketing communications (including e-mail marketing and fundraising communications), or run marketing campaigns, competitions, prize draws and promotions</p><p>Under data protection legislation, the British Library is only allowed to use personal information if we have a proper reason (known as a 'legal basis') to do so. The 'legal basis' relied on to process the personal data we hold will depend on the way in which you have engaged with the Library, or the Service or product you use or sign up for. We may process your personal data because:</p><ul><li>you have given your consent (e.g., for the provision of marketing correspondence)</li><li>it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (e.g., the purchase of tickets or other goods or services)</li><li>we are under a legal obligation to do so (e.g., for equality monitoring or health & safety purposes)</li><li>it is in the public interest and in the performance of our official duties (e.g., the provision of access to, and the security of, our Collections as required under the British Library Act 1972)</li></ul><h3>4. Depersonalised and anonymous information</h3><p>Depersonalised or aggregated information does not personally identify you. We may also convert personal information into depersonalised (“pseudonymous”) data or anonymous data for statistical analysis and administration, tailoring products and Services, risk assessment and analysis of costs and charges in relation to our Services (normally on an aggregated statistical basis).</p><h3>5. Does the British Library share personal information with third parties?</h3><p>The Library will take appropriate steps to ensure your personal information will only be made available to those members of our staff who need to see it in order to perform their functions/roles/responsibilities at the Library in respect of the Services you have requested or agreed to use.</p><p>Personal information may be held in one or more Customer Relationship Management (CRM) databases to ensure we have clear and accurate records about your use of our Services, to help understand your requirements, and how we might provide other Services to you.</p><p>We will never use information about the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections (e.g., through use of our Reading Rooms or our remote Services such as Document Supply) to provide marketing analysis or to send personalised marketing material. We may use this information on an aggregated and depersonalised basis for Service improvement purposes (for example, to determine whether we are purchasing enough journals in a specific foreign language to match our Readers' research interests).</p><p>The Library engages various expert third-party service providers to assist with the performance of certain functions or to provide services on our behalf. These third party service providers may act as “Data Processors”, processing your personal information on our behalf in order to assist the Library, or to provide an agreed Service to you. All of our Data Processors are bound by strict contractual terms in order to ensure that your personal information will be protected appropriately.</p><p>The Library may be required to share your personal information with other people and organisations outside the Library to the extent permitted or required by law. This may include:</p><ul><li>government authorities, law enforcement and regulatory authorities where required or permitted by law, and for tax or other lawful purposes</li><li>external parties in response to legal process, and when required to comply with laws, to respond to an emergency, or to enforce our agreements, policies, rules and terms, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our staff, agents, customers and other users of our Services</li></ul><p>Where we are required to share your personal information with a third party, you will be informed of the identity and location of the relevant recipient, either at the point of data collection, or in in the Service specific pages available on our website.</p><h3>6. Will the British Library send your personal information overseas?</h3><p>Where we (or a Data Processor acting on our behalf) transfer your personal information to countries outside of the EEA, we will put in place appropriate measures (as required by law) to ensure that those transfers are adequately protected. Where this is in relation to a specific Service you will be informed of the identity and location of the relevant recipient, either at the point of data collection, or in in the Service specific pages available on our website.</p><h3>7. What are your choices relating to contact from us?</h3><h4>Service-related communications</h4><p> We may contact you with information that may affect your use of a service, for example, disruptions to Services, reading room closures, lost property, or problems with orders. You will not be able to unsubscribe from administrative and Service-related communications unless you unsubscribe from the relevant Services.</p><h4>Direct Marketing</h4><p>The Library would like to provide you with information about new Services, products, events, courses, collections, promotions and offers from the Library which may be of interest to you. We may contact you to tell you this information, but we will obtain your consent before contacting you with “direct marketing” in this way.</p><p>Any direct marketing communications that you receive from the Library will include a simple way for you to decline or change your mind about further marketing, such as an 'unsubscribe' link, or an email address to which you can send an opt-out request. The Library will take steps to stop any direct marketing to which you object, or in respect of which you withdraw your consent, within one calendar month being told of your objection or withdrawal of consent.</p><h3>8. How does the British Library keep your personal information safe?</h3><p>Following the cyber-attack on Library systems in October 2023, we have taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of our systems, and we are undertaking a forensic investigation with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Metropolitan Police and cybersecurity specialists. We are actively assessing all of our information security provisions in line with the recommendations from the NCSC and our partners and we have implemented additional security measures to defend against future attacks.</p><h3>9. What are your rights in relation to your personal information?</h3><p>You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, although in some cases these rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations. You are entitled to:</p><ul><li>request copies of, and/or access to your personal information.</li><li>request that your personal information be corrected where inaccurate or incomplete.</li><li>request that your personal data be deleted or that we stop using your personal data where it is no longer necessary. This right normally only applies where your information was provided or processed on the basis of consent, or in the performance of a contract with you which lapsed more than six years ago.</li><li>request that we stop sending you direct marketing communications.</li></ul><p>If you would like more details about these rights as they apply to a specific Service of the British library, or to exercise any of your rights, please contact us by emailing <a href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'>dp@bl.uk</a> or writing to:</p><p>Corporate Information Management Unit<br />The British Library<br />96 Euston Road London<br />NW1 2DB</p><p>To help us identify the personal information you are referring to, please include any details that will enable us to locate the relevant personal information, such as your Reader Number or details of how you have previously engaged with the Library.</p><p>We may contact you to ask you to provide a form of identification (e.g., a driving license, utility bill or passport) so that we can be sure we do not provide personal data to the wrong person.</p><p>We will aim to provide you with our response within one calendar month of the Library accepting your request and we will tell you if it is necessary to extend this time period.</p><p>If after receiving a reply from us you are still unhappy with our response to such a request you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Details on how to do so can be found on the ICO's website.</p><h3>10. Retaining your personal information</h3><p>The Library will only keep your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was obtained. Where this is in relation to a specific Service you will be informed of the retention period, either at the point of data collection, or in the Service specific pages available on our website.</p><p>When the Library decides that holding your details is no longer necessary we will securely delete / destroy your details.</p><p>We will keep your details on record until we have completely dealt with your request, enquiry, or our contract with you, and then for a reasonable period afterwards, in accordance with data protection and other applicable legislation, as set out in our Records Management Policy.</p><h3>11. Other information</h3><p>Online payments by credit or debit cards for some Services provided by the Library are processed under contract using specialist Data Processors. When a payment is processed by Data Processor acting on our behalf, card details are collected over a secure link and protected by industry standard software which encrypts your information. We do not collect any payment card account details and they are not made available to us.</p><p>Our service provider will use the information you provide to process your payment or to refund any monies due to you. Please refer to the terms and conditions for the relevant Service for further details. Payments processed on behalf of the Library are managed in line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.</p><h3>12. Changes to this Privacy Policy</h3><p>We may change this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law and/or our privacy practices. We will update the date at the bottom of this page whenever we do that. We encourage you to check this policy for changes, for example when you revisit our websites. In the event of a major change to our policy we will contact you to inform you of the change.</p><p>By submitting your personal information to us, you are indicating that you understand how we use your personal information, as described in this policy.</p><h3>13. Contact us</h3><p>If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:</p><p>Corporate Information Management Unit<br />The British Library<br />96 Euston Road<br />London<br />NW1 2DB</p><p>Email: <a href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'>dp@bl.uk</a></p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - Business & IP Centre</h2><p>When you engage with our Business & IP Centre (BIPC) we will collect information about your business (potentially including financial information), as well as your contact details, and certain other data required to meet equality monitoring requirements (which will include Sensitive Personal Information in relation to your  ethnicity and gender).</p><p>We will use your personal information to provide you with the Services that you have requested from us, such as workshop bookings, attendance at events, advice sessions, and similar business support activities (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation.</p><p>We may use your contact information to contact your business with information about our Services which we believe may be of interest to you. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.</p><p>Many of the services that we offer through the BIPC are also available through our partner organisations in the <a href='https://bipc-interactive-map.netlify.app/' target='_blank'>British Library Business & IP Centre National Network</a>. We may share your information with our partners in the Network as necessary to provide you with the services you have requested, and to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing the services of the Network. Our Network partner organisations may also use your information for the same reasons.</p><p>The services that you have requested will be provided by a variety of third party consultants who will be experts in the relevant field. We will share your information with them for the purpose of providing the services, and they may also use your information to offer you further support outside of the Library's service provision.</p><p>We may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:</p><ul><li>We use Hubspot, from Hubspot Inc., for marketing services. Hubspot may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Hubspot's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy' target='_blank'>https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy</a>.</li><li>We use Basecamp, from Basecamp LLC, to administer the BIPC Centre National Network. Basecamp may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Basecamp's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://basecamp.com/about/policies/privacy' target='_blank'>https://basecamp.com/about/policies/privacy</a>.</li><li>We use Eventbrite, from Eventbrite Inc., for event advertising, booking, and ticket sales. Eventbrite may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Eventbrite's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_US/Troubleshooting/eventbrite-privacy-policy' target='_blank'>https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_US/Troubleshooting/eventbrite-privacy-policy</a>.</li></ul><p>If you engage with a BIPC service we will retain your information for the current year plus a further six years after the date of your transaction in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - CCTV</h2><p>The British Library uses CCTV, and other related technologies such as passive terahertz body scanners, on all of our physical sites for the purposes of safety and security management. We do this in the performance of our public task to protect the UK's national collection of its published output, and in order to protect the vital interests of our staff and visitors.</p><p>CCTV footage is retained for 31 days before being automatically overwritten, and security scan records are retained for 24 hrs, unless deliberately archived for evidential purposes in the event of a security incident.</p><p>Upon request, we will routinely provide copies of our CCTV records to the police in the performance of their legitimate duties.</p><p>Further information about our use of CCTV can be found in our CCTV Policy, which is available upon request.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - Collection materials</h2><p>The British Library collects the published output of Great Britain, and has over 150 million items in its Collections. Our Collections contain personal data in many forms; in newspapers, radio recordings, oral history interviews, modern literary archives, electoral rolls, and in our archival copy of the .uk web domain.</p><p>We collect, catalogue, and make available our Collections (and the personal data contained within them) as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, e.g. as the national and legal deposit library of Great Britain. Further details about our public task can be found at the end of this page.</p><p>Where Sensitive Personal Data is found in our Collections it is processed for the purpose of archiving in the public interest. Where such data would be likely to cause substantial distress or harm to the data subject if disclosed it will be withheld from public access, but will still be retained in our Collections.</p><p>Personal data contained in our Collections will be retained in perpetuity, so as to inform the research of future generations.</p><p><strong>Please note:</strong> If you use the personal data present in our Collections as part of your research then you become a Data Controller in relation to that data, and are responsible for using that data fairly, ethically, and in compliance with the law. In particular, personal data which is used for research purposes may not be used in order to make decisions about or take actions in relation to the data subject in question, and may not be used in ways which would cause substantial damage or distress to them.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - education & learning</h2><p>In this section, please read all instances of “you” to include “your child(ren)” in those cases where you provide us with information about minors who are in your care.</p><p>When you engage with our Education and Learning Services we will collect information about your school (where relevant), as well as your contact details, and certain other data required to ensure that your visit is safe (which will include Sensitive Personal Information in relation to your special needs or dietary requirements).</p><p>We will use your personal information to provide you with the Services that you have requested from us, such as school workshops, teacher events, family events, or adult learning courses (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation. We will use the Sensitive Personal Information that you provide to ensure that your use of our Services is safe (e.g. in the vital interests of the data subject).</p><p>We may use your contact information to contact your school with information about our Services which we believe may be of interest to you. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.</p><p>We may analyse information about your transactions to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing our Learning & Education Services.</p><p>Please note that photography (both video and still) for publicity purposes is often undertaken at our events, either by us, by third party photographers acting on our behalf under contract, or by media organisations. Such photography will primarily be focussed on groups and activities rather than on individuals. If you have any objection to such photography please make this known to a member of staff at the event. If we wish to take individual photographs or video recordings that are specifically focussed on you then we will always ask for your specific consent at the time.</p><p>We may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:</p><ul><li>We use Google Drive, from Google Inc., to coordinate and administer our education and learning activities. Google may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Google's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://policies.google.com/privacy' target='_blank'>https://policies.google.com/privacy</a>.</li><li>We use WeTransfer, from WeTransfer B.V, to transfer photographs between us and our photographers. WeTransfer's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://wetransfer.com/legal/privacy' target='_blank'>https://wetransfer.com/legal/privacy</a>.</li></ul><p>We will retain your information for the current year plus a further six years after the date of your transaction in order to comply with tax and accounting rules. Photos taken for publicity purposes will be retained indefinitely.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - fundraising and development</h2><p>The British Library is required to generate a proportion of its income from commercial activity and philanthropic donations. As such we carry out fundraising research in order to understand the background of people who may support us, and to help us to make appropriate requests to supporters who may have the desire to donate to the British Library.</p><p>From time to time we may analyse our database to find people who we think might be able to support us based on factors such as previous contributions, transaction history and demographics. In doing so we may use profiling techniques or use third party wealth screening companies and insight companies to provide us with general information about our donors or potential donors. Such information is compiled using publicly available information, information that has already been provided to us through the use of our Services, or information shared by other organisations where they have been given consent to do so.</p><p>We will not send fundraising and development marketing to users of our Services unless you have specifically consented to receive marketing communications from us. We may however make direct funding applications and approaches to known philanthropic donors or other high profile supporters of the Library through their charities, foundations, agents, or private offices.</p><p>All of our fundraising and development activities are carried out on the basis that they are in the legitimate interests of the British Library, and that the personal data is processed in such a way that the interests, fundamental rights, and freedoms of our donors and potential donors are properly protected.</p><p>In our fundraising database we process personal information relating to the identity of our potential or actual donors, their family, employment history, social activities, interests, and financial status and philanthropic activities. In relation to our actual donors we also process their bank and GiftAid details in order to manage their donations.</p><p>General information about donors or potential donors is retained for as long as it remains current and of potential use, after which it is deleted. Transactional information about donations is retained for the year in which the donation was made plus a further six years for tax and accounting purposes.</p><p>We have chosen to register with the Fundraising Regulator and adhere to their Code of Fundraising Practice. We ensure that all our fundraisers and third parties do so. Information about our donors may be used to ensure that we comply with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice, which stipulates that we must take steps to assess and manage risks to our work and reputation with regard to certain levels of donation. More details can be found at <a href='https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk' target='_blank'>www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk</a>.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - marketing</h2><p>The British Library is required to generate a proportion of its income from commercial activity and philanthropic donations. As such we carry out direct marketing activities in order to inform our potential customers of our new events, products, and services, and to help us generate interest in the activities British Library.</p><p>We will not send marketing material to you unless you have specifically consented to receive marketing communications from us. If you wish to withdraw your consent in relation to the receipt of marketing communications you may do so at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our marketing emails, or by writing to us.</p><p>We may however send marketing material to business contacts, commercial organisations, charities and other legal persons. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.</p><p>We may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:</p><ul><li>We use Communicator, from The Communicator Corporation Ltd., to manage our legacy marketing correspondence. Communicator's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.communicatorcorp.com/service-privacy-policy' target='_blank'>https://www.communicatorcorp.com/service-privacy-policy</a>.</li><li>We use dotdigital, from dotdigital EMEA Limited, to manage and distribute our marketing correspondence. dotdigital's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://dotdigital.com/terms/privacy-policy/' target='_blank''>https://dotdigital.com/terms/privacy-policy/</a>.</li><li>We use Google Drive, from Google Inc., to coordinate and distribute feedback surveys. Google may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Google's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://policies.google.com/privacy' target='_blank'>https://policies.google.com/privacy</a>.</li></ul><p>We will retain your marketing related information (such as contact details, preferences, and engagement with our content) for as long as your relationship with the British Library continues, plus a further six years after the date of your last interaction with us so as to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims.</p><p>Where your contact information is held solely for marketing communications and no other purposes you have the right to ask us to delete it. To do so please contact our Data Protection Officer at:</p><p>Corporate Information Management Unit<br /> The British Library 96<br /> Euston Road<br /> London<br /> NW1 2DB<br /><br /> Email: <a href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'>dp@bl.uk</a></p><p>To help us identify the personal information you are referring to, please include any details that will enable us to locate the relevant personal information.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - membership</h2><p>When you purchase or activate a British Library Membership (either as an individual or a couple) we will collect your contact details and payment information, as well as your date of birth. Your date of birth is required to ensure our compliance with licensing rules in relation to your access to the Knowledge Centre Bar which forms part of your Membership.</p><p>We will use your personal information to administer your Membership benefits (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you), which includes sending out your Membership Pack and What's On Guide.</p><p>We will also use your contact details to supply you with relevant transactional documentation, such as renewal information.</p><p>As part of your Membership we will also contact you from time to time with news about the Library, details of upcoming events and products, and opportunities to support the Library and its projects. These messages are part of your membership; without them you will find it difficult to use the benefits of your membership such as priority booking and access to Members only special events. However, if you do not want to receive such messages you may opt out of receiving them at the time of purchase, or by contacting us in writing.</p><p>We may analyse your use of your Membership in order to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing the Services that we provide.</p><p>We will retain your Membership information for as long as it remains current, plus a further six years after the date of your last interaction with us so as to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims. Transactional information will be retained for the year in which the transaction took place, and then for a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - Public Lending Right (PLR)</h2><p>When you create a PLR account we will collect your contact details, details of the publications which you wish to register, and your financial details.</p><p>We will use these details to administer the PLR payment scheme, as part of a task performed in the public interest. Further details about our public task can be found at the end of this page.</p><p>We may also use this data for the purpose of analysis in support of service improvement, IT security, or other legitimate interests of the Library.</p><p>We will retain your PLR account information for as long as your account remains current plus a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules and to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims. We may retain information about PLR payments (which may include your name and correspondence) for longer if we believe such information is likely to be of importance to future research.</p><p>In relation to the Irish PLR scheme, the British Library acts as a data processor for the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), who are the Data Controller in relation to all personal data used to administer the Irish PLR Scheme. As part of our contract with LGMA we will administer any personal data that we receive in relation to the Irish PLR scheme in accordance with the British Library Privacy Policy.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - purchases (Incl. BL Shop, & Box Office)</h2><p>When you purchase goods from us (for example, books, memorabilia, or event tickets) we will collect your contact details, delivery information, and payment details. We will use your information to provide you with the goods that you have purchased (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation such as order confirmations, invoices, delivery notes, and tickets; if you have consented to receive marketing communications from the Library we may also use this information to provide you with special offers and other useful information, such as checkout abandonment reminders.</p><p>We may also use this data (and other data relating to your use of our Services such as audit trails) for the purpose of analysis in support of Service improvement, IT security, or other legitimate interests of the Library.</p><p>Online payments by credit or debit cards for some Services provided by the Library are processed under contract using specialist Data Processors, and in line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. When a payment is processed by Data Processor acting on our behalf, card details are collected over a secure link and protected by industry standard software which encrypts your information. We do not collect any payment card account details ourselves, and they are not made available to us. Our service provider will use the information you provide to process your payment or to refund any monies due to you. Please refer to the terms and conditions for the relevant Service for further details. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:</p><ul><li>We use Netbanx, from Paysafe Financial Services Ltd., to process electronic payments. Paysafe's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.paysafe.com/legal-and-compliance/privacy-policy/' target='_blank'>https://www.paysafe.com/legal-and-compliance/privacy-policy/</a>.</li><li>We use PayPal, from PayPal Services, to process electronic payments. PayPal may process your information in the United States and other areas outside of the EEA, and uses Binding Corporate Rules in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. PayPal’s Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full' target='_blank'>https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full</a>.</li><li>We use Seal Subscriptions, from Seal Subscriptions, to manage subscriptions to our publications. Seal Subscriptions' Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.sealsubscriptions.com/legal/privacy-policy' target='_blank'>https://www.sealsubscriptions.com/legal/privacy-policy</a>.</li><li>We use Shopify, from Shopify International Ltd., to host our online shop. Shopify's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy' target='_blank'>https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy</a>.</li><li>We use Tessitura Network to host our online ticket and membership sales. Tessitura Network's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.tessituranetwork.com/About/Privacy' target='_blank'>https://www.tessituranetwork.com/About/Privacy</a>.</li></ul><p>We will retain your commercial account information for as long as it remains current. Transactional information will be retained for the year in which the transaction took place, and then for a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - Reader registration</h2><p>When you apply to become a Reader at the British Library we will collect information about you including your contact details, date of birth, contact details for your sponsor (if you are under 18), and details of your research interests. We will use these details to provide you with access to the British Library (e.g. as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest). We will also collect details about your ethnicity and any disability you may have; we have a legal obligation to ensure that equality and diversity obligations are being met in relation to access to our public Services.</p><p>As part of setting up your Reader account we will also check your proof of ID and proof of address as set out in our Reader Registration process. in certain rare cases me may ask you to join a video conference call before attending one of our sites in order to verify your identity. We will not take copies of the documents that you provide in order for us to confirm your ID.  We will take a photograph of you for use on your Reader pass. As you use the Library we will also record your interactions with our Collections, such as your order history and audit trails of which electronic items you have accessed. Again, this is part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest; the British Library has a statutory responsibility to protect the security of its Collections. Further details about our public task can be found <a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230328171831/https://www.bl.uk/about-us/privacy-policy/public-task' target='_blank'>here</a>.</p><p>Details relating to the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections (for example through use of our Reading Rooms or our remote Services such as Document Supply) will never be used to provide marketing analysis or similar functions (for example, to send you personalised marketing material), but may be used on an aggregated and depersonalised basis for Service improvement purposes (for example, to determine whether we are purchasing enough journals in a specific foreign language to match our Readers' research interests).</p><p>Upon request we will routinely provide copies of our records to the police in the performance of their legitimate duties. However, in accordance with agreed international ethical standards for libraries, we will not provide details of the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections to any third party unless compelled to do so by law, with two exceptions:</p><ul><li>If we have evidence that gives us reason to believe that you have committed theft or vandalism in relation to our Collections we may choose to pass information about you to other cultural institutions whose Collections may be at risk. This cooperation between cultural bodies is in our own legitimate interests as we seek to protect the national Collections from harm.</li><li>If we have evidence that gives us reason to believe that you have deliberately infringed the intellectual property of a third party through your use of our Collections we may pass your personal information to that third party to enable them to defend their rights. This is to protect our own legitimate interests in protecting the concepts of Library Privilege and Legal Deposit.</li></ul><p>We may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:<ul><li>We use a variety of products from the Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 product suites, provided by Microsoft, to deliver services such as video conferencing, data collection, or data storage. These products and services primarily process your data in the UK, but some Microsoft products may process your information in the United States. Microsoft is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Microsoft’s Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement' target='_blank'>https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement</a>.</li></ul></p><p>We will retain your Reader account and associated audit trails relating to your use of our Collections for 40 years, for the purpose of administering the security of our Collections (e.g. as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest). We reserve the right to increase this period as necessary to protect the integrity of the cultural treasures that we preserve on behalf of the nation, in line with our responsibilities as set out in the British Library Act.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - recruitment</h2><p>When you apply to work at the British Library we will collect information about you including your contact details, previous employment history, education and qualifications, and referee contact details. We will use this information to process your application (e.g. in pursuit of the performance of a contract with you). We will also collect details about your ethnicity, gender, orientation, nationality, and any disability you may have; we have a legal obligation to ensure that equality and diversity obligations are being met in relation to our recruitment processes.</p><p>Where we want to disclose your information to a third party, for example, to take up a reference or to carry out a background check for the purpose of pre-employment security vetting, we will not do so without informing you beforehand, unless the disclosure is required by law.</p><p>We may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we will use the following system to process your application:</p><ul><li>We use Vercida, from Vercida Ltd., to process recruitment applications. Vercida's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.vercida.com/uk/privacy-policy' target='_blank'>https://www.vercida.com/uk/privacy-policy</a>.</li></ul><p>Personal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for 12 months after the recruitment exercise has been completed. It will then be securely destroyed or deleted. We retain statistical information to help to inform and improve our recruitment activities; for the purpose of ethnic monitoring and to obtain workplace statistics on, for example, gender, race, disability and age. The information retained is anonymised so that no individuals may be identified from that data.</p><p>Alternatively, if you are successful in taking up employment with us, we will compile a file relating to your employment, beginning with your application information. This information will thereafter be managed in accordance with our Staff Privacy Policy.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Transparency notice - social media</h2><p>The British Library maintains an official presence on various social media platforms, in pursuit of own legitimate interests in relation to marketing and brand management.</p><p>When you engage with us on these platforms the platform owner is the Data Controller in relation to the provision of the platform, its security, and the use of your profile on their platform, and their own privacy policy applies. The British Library is a joint Data Controller with the platform provider and is responsible for its own use of the platform and for our own use of your personal data as you engage with us on that platform.</p><p>We will engage with you on social media only in accordance with the platform provider's privacy policy, and will only contact you directly (e.g. by 'private message') in response to a request or query made by you.</p><p>The British Library maintains an official presence on the following platforms:</p><ul><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.facebook.com/britishlibrary/' target='_blank'>Facebook</a> - Facebook's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/' target='_blank'>https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/</a>. Please note that if you 'like' the British Library's Facebook page, Facebook will use cookies on your machine in order to provide anonymised and aggregated demographics data to the Library to assist us with Advertising, Measurement and Analytics activities, and in order to share relevant British Library advertisements with you in your Facebook news feed. Further information can be found in Facebook's Privacy Policy.</li><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.instagram.com/britishlibrary/' target='_blank'>Instagram</a> - Instagram's Privacy policy can be found at <a href='https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875' target='_blank'>https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875</a>. Please note that if you subscribe to the British Library's Instagram page, Facebook will use cookies on your machine in order to provide anonymised and aggregated demographics data to the Library to assist us with Advertising, Measurement and Analytics activities, and in order to share relevant British Library content and advertisements with you in your Instagram feed. Further information can be found in Instagram's Privacy Policy.</li><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.tiktok.com/tag/britishlibrary' target='_blank'>TikTok</a> - TikTok's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=en' target='_blank'>https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=en</a>.</li><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/twitter.com/britishlibrary' target='_blank'>Twitter</a> - Twitter's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://twitter.com/en/privacy' target='_blank'>https://twitter.com/en/privacy</a>.</li><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.weibo.com/thebritishlibrary' target='_blank'>Weibo</a> (and WeChat) - Weibo's Privacy Policy can be found at <a href='https://weibo.com/signup/v5/privacy' target='_blank'>https://weibo.com/signup/v5/privacy</a>.</li><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.youtube.com/user/britishlibrary' target='_blank'>YouTube</a> - YouTube's Privacy & Safety Centre can be found at <a href='https://support.google.com/youtube/topic/2803240?hl=en&ref_topic=6151248' target='_blank'>https://support.google.com/youtube/topic/2803240?hl=en&ref_topic=6151248</a>. </li></ul></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><h2>Statement of Public Task</h2><p>This statement sets out the functions carried out by the British Library that are within the Library's public task under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2016.</p><p>The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the greatest research libraries in the world. Established by Act of Parliament in 1972, the scope of its remit, the scale of its operations, the range of its services and the international importance of its collections are without equal. The collection - which consists of some 150 million items - is unconstrained by subject, geography, format or language.</p><p>The Library's public task comprises all the statutory functions, duties and responsibilities as defined in the relevant sections of the British Library Act 1972. The Act charges the British Library Board with:</p><ul><li>managing the British Library as the national Library of the United Kingdom consisting of a comprehensive collection of books, manuscripts, periodicals, films and other recorded matter, whether printed or otherwise;</li><li>managing the Library as a national centre for reference, study and bibliographical and other information services, in relation both to scientific and technological matters and to the humanities;</li><li>making the services of the British Library available in particular to institutions of education and learning, other libraries, and industry;</li><li>carrying out and sponsoring research;</li><li>contributing to the expenses of library authorities;</li><li>lending any item, and making any part of the Library’s collections or premises available, in connection with events of an educational, literary or cultural nature; and,</li><li>taking such actions as are necessary to safeguard the collections of the British Library.</li></ul><p>For the avoidance of doubt, the British Library views all of its Collection management related activities as part of its Public Task, including the collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storing, adaptation, digitisation, facilitation of retrieval and consultation, disclosure by transmission or dissemination, and licensing of any or all material held by the British Library on behalf of the nation.</p><p>Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the British Library:</p><ul><li>acts as a deposit library entitled to the delivery of printed and similar (including digital) publications for persons who publish work in the United Kingdom.</li></ul><p>The British Library also undertakes the functions formerly assigned to the Registrar of Public Lending Right, under the Public Lending Right Act 1979, namely:</p><ul><li>establishing and maintaining a register showing books in respect of which public lending right subsists and the persons entitled to the right in respect of any registered book; and</li><li>determining and paying the sums (if any) due by way of public lending right.</li></ul><p>The Library's public task is also incorporated in our mission and vision and in our six public purposes.</p><ul><li>The British Library's mission is to make our intellectual heritage accessible to everyone for research, inspiration and enjoyment.</li><li>Our vision is for the British Library to be the most open, creative and innovative institution of its kind in the world.</li></ul><p>Six public purposes encompass our scope and remit and provide a framework for why and how we spend the money the public entrusts us with:</p><ol><li><strong>Custodianship</strong> - We build, curate and preserve the UK's national collection of published, written and digital content.</li><li><strong>Research</strong> - We support and stimulate research of all kinds.</li><li><strong>Economic</strong> - We help businesses to innovate and grow.</li><li><strong>Cultural</strong> - We engage everyone with memorable cultural experiences. </li><li><strong>Learning</strong> - We inspire young people and learners of all ages.</li><li><strong>International</strong> - We work with partners around the world to advance knowledge and mutual understanding.</li></ol><p>These purposes are aligned to our statutory duties as set out in the British Library Act 1972, the Public Lending Right Act 1979, and the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 as amended by The Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013.</p><p>This statement of public task is reviewed every 5 years and is due to be considered again in 2025.</p><p>If you have any queries on our public task statement, please email <a href='mailto:FOI-Enquiries@bl.uk'>FOI-Enquiries@bl.uk</a>.</p></div></div><div class="RichText_component__95g1I "><div><p>Date of last update: 24 January 2024</p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="Footer_footerSpacing__4gwDy"><footer class=" Footer_footer__sHNQf"><div class=" Container_wide__UcEgu Container_container__wufUs Container_vertical-padding-none__iW4OW"><div class="Footer_inner__k5WWZ"><div class="Footer_subMenus__1rmO_"><div><ul><li class="Footer_bold__9hSxm"><a target="_self" rel="" href="/about-us">About us</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/visit">Opening times</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/cyber-incident">Cyber-attack</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/news">News and blogs</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/press">Press and media</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/careers">Jobs</a></li></ul></div><div><ul><li class="Footer_bold__9hSxm"><span>Join us</span></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/research/reader-pass">Free reader pass</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/research/reading-rooms">Free study spaces</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/whats-on/membership">Membership</a></li><li class=""><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://support.bl.uk/">Support our work</a></li></ul></div><div><ul><li class="Footer_bold__9hSxm"><a target="_self" rel="" href="/more">Our services</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/more/commercial-venue-hire">Venue hire</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/more/digitisation">Digitisation</a></li><li class=""><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://imagesonline.bl.uk/">Collection images</a></li><li class=""><a target="_self" rel="" href="/more/collection-metadata-services">Metadata services</a></li></ul><div class="Footer_services__d62nX"><ul><li><a href="/plr">Public Lending Right</a></li><li><a href="/more">Legal deposit</a></li><li><a href="/more/research-collaboration">Research collaboration</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="Footer_privacyPolicy__kDaTL"><ul><li><a href="/privacy">Privacy policy</a></li><li><a href="/terms">Terms and conditions</a></li><li><a href="/foi">Freedom of information</a></li><li><a href="/contact-us">Contact us</a></li></ul></div><div class="Footer_content__EY9Y6"><div><p>© 2025 British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB</p><div class="Footer_copyright__oQJAp"><p>All text is © British Library Board and is available under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC-BY</a> Licence except where otherwise stated.</p></div></div><div class=" SocialIcons_socialIcons__fceOv"><a href="https://twitter.com/britishlibrary" title="Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg width="30" height="30" viewBox="0 0 30 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M17.119 13.1992L23.4486 6H21.9492L16.4509 12.2497L12.0626 6H7L13.6374 15.4515L7 23H8.4994L14.3021 16.3987L18.9374 23H24M9.04057 7.10634H11.3441L21.9481 21.948H19.644" fill="white"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/britishlibrary/" title="Facebook" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg viewBox="0 0 30 30" fill="none" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M10.5873 15.8795H12.4546V23.7738C12.4546 23.9297 12.5776 24.0559 12.7294 24.0559H15.8956C16.0473 24.0559 16.1703 23.9297 16.1703 23.7738V15.9167H18.317C18.4566 15.9167 18.574 15.8091 18.59 15.6668L18.916 12.7605C18.925 12.6806 18.9003 12.6005 18.8482 12.5405C18.7961 12.4804 18.7214 12.4461 18.6431 12.4461H16.1705V10.6243C16.1705 10.0751 16.4584 9.7966 17.0264 9.7966C17.1074 9.7966 18.6431 9.7966 18.6431 9.7966C18.7949 9.7966 18.9179 9.67025 18.9179 9.51445V6.84673C18.9179 6.69086 18.7949 6.56458 18.6431 6.56458H16.415C16.3993 6.5638 16.3644 6.5625 16.313 6.5625C15.9264 6.5625 14.5826 6.64043 13.5211 7.6432C12.345 8.75444 12.5085 10.0849 12.5476 10.3156V12.446H10.5873C10.4355 12.446 10.3125 12.5723 10.3125 12.7282V15.5973C10.3125 15.7531 10.4355 15.8795 10.5873 15.8795Z" fill="#fff"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/britishlibrary" title="Instagram" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1000 1000"><path d="m801.95,349.79v297.86c-.32-1.12-.64-2.25-.71-2.48-1.28,8.29-2.19,17.42-4.15,26.32-7,31.72-22.38,59-45.53,81.62-33.56,32.79-74.54,47.9-121.05,48.08-71.77.28-143.54.12-215.31.04-18.66-.02-37.32-.3-55.98-.68-14.7-.31-29.16-2.61-43.14-7.19-50.46-16.54-85.82-49.39-106.01-98.53-9.21-22.41-11.8-46.03-11.86-69.91-.21-84.17-.19-168.34,0-252.51.04-19.13,1.81-38.17,7.71-56.55,15.04-46.82,44.67-81.05,89.08-102.21,17.97-8.57,36.84-14.2,57.02-14.27.67,0,298.36-1.04,295.36-.63,41.95,2.59,77.37,19.69,106.41,49.29,29.13,29.7,45.37,65.65,47.13,107.61.35-1.95.69-3.91,1.04-5.86Zm-53.64,149.85h-.03c0-44.39-.32-88.78.14-133.16.22-21.02-3.93-40.72-14.77-58.61-21.87-36.11-53.73-56.37-96.42-56.57-91.47-.43-182.93-.09-274.4-.17-20.67-.02-39.92,5.14-57.16,16.31-34.82,22.54-53.82,54.31-53.85,96.38-.08,90.9.06,181.8-.1,272.69-.03,18.81,4.23,36.47,13.62,52.52,21.99,37.59,54.51,58.38,98.69,58.5,91.58.24,183.16.11,274.74.06,5.12,0,10.32-.25,15.36-1.11,21.66-3.69,40.87-12.71,57.07-27.64,23.26-21.44,36.7-47.77,37-79.68.44-46.51.11-93.02.11-139.53Z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="m497.23,654.48c-88.65-2.24-156.54-76.2-152.01-163,4.49-85.91,77.26-151.95,163.83-146.84,85.64,5.06,149.87,77.13,145.79,162.17-4.12,85.85-75.66,148.89-157.61,147.66Zm105.21-155.12c-.39-56.64-45.01-101.95-101.67-102.27-58.36-.33-102.92,46.08-103.11,102.18-.19,56.89,46.05,102.65,102.85,102.45,56.31-.2,102.07-46.16,101.93-102.36Z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="m700.93,338.81c-1.21,22.77-19.33,38.46-40.99,37.51-20.81-.91-38.26-19.93-36.35-41.64,1.85-21.04,20.38-37.23,40.76-35.63,21.72,1.7,38.24,19.66,36.58,39.76Z" fill="#fff"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@britishlibrary" title="TikTok" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg width="30" height="30" viewBox="0 0 30 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M20.2566 10.4218C20.1475 10.366 20.0414 10.3048 19.9386 10.2385C19.6395 10.0427 19.3653 9.81191 19.1219 9.55121C18.5128 8.86091 18.2853 8.16061 18.2015 7.6703H18.2049C18.1349 7.26332 18.1638 7 18.1682 7H15.3941V17.6255C15.3941 17.7681 15.3941 17.9091 15.388 18.0484C15.388 18.0658 15.3863 18.0818 15.3853 18.1004C15.3853 18.1081 15.3853 18.1161 15.3836 18.1241C15.3836 18.1261 15.3836 18.1281 15.3836 18.1301C15.3544 18.5114 15.231 18.8796 15.0244 19.2026C14.8177 19.5255 14.5341 19.7931 14.1985 19.982C13.8487 20.1791 13.4531 20.2825 13.0506 20.282C11.7581 20.282 10.7106 19.2381 10.7106 17.9488C10.7106 16.6595 11.7581 15.6156 13.0506 15.6156C13.2953 15.6153 13.5385 15.6535 13.7711 15.7286L13.7745 12.9307C13.0683 12.8403 12.3508 12.8959 11.6674 13.094C10.984 13.292 10.3494 13.6282 9.80371 14.0813C9.32555 14.4928 8.92357 14.9838 8.61584 15.5322C8.49874 15.7322 8.05691 16.5359 8.0034 17.8401C7.96975 18.5804 8.1942 19.3474 8.30121 19.6644V19.671C8.36851 19.8577 8.6293 20.4947 9.05431 21.0316C9.39702 21.4624 9.80192 21.8407 10.256 22.1546V22.1479L10.2627 22.1546C11.6057 23.0585 13.0947 22.9992 13.0947 22.9992C13.3525 22.9889 14.216 22.9992 15.1965 22.5389C16.2841 22.0286 16.9033 21.2683 16.9033 21.2683C17.2988 20.814 17.6134 20.2963 17.8334 19.7374C18.0844 19.0837 18.1682 18.2998 18.1682 17.9865V12.3494C18.2019 12.3694 18.6501 12.6631 18.6501 12.6631C18.6501 12.6631 19.2958 13.073 20.3033 13.34C21.0262 13.53 22 13.57 22 13.57V10.8421C21.6588 10.8788 20.9659 10.7721 20.2566 10.4218Z" fill="white"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-british-library/?originalSubdomain=uk" title="LinkedIn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg viewBox="0 0 30 31" fill="none" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M23.1203 22.5009V22.5002H23.1241V16.999C23.1241 14.3077 22.5447 12.2346 19.3984 12.2346C17.8859 12.2346 16.8709 13.0646 16.4566 13.8515H16.4128V12.4859H13.4297V22.5002H16.5359V17.5415C16.5359 16.2359 16.7834 14.9734 18.4003 14.9734C19.9934 14.9734 20.0172 16.4634 20.0172 17.6252V22.5009H23.1203Z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M8.375 12.4851H11.485V22.4995H8.375V12.4851Z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M9.92625 7.5C8.93187 7.5 8.125 8.30688 8.125 9.30125C8.125 10.2956 8.93187 11.1194 9.92625 11.1194C10.9206 11.1194 11.7275 10.2956 11.7275 9.30125C11.7269 8.30688 10.92 7.5 9.92625 7.5V7.5Z" fill="#fff"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/britishlibrary" title="YouTube" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg viewBox="0 0 32 32" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M17.5649 22.9842C17.0745 22.9842 16.584 22.9835 16.0936 22.9848C15.9811 22.9852 15.8684 22.9992 15.7559 22.998C15.3195 22.9936 14.8833 22.9866 14.447 22.9787C14.2121 22.9743 13.9773 22.9663 13.7425 22.9589C13.5485 22.9529 13.3545 22.947 13.1605 22.939C12.8608 22.9266 12.5612 22.9137 12.2615 22.8991C12.0215 22.8874 11.7816 22.8748 11.5417 22.859C11.2747 22.8415 11.0077 22.8234 10.7413 22.7988C10.4265 22.7697 10.111 22.7428 9.79807 22.6973C9.53091 22.6585 9.26489 22.6046 9.00246 22.5394C8.69616 22.4633 8.42919 22.2942 8.18699 22.0872C7.80771 21.7631 7.5432 21.3507 7.41199 20.8551C7.33882 20.5787 7.29533 20.2932 7.24579 20.0103C7.20779 19.7932 7.17565 19.5745 7.15126 19.355C7.12554 19.1245 7.11288 18.8926 7.0934 18.6613C7.07506 18.443 7.05332 18.2251 7.03649 18.0066C7.02666 17.879 7.01853 17.7506 7.01758 17.6226C7.00983 16.7345 7.00076 15.8465 7 14.9583C6.99981 14.6624 7.02042 14.3661 7.03649 14.0704C7.05162 13.7925 7.0675 13.5142 7.09397 13.2372C7.1246 12.9166 7.16014 12.596 7.20647 12.2774C7.26262 11.8934 7.31896 11.5082 7.40027 11.1296C7.47173 10.7967 7.64322 10.5099 7.84685 10.2446C8.04594 9.98499 8.2906 9.78541 8.56589 9.6279C8.79448 9.49711 9.04084 9.41536 9.2993 9.37688C9.49196 9.34817 9.68406 9.31587 9.87691 9.28955C10.0308 9.26862 10.1855 9.25367 10.3399 9.23712C10.5867 9.2104 10.8334 9.18329 11.0804 9.15876C11.1824 9.14859 11.2851 9.14361 11.3876 9.13863C11.5561 9.13065 11.7247 9.12487 11.8932 9.11749C12.1868 9.10453 12.4804 9.09077 12.7741 9.07782C13.0768 9.06426 13.3795 9.04691 13.6824 9.03894C14.0966 9.02817 14.5111 9.02239 14.9255 9.0184C15.7837 9.01043 16.6417 9.00225 17.4997 9.00006C17.9077 8.99906 18.3157 9.01122 18.7238 9.019C18.9807 9.02398 19.2376 9.03056 19.4946 9.03914C19.8355 9.0505 20.1762 9.06326 20.5169 9.07782C20.785 9.08918 21.0531 9.10214 21.3212 9.11789C21.626 9.13583 21.931 9.15438 22.2354 9.1785C22.5107 9.20023 22.7859 9.22376 23.0601 9.25726C23.4082 9.29972 23.7566 9.34718 24.0879 9.47637C24.6852 9.70964 25.1287 10.1255 25.4169 10.7261C25.5462 10.9956 25.6088 11.2863 25.6602 11.5788C25.7192 11.914 25.7699 12.2509 25.8113 12.5891C25.8517 12.9194 25.878 13.252 25.907 13.584C25.9234 13.7732 25.9372 13.963 25.9444 14.153C25.9599 14.5617 25.972 14.9706 25.9826 15.3798C25.9911 15.7101 25.9992 16.0409 26 16.3713C26.0005 16.6189 25.9915 16.8665 25.9822 17.1142C25.9724 17.3837 25.9601 17.6533 25.944 17.9224C25.9291 18.1709 25.9121 18.4193 25.8879 18.6669C25.8618 18.9325 25.8274 19.1973 25.7943 19.4618C25.7585 19.7485 25.7241 20.0354 25.6821 20.3212C25.6082 20.8242 25.4713 21.3029 25.1577 21.7048C24.8052 22.1564 24.366 22.4679 23.816 22.5793C23.4895 22.6455 23.1594 22.6938 22.8296 22.7386C22.5621 22.7749 22.2929 22.7968 22.024 22.82C21.8223 22.8375 21.6198 22.8481 21.4176 22.8598C21.1718 22.8742 20.9261 22.887 20.6803 22.8997C20.5337 22.9073 20.3872 22.9143 20.2407 22.9195C19.8499 22.9338 19.4589 22.9496 19.0681 22.9599C18.7011 22.9697 18.3337 22.9725 17.9667 22.9807C17.8327 22.9837 17.699 22.9932 17.5649 23C17.5649 22.9948 17.5649 22.9898 17.5649 22.9846V22.9842ZM19.6165 15.9887C17.9569 14.9858 16.3146 13.9933 14.6655 12.9968V18.9805C16.3165 17.9828 17.9576 16.9911 19.6165 15.9887Z" fill="#fff"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.threads.net/@britishlibrary" title="Threads" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow"><svg fill="white" width="30" height="30" role="img" viewBox="-40 40 300 90" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M141.537 88.9883C140.71 88.5919 139.87 88.2104 139.019 87.8451C137.537 60.5382 122.616 44.905 97.5619 44.745C97.4484 44.7443 97.3355 44.7443 97.222 44.7443C82.2364 44.7443 69.7731 51.1409 62.102 62.7807L75.881 72.2328C81.6116 63.5383 90.6052 61.6848 97.2286 61.6848C97.3051 61.6848 97.3819 61.6848 97.4576 61.6855C105.707 61.7381 111.932 64.1366 115.961 68.814C118.893 72.2193 120.854 76.925 121.825 82.8638C114.511 81.6207 106.601 81.2385 98.145 81.7233C74.3247 83.0954 59.0111 96.9879 60.0396 116.292C60.5615 126.084 65.4397 134.508 73.775 140.011C80.8224 144.663 89.899 146.938 99.3323 146.423C111.79 145.74 121.563 140.987 128.381 132.296C133.559 125.696 136.834 117.143 138.28 106.366C144.217 109.949 148.617 114.664 151.047 120.332C155.179 129.967 155.42 145.8 142.501 158.708C131.182 170.016 117.576 174.908 97.0135 175.059C74.2042 174.89 56.9538 167.575 45.7381 153.317C35.2355 139.966 29.8077 120.682 29.6052 96C29.8077 71.3178 35.2355 52.0336 45.7381 38.6827C56.9538 24.4249 74.2039 17.11 97.0132 16.9405C119.988 17.1113 137.539 24.4614 149.184 38.788C154.894 45.8136 159.199 54.6488 162.037 64.9503L178.184 60.6422C174.744 47.9622 169.331 37.0357 161.965 27.974C147.036 9.60668 125.202 0.195148 97.0695 0H96.9569C68.8816 0.19447 47.2921 9.6418 32.7883 28.0793C19.8819 44.4864 13.2244 67.3157 13.0007 95.9325L13 96L13.0007 96.0675C13.2244 124.684 19.8819 147.514 32.7883 163.921C47.2921 182.358 68.8816 191.806 96.9569 192H97.0695C122.03 191.827 139.624 185.292 154.118 170.811C173.081 151.866 172.51 128.119 166.26 113.541C161.776 103.087 153.227 94.5962 141.537 88.9883ZM98.4405 129.507C88.0005 130.095 77.1544 125.409 76.6196 115.372C76.2232 107.93 81.9158 99.626 99.0812 98.6368C101.047 98.5234 102.976 98.468 104.871 98.468C111.106 98.468 116.939 99.0737 122.242 100.233C120.264 124.935 108.662 128.946 98.4405 129.507Z"></path></svg></a></div></div></div></div></footer></div></div></div><script id="__NEXT_DATA__" type="application/json" crossorigin="">{"props":{"pageProps":{"pageData":{"id":3,"slug":"privacy","navigation_title":"Privacy policy","navigation_primary":false,"breadcrumbs":[{"text":"British Library","href":"/"},{"text":"Privacy policy"}],"seo":{"metaTitle":"Privacy policy","metaDescription":"This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more.","keywords":null,"metaRobots":"index, follow","structuredData":null,"metaViewport":null,"canonicalURL":"privacy/","metaImage":null,"metaSocial":[{"socialNetwork":"Facebook","title":"Privacy policy","description":"This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more.","image":{"url":"/placeholder-meta-min.jpg"}},{"socialNetwork":"Twitter","title":"Privacy policy","description":"This policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation which applies to all interactions with the British Library. Read more.","image":{"url":"/placeholder-meta-min.jpg"}}]},"content":[{"id":0,"component":"introduction","content":{"title":"Privacy policy","wysiwyg":"\u003cp\u003eThis policy outlines our obligations and your rights under data protection legislation. It applies to all interactions you may have with the British Library, for example visiting our website, using our systems (such as our free Wi-Fi), or visiting our buildings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is an abridged version of the Privacy Policy found on our main website (which is currently unavailable during this period of disruption). We will revert to our full policy when our website and services are restored. \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e1. What type of information does the British Library collect about you?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe nature and types of personal information we collect and process from you will depend on which of our Services you choose to use. We will normally collect personal information directly from you when you volunteer it to us, or when we gather it from your use of our Services. We try to limit our use of personal information to the details we need to provide the requested or agreed Service for you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have visited the Library, registered as a Reader, attended a Library event, contacted the Library, or otherwise signed-up to use one of our services, this may include the following categories of personal data:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eyour name and title\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eyour contact information (telephone numbers, postal and/or email address)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eage and/or date of birth\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003egender\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003elogin credentials (including username and password)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ephotograph (for example when you register as a reader with the Library, or those taken at our events, or those you upload to our systems)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003epayment information (such as debit or credit card details)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eeducational institute details (such as your school, university or college)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003emarketing preferences (for example where you have opted in to receive our newsletter(s))\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003evisit history, habits, activities and behaviour (such as when you visited our buildings, or whether you attended as part of a group)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003epreferences, access needs and dietary requirements\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ereason(s) for contacting us, such as enquiries or requests\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eopinions, preferences, feedback, complaints, comments and/or suggestions (including comments made on our social media pages and online discussion forums)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003esecurity related information (such as proof of address if you register to become a reader, security incident reports, or CCTV footage of our public areas)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere you have previously used or accessed the Library's website (prior to the cyber incident in October 2023), or used the Library's Wi-Fi, the Library may also collect and process:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003edevice information (such as MAC \u003cli\u003eaddress, IP address, operating system and browser type)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003elocation information (such as a GPS signal emitted by your mobile device)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eonline browsing habits, activities and behaviour (such as which of our web pages you have visited and when you visited them)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis list is not intended to be exhaustive and may be updated from time to time as our business needs and legal requirements dictate.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere it is necessary and lawful to do so, we may also collect information from and/or combine your personal information with information from other sources.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe do not normally collect any Sensitive Personal Information from or about you, and do not wish to do so unless it is essential. If we do, we will only ask you to provide the minimum amount of information required for that purpose. In other cases, we will collect and use this type of information only with your clear consent. Please do not provide us with Sensitive Personal Information under any other circumstances.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e2. How does the British Library collect your personal information?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may collect your personal information through our Data Collection Media whenever you use any of our Services, including using our website or visiting our buildings. This would include when you:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003ecommunicate with us (via email, post, telephone, text messaging, social media)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003evisit our physical sites and use systems and equipment located in our buildings\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eaccess our main website, and the individual web portals associated with our Services, mobile sites and applications\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn certain circumstances, the British Library may also collect your personal information from (and/or combine it with information from) other sources, such as:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eindividuals and/or organisations where you have confirmed that they may provide your personal information to us\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003egovernment, tax or law enforcement agencies\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eother sources, such as when information about you is volunteered by a third party e.g. mentioned in a complaint, or part of a group booking arrangement that they facilitate\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may also occasionally collect personal information from public sources where it is fair and lawful to do so. For example, we may use publicly available information to track down the owner of certain intellectual property rights. These sources may include internet search-engine results, publicly available data from Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and similar social media, or other information in the public domain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e3. Why does the British Library use your personal information?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library may use your personal information for a variety of purposes, depending upon the Service you have requested or are using. Quite often we will use your data simply to fulfil a request that you have initiated, such as to deal with your enquiry, give you access to the Library, provide a requested book to you, send you tickets to an event, or otherwise to provide you with and enable you to use our Services. You may also choose to share certain information with us as part of a research project or a joint academic collaboration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library may also use your personal information to manage and develop the Services that we offer, for example to:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003econtact you if we have not heard from you for a certain amount of time\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003einvite you to provide feedback, assist with surveys and input into consultation exercises\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eprovide you with administrative information and/or service announcements and updates (including changes to our policies and terms)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eensure our records are accurate and up to date\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003efulfil any contract the Library has with you (e.g., where you make a purchase in connection with any of our Services and we need to process your payment and/or deliver something to you)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eadminister our legitimate internal management analysis, audit, forecasts and business planning and transactions\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eenforce our rules and policies, and maintain our security (for example our rules about handling Collection items).\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library may also use personal data to ensure we can meet our legal, regulatory and good governance obligations, such as to:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003ecomply with our legal obligations and perform our statutory and public functions and duties\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ehelp ensure your safety and the security of our premises and Collections\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eestablish, defend or exercise our legal rights\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ecomply with orders/requests received from the public and regulatory, governmental and judicial bodies\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ecomply with our legal, regulatory and internal governance obligations (such as our record retention policies)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere you have given your consent we may use your contact details to send you direct marketing communications (including e-mail marketing and fundraising communications), or run marketing campaigns, competitions, prize draws and promotions\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnder data protection legislation, the British Library is only allowed to use personal information if we have a proper reason (known as a 'legal basis') to do so. The 'legal basis' relied on to process the personal data we hold will depend on the way in which you have engaged with the Library, or the Service or product you use or sign up for. We may process your personal data because:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eyou have given your consent (e.g., for the provision of marketing correspondence)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eit is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (e.g., the purchase of tickets or other goods or services)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ewe are under a legal obligation to do so (e.g., for equality monitoring or health \u0026 safety purposes)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eit is in the public interest and in the performance of our official duties (e.g., the provision of access to, and the security of, our Collections as required under the British Library Act 1972)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003e4. Depersonalised and anonymous information\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDepersonalised or aggregated information does not personally identify you. We may also convert personal information into depersonalised (“pseudonymous”) data or anonymous data for statistical analysis and administration, tailoring products and Services, risk assessment and analysis of costs and charges in relation to our Services (normally on an aggregated statistical basis).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e5. Does the British Library share personal information with third parties?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library will take appropriate steps to ensure your personal information will only be made available to those members of our staff who need to see it in order to perform their functions/roles/responsibilities at the Library in respect of the Services you have requested or agreed to use.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePersonal information may be held in one or more Customer Relationship Management (CRM) databases to ensure we have clear and accurate records about your use of our Services, to help understand your requirements, and how we might provide other Services to you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will never use information about the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections (e.g., through use of our Reading Rooms or our remote Services such as Document Supply) to provide marketing analysis or to send personalised marketing material. We may use this information on an aggregated and depersonalised basis for Service improvement purposes (for example, to determine whether we are purchasing enough journals in a specific foreign language to match our Readers' research interests).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library engages various expert third-party service providers to assist with the performance of certain functions or to provide services on our behalf. These third party service providers may act as “Data Processors”, processing your personal information on our behalf in order to assist the Library, or to provide an agreed Service to you. All of our Data Processors are bound by strict contractual terms in order to ensure that your personal information will be protected appropriately.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library may be required to share your personal information with other people and organisations outside the Library to the extent permitted or required by law. This may include:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003egovernment authorities, law enforcement and regulatory authorities where required or permitted by law, and for tax or other lawful purposes\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eexternal parties in response to legal process, and when required to comply with laws, to respond to an emergency, or to enforce our agreements, policies, rules and terms, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our staff, agents, customers and other users of our Services\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere we are required to share your personal information with a third party, you will be informed of the identity and location of the relevant recipient, either at the point of data collection, or in in the Service specific pages available on our website.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e6. Will the British Library send your personal information overseas?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere we (or a Data Processor acting on our behalf) transfer your personal information to countries outside of the EEA, we will put in place appropriate measures (as required by law) to ensure that those transfers are adequately protected. Where this is in relation to a specific Service you will be informed of the identity and location of the relevant recipient, either at the point of data collection, or in in the Service specific pages available on our website.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e7. What are your choices relating to contact from us?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eService-related communications\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e We may contact you with information that may affect your use of a service, for example, disruptions to Services, reading room closures, lost property, or problems with orders. You will not be able to unsubscribe from administrative and Service-related communications unless you unsubscribe from the relevant Services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDirect Marketing\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library would like to provide you with information about new Services, products, events, courses, collections, promotions and offers from the Library which may be of interest to you. We may contact you to tell you this information, but we will obtain your consent before contacting you with “direct marketing” in this way.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAny direct marketing communications that you receive from the Library will include a simple way for you to decline or change your mind about further marketing, such as an 'unsubscribe' link, or an email address to which you can send an opt-out request. The Library will take steps to stop any direct marketing to which you object, or in respect of which you withdraw your consent, within one calendar month being told of your objection or withdrawal of consent.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e8. How does the British Library keep your personal information safe?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing the cyber-attack on Library systems in October 2023, we have taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of our systems, and we are undertaking a forensic investigation with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Metropolitan Police and cybersecurity specialists. We are actively assessing all of our information security provisions in line with the recommendations from the NCSC and our partners and we have implemented additional security measures to defend against future attacks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e9. What are your rights in relation to your personal information?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, although in some cases these rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations. You are entitled to:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003erequest copies of, and/or access to your personal information.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003erequest that your personal information be corrected where inaccurate or incomplete.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003erequest that your personal data be deleted or that we stop using your personal data where it is no longer necessary. This right normally only applies where your information was provided or processed on the basis of consent, or in the performance of a contract with you which lapsed more than six years ago.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003erequest that we stop sending you direct marketing communications.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you would like more details about these rights as they apply to a specific Service of the British library, or to exercise any of your rights, please contact us by emailing \u003ca href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'\u003edp@bl.uk\u003c/a\u003e or writing to:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorporate Information Management Unit\u003cbr /\u003eThe British Library\u003cbr /\u003e96 Euston Road London\u003cbr /\u003eNW1 2DB\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo help us identify the personal information you are referring to, please include any details that will enable us to locate the relevant personal information, such as your Reader Number or details of how you have previously engaged with the Library.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may contact you to ask you to provide a form of identification (e.g., a driving license, utility bill or passport) so that we can be sure we do not provide personal data to the wrong person.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will aim to provide you with our response within one calendar month of the Library accepting your request and we will tell you if it is necessary to extend this time period.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf after receiving a reply from us you are still unhappy with our response to such a request you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Details on how to do so can be found on the ICO's website.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e10. Retaining your personal information\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library will only keep your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was obtained. Where this is in relation to a specific Service you will be informed of the retention period, either at the point of data collection, or in the Service specific pages available on our website.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the Library decides that holding your details is no longer necessary we will securely delete / destroy your details.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will keep your details on record until we have completely dealt with your request, enquiry, or our contract with you, and then for a reasonable period afterwards, in accordance with data protection and other applicable legislation, as set out in our Records Management Policy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e11. Other information\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnline payments by credit or debit cards for some Services provided by the Library are processed under contract using specialist Data Processors. When a payment is processed by Data Processor acting on our behalf, card details are collected over a secure link and protected by industry standard software which encrypts your information. We do not collect any payment card account details and they are not made available to us.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur service provider will use the information you provide to process your payment or to refund any monies due to you. Please refer to the terms and conditions for the relevant Service for further details. Payments processed on behalf of the Library are managed in line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e12. Changes to this Privacy Policy\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may change this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law and/or our privacy practices. We will update the date at the bottom of this page whenever we do that. We encourage you to check this policy for changes, for example when you revisit our websites. In the event of a major change to our policy we will contact you to inform you of the change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy submitting your personal information to us, you are indicating that you understand how we use your personal information, as described in this policy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e13. Contact us\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have any questions about this Policy, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorporate Information Management Unit\u003cbr /\u003eThe British Library\u003cbr /\u003e96 Euston Road\u003cbr /\u003eLondon\u003cbr /\u003eNW1 2DB\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmail: \u003ca href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'\u003edp@bl.uk\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"}},{"id":1,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - Business \u0026 IP Centre\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you engage with our Business \u0026 IP Centre (BIPC) we will collect information about your business (potentially including financial information), as well as your contact details, and certain other data required to meet equality monitoring requirements (which will include Sensitive Personal Information in relation to your  ethnicity and gender).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will use your personal information to provide you with the Services that you have requested from us, such as workshop bookings, attendance at events, advice sessions, and similar business support activities (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use your contact information to contact your business with information about our Services which we believe may be of interest to you. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany of the services that we offer through the BIPC are also available through our partner organisations in the \u003ca href='https://bipc-interactive-map.netlify.app/' target='_blank'\u003eBritish Library Business \u0026 IP Centre National Network\u003c/a\u003e. We may share your information with our partners in the Network as necessary to provide you with the services you have requested, and to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing the services of the Network. Our Network partner organisations may also use your information for the same reasons.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe services that you have requested will be provided by a variety of third party consultants who will be experts in the relevant field. We will share your information with them for the purpose of providing the services, and they may also use your information to offer you further support outside of the Library's service provision.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Hubspot, from Hubspot Inc., for marketing services. Hubspot may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Hubspot's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Basecamp, from Basecamp LLC, to administer the BIPC Centre National Network. Basecamp may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Basecamp's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://basecamp.com/about/policies/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://basecamp.com/about/policies/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Eventbrite, from Eventbrite Inc., for event advertising, booking, and ticket sales. Eventbrite may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Eventbrite's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_US/Troubleshooting/eventbrite-privacy-policy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_US/Troubleshooting/eventbrite-privacy-policy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you engage with a BIPC service we will retain your information for the current year plus a further six years after the date of your transaction in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":2,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - CCTV\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library uses CCTV, and other related technologies such as passive terahertz body scanners, on all of our physical sites for the purposes of safety and security management. We do this in the performance of our public task to protect the UK's national collection of its published output, and in order to protect the vital interests of our staff and visitors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCCTV footage is retained for 31 days before being automatically overwritten, and security scan records are retained for 24 hrs, unless deliberately archived for evidential purposes in the event of a security incident.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon request, we will routinely provide copies of our CCTV records to the police in the performance of their legitimate duties.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurther information about our use of CCTV can be found in our CCTV Policy, which is available upon request.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":3,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - Collection materials\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library collects the published output of Great Britain, and has over 150 million items in its Collections. Our Collections contain personal data in many forms; in newspapers, radio recordings, oral history interviews, modern literary archives, electoral rolls, and in our archival copy of the .uk web domain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe collect, catalogue, and make available our Collections (and the personal data contained within them) as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, e.g. as the national and legal deposit library of Great Britain. Further details about our public task can be found at the end of this page.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere Sensitive Personal Data is found in our Collections it is processed for the purpose of archiving in the public interest. Where such data would be likely to cause substantial distress or harm to the data subject if disclosed it will be withheld from public access, but will still be retained in our Collections.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePersonal data contained in our Collections will be retained in perpetuity, so as to inform the research of future generations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note:\u003c/strong\u003e If you use the personal data present in our Collections as part of your research then you become a Data Controller in relation to that data, and are responsible for using that data fairly, ethically, and in compliance with the law. In particular, personal data which is used for research purposes may not be used in order to make decisions about or take actions in relation to the data subject in question, and may not be used in ways which would cause substantial damage or distress to them.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":4,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - education \u0026 learning\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this section, please read all instances of “you” to include “your child(ren)” in those cases where you provide us with information about minors who are in your care.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you engage with our Education and Learning Services we will collect information about your school (where relevant), as well as your contact details, and certain other data required to ensure that your visit is safe (which will include Sensitive Personal Information in relation to your special needs or dietary requirements).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will use your personal information to provide you with the Services that you have requested from us, such as school workshops, teacher events, family events, or adult learning courses (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation. We will use the Sensitive Personal Information that you provide to ensure that your use of our Services is safe (e.g. in the vital interests of the data subject).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use your contact information to contact your school with information about our Services which we believe may be of interest to you. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may analyse information about your transactions to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing our Learning \u0026 Education Services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease note that photography (both video and still) for publicity purposes is often undertaken at our events, either by us, by third party photographers acting on our behalf under contract, or by media organisations. Such photography will primarily be focussed on groups and activities rather than on individuals. If you have any objection to such photography please make this known to a member of staff at the event. If we wish to take individual photographs or video recordings that are specifically focussed on you then we will always ask for your specific consent at the time.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Google Drive, from Google Inc., to coordinate and administer our education and learning activities. Google may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Google's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://policies.google.com/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://policies.google.com/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use WeTransfer, from WeTransfer B.V, to transfer photographs between us and our photographers. WeTransfer's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://wetransfer.com/legal/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://wetransfer.com/legal/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your information for the current year plus a further six years after the date of your transaction in order to comply with tax and accounting rules. Photos taken for publicity purposes will be retained indefinitely.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":5,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - fundraising and development\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library is required to generate a proportion of its income from commercial activity and philanthropic donations. As such we carry out fundraising research in order to understand the background of people who may support us, and to help us to make appropriate requests to supporters who may have the desire to donate to the British Library.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom time to time we may analyse our database to find people who we think might be able to support us based on factors such as previous contributions, transaction history and demographics. In doing so we may use profiling techniques or use third party wealth screening companies and insight companies to provide us with general information about our donors or potential donors. Such information is compiled using publicly available information, information that has already been provided to us through the use of our Services, or information shared by other organisations where they have been given consent to do so.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will not send fundraising and development marketing to users of our Services unless you have specifically consented to receive marketing communications from us. We may however make direct funding applications and approaches to known philanthropic donors or other high profile supporters of the Library through their charities, foundations, agents, or private offices.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll of our fundraising and development activities are carried out on the basis that they are in the legitimate interests of the British Library, and that the personal data is processed in such a way that the interests, fundamental rights, and freedoms of our donors and potential donors are properly protected.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn our fundraising database we process personal information relating to the identity of our potential or actual donors, their family, employment history, social activities, interests, and financial status and philanthropic activities. In relation to our actual donors we also process their bank and GiftAid details in order to manage their donations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGeneral information about donors or potential donors is retained for as long as it remains current and of potential use, after which it is deleted. Transactional information about donations is retained for the year in which the donation was made plus a further six years for tax and accounting purposes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have chosen to register with the Fundraising Regulator and adhere to their Code of Fundraising Practice. We ensure that all our fundraisers and third parties do so. Information about our donors may be used to ensure that we comply with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice, which stipulates that we must take steps to assess and manage risks to our work and reputation with regard to certain levels of donation. More details can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk' target='_blank'\u003ewww.fundraisingregulator.org.uk\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":6,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - marketing\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library is required to generate a proportion of its income from commercial activity and philanthropic donations. As such we carry out direct marketing activities in order to inform our potential customers of our new events, products, and services, and to help us generate interest in the activities British Library.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will not send marketing material to you unless you have specifically consented to receive marketing communications from us. If you wish to withdraw your consent in relation to the receipt of marketing communications you may do so at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our marketing emails, or by writing to us.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may however send marketing material to business contacts, commercial organisations, charities and other legal persons. This is on the basis of our legitimate interests, as set out in the Privacy of Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 (as amended), which covers business to business email communications.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Communicator, from The Communicator Corporation Ltd., to manage our legacy marketing correspondence. Communicator's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.communicatorcorp.com/service-privacy-policy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.communicatorcorp.com/service-privacy-policy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use dotdigital, from dotdigital EMEA Limited, to manage and distribute our marketing correspondence. dotdigital's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://dotdigital.com/terms/privacy-policy/' target='_blank''\u003ehttps://dotdigital.com/terms/privacy-policy/\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Google Drive, from Google Inc., to coordinate and distribute feedback surveys. Google may process your information in the United States, and is certified under the Eu-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Google's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://policies.google.com/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://policies.google.com/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your marketing related information (such as contact details, preferences, and engagement with our content) for as long as your relationship with the British Library continues, plus a further six years after the date of your last interaction with us so as to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere your contact information is held solely for marketing communications and no other purposes you have the right to ask us to delete it. To do so please contact our Data Protection Officer at:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorporate Information Management Unit\u003cbr /\u003e The British Library 96\u003cbr /\u003e Euston Road\u003cbr /\u003e London\u003cbr /\u003e NW1 2DB\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Email: \u003ca href='mailto:dp@bl.uk'\u003edp@bl.uk\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo help us identify the personal information you are referring to, please include any details that will enable us to locate the relevant personal information.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":7,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - membership\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you purchase or activate a British Library Membership (either as an individual or a couple) we will collect your contact details and payment information, as well as your date of birth. Your date of birth is required to ensure our compliance with licensing rules in relation to your access to the Knowledge Centre Bar which forms part of your Membership.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will use your personal information to administer your Membership benefits (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you), which includes sending out your Membership Pack and What's On Guide.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will also use your contact details to supply you with relevant transactional documentation, such as renewal information.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs part of your Membership we will also contact you from time to time with news about the Library, details of upcoming events and products, and opportunities to support the Library and its projects. These messages are part of your membership; without them you will find it difficult to use the benefits of your membership such as priority booking and access to Members only special events. However, if you do not want to receive such messages you may opt out of receiving them at the time of purchase, or by contacting us in writing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may analyse your use of your Membership in order to carry out our legitimate interests in monitoring, auditing, and developing the Services that we provide.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your Membership information for as long as it remains current, plus a further six years after the date of your last interaction with us so as to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims. Transactional information will be retained for the year in which the transaction took place, and then for a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":8,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - Public Lending Right (PLR)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you create a PLR account we will collect your contact details, details of the publications which you wish to register, and your financial details.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will use these details to administer the PLR payment scheme, as part of a task performed in the public interest. Further details about our public task can be found at the end of this page.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may also use this data for the purpose of analysis in support of service improvement, IT security, or other legitimate interests of the Library.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your PLR account information for as long as your account remains current plus a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules and to provide evidence in the face of future complaints or legal claims. We may retain information about PLR payments (which may include your name and correspondence) for longer if we believe such information is likely to be of importance to future research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn relation to the Irish PLR scheme, the British Library acts as a data processor for the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), who are the Data Controller in relation to all personal data used to administer the Irish PLR Scheme. As part of our contract with LGMA we will administer any personal data that we receive in relation to the Irish PLR scheme in accordance with the British Library Privacy Policy.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":9,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - purchases (Incl. BL Shop, \u0026 Box Office)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you purchase goods from us (for example, books, memorabilia, or event tickets) we will collect your contact details, delivery information, and payment details. We will use your information to provide you with the goods that you have purchased (e.g. in the performance of a contract with you). We will also use your contact information in order to supply you with relevant transactional documentation such as order confirmations, invoices, delivery notes, and tickets; if you have consented to receive marketing communications from the Library we may also use this information to provide you with special offers and other useful information, such as checkout abandonment reminders.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may also use this data (and other data relating to your use of our Services such as audit trails) for the purpose of analysis in support of Service improvement, IT security, or other legitimate interests of the Library.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnline payments by credit or debit cards for some Services provided by the Library are processed under contract using specialist Data Processors, and in line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. When a payment is processed by Data Processor acting on our behalf, card details are collected over a secure link and protected by industry standard software which encrypts your information. We do not collect any payment card account details ourselves, and they are not made available to us. Our service provider will use the information you provide to process your payment or to refund any monies due to you. Please refer to the terms and conditions for the relevant Service for further details. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Netbanx, from Paysafe Financial Services Ltd., to process electronic payments. Paysafe's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.paysafe.com/legal-and-compliance/privacy-policy/' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.paysafe.com/legal-and-compliance/privacy-policy/\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use PayPal, from PayPal Services, to process electronic payments. PayPal may process your information in the United States and other areas outside of the EEA, and uses Binding Corporate Rules in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. PayPal’s Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Seal Subscriptions, from Seal Subscriptions, to manage subscriptions to our publications. Seal Subscriptions' Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.sealsubscriptions.com/legal/privacy-policy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.sealsubscriptions.com/legal/privacy-policy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Shopify, from Shopify International Ltd., to host our online shop. Shopify's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Tessitura Network to host our online ticket and membership sales. Tessitura Network's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.tessituranetwork.com/About/Privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.tessituranetwork.com/About/Privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your commercial account information for as long as it remains current. Transactional information will be retained for the year in which the transaction took place, and then for a further six years in order to comply with tax and accounting rules.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":10,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - Reader registration\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you apply to become a Reader at the British Library we will collect information about you including your contact details, date of birth, contact details for your sponsor (if you are under 18), and details of your research interests. We will use these details to provide you with access to the British Library (e.g. as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest). We will also collect details about your ethnicity and any disability you may have; we have a legal obligation to ensure that equality and diversity obligations are being met in relation to access to our public Services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs part of setting up your Reader account we will also check your proof of ID and proof of address as set out in our Reader Registration process. in certain rare cases me may ask you to join a video conference call before attending one of our sites in order to verify your identity. We will not take copies of the documents that you provide in order for us to confirm your ID.  We will take a photograph of you for use on your Reader pass. As you use the Library we will also record your interactions with our Collections, such as your order history and audit trails of which electronic items you have accessed. Again, this is part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest; the British Library has a statutory responsibility to protect the security of its Collections. Further details about our public task can be found \u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230328171831/https://www.bl.uk/about-us/privacy-policy/public-task' target='_blank'\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetails relating to the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections (for example through use of our Reading Rooms or our remote Services such as Document Supply) will never be used to provide marketing analysis or similar functions (for example, to send you personalised marketing material), but may be used on an aggregated and depersonalised basis for Service improvement purposes (for example, to determine whether we are purchasing enough journals in a specific foreign language to match our Readers' research interests).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon request we will routinely provide copies of our records to the police in the performance of their legitimate duties. However, in accordance with agreed international ethical standards for libraries, we will not provide details of the specific Collection Items that you have requested during your use of our Collections to any third party unless compelled to do so by law, with two exceptions:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eIf we have evidence that gives us reason to believe that you have committed theft or vandalism in relation to our Collections we may choose to pass information about you to other cultural institutions whose Collections may be at risk. This cooperation between cultural bodies is in our own legitimate interests as we seek to protect the national Collections from harm.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eIf we have evidence that gives us reason to believe that you have deliberately infringed the intellectual property of a third party through your use of our Collections we may pass your personal information to that third party to enable them to defend their rights. This is to protect our own legitimate interests in protecting the concepts of Library Privilege and Legal Deposit.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we use the following systems to process your information:\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use a variety of products from the Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 product suites, provided by Microsoft, to deliver services such as video conferencing, data collection, or data storage. These products and services primarily process your data in the UK, but some Microsoft products may process your information in the United States. Microsoft is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework in order to implement appropriate safeguards in relation to your information. Microsoft’s Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will retain your Reader account and associated audit trails relating to your use of our Collections for 40 years, for the purpose of administering the security of our Collections (e.g. as part of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest). We reserve the right to increase this period as necessary to protect the integrity of the cultural treasures that we preserve on behalf of the nation, in line with our responsibilities as set out in the British Library Act.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":11,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - recruitment\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you apply to work at the British Library we will collect information about you including your contact details, previous employment history, education and qualifications, and referee contact details. We will use this information to process your application (e.g. in pursuit of the performance of a contract with you). We will also collect details about your ethnicity, gender, orientation, nationality, and any disability you may have; we have a legal obligation to ensure that equality and diversity obligations are being met in relation to our recruitment processes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere we want to disclose your information to a third party, for example, to take up a reference or to carry out a background check for the purpose of pre-employment security vetting, we will not do so without informing you beforehand, unless the disclosure is required by law.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe may use various organisations to provide IT capabilities in support of our Services, and who may process your information on our behalf. These Data Processors will process your information only under contract to the Library, and may not use your information in any other way. In particular, we will use the following system to process your application:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWe use Vercida, from Vercida Ltd., to process recruitment applications. Vercida's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.vercida.com/uk/privacy-policy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.vercida.com/uk/privacy-policy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePersonal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for 12 months after the recruitment exercise has been completed. It will then be securely destroyed or deleted. We retain statistical information to help to inform and improve our recruitment activities; for the purpose of ethnic monitoring and to obtain workplace statistics on, for example, gender, race, disability and age. The information retained is anonymised so that no individuals may be identified from that data.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlternatively, if you are successful in taking up employment with us, we will compile a file relating to your employment, beginning with your application information. This information will thereafter be managed in accordance with our Staff Privacy Policy.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":12,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eTransparency notice - social media\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library maintains an official presence on various social media platforms, in pursuit of own legitimate interests in relation to marketing and brand management.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you engage with us on these platforms the platform owner is the Data Controller in relation to the provision of the platform, its security, and the use of your profile on their platform, and their own privacy policy applies. The British Library is a joint Data Controller with the platform provider and is responsible for its own use of the platform and for our own use of your personal data as you engage with us on that platform.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will engage with you on social media only in accordance with the platform provider's privacy policy, and will only contact you directly (e.g. by 'private message') in response to a request or query made by you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library maintains an official presence on the following platforms:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.facebook.com/britishlibrary/' target='_blank'\u003eFacebook\u003c/a\u003e - Facebook's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/\u003c/a\u003e. Please note that if you 'like' the British Library's Facebook page, Facebook will use cookies on your machine in order to provide anonymised and aggregated demographics data to the Library to assist us with Advertising, Measurement and Analytics activities, and in order to share relevant British Library advertisements with you in your Facebook news feed. Further information can be found in Facebook's Privacy Policy.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.instagram.com/britishlibrary/' target='_blank'\u003eInstagram\u003c/a\u003e - Instagram's Privacy policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://help.instagram.com/519522125107875\u003c/a\u003e. Please note that if you subscribe to the British Library's Instagram page, Facebook will use cookies on your machine in order to provide anonymised and aggregated demographics data to the Library to assist us with Advertising, Measurement and Analytics activities, and in order to share relevant British Library content and advertisements with you in your Instagram feed. Further information can be found in Instagram's Privacy Policy.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.tiktok.com/tag/britishlibrary' target='_blank'\u003eTikTok\u003c/a\u003e - TikTok's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=en' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=en\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/twitter.com/britishlibrary' target='_blank'\u003eTwitter\u003c/a\u003e - Twitter's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://twitter.com/en/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://twitter.com/en/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.weibo.com/thebritishlibrary' target='_blank'\u003eWeibo\u003c/a\u003e (and WeChat) - Weibo's Privacy Policy can be found at \u003ca href='https://weibo.com/signup/v5/privacy' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://weibo.com/signup/v5/privacy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230606195236/https:/www.youtube.com/user/britishlibrary' target='_blank'\u003eYouTube\u003c/a\u003e - YouTube's Privacy \u0026 Safety Centre can be found at \u003ca href='https://support.google.com/youtube/topic/2803240?hl=en\u0026ref_topic=6151248' target='_blank'\u003ehttps://support.google.com/youtube/topic/2803240?hl=en\u0026ref_topic=6151248\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":13,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003ch2\u003eStatement of Public Task\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis statement sets out the functions carried out by the British Library that are within the Library's public task under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2016.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the greatest research libraries in the world. Established by Act of Parliament in 1972, the scope of its remit, the scale of its operations, the range of its services and the international importance of its collections are without equal. The collection - which consists of some 150 million items - is unconstrained by subject, geography, format or language.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library's public task comprises all the statutory functions, duties and responsibilities as defined in the relevant sections of the British Library Act 1972. The Act charges the British Library Board with:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003emanaging the British Library as the national Library of the United Kingdom consisting of a comprehensive collection of books, manuscripts, periodicals, films and other recorded matter, whether printed or otherwise;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003emanaging the Library as a national centre for reference, study and bibliographical and other information services, in relation both to scientific and technological matters and to the humanities;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003emaking the services of the British Library available in particular to institutions of education and learning, other libraries, and industry;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ecarrying out and sponsoring research;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003econtributing to the expenses of library authorities;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003elending any item, and making any part of the Library’s collections or premises available, in connection with events of an educational, literary or cultural nature; and,\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003etaking such actions as are necessary to safeguard the collections of the British Library.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the avoidance of doubt, the British Library views all of its Collection management related activities as part of its Public Task, including the collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storing, adaptation, digitisation, facilitation of retrieval and consultation, disclosure by transmission or dissemination, and licensing of any or all material held by the British Library on behalf of the nation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnder the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the British Library:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eacts as a deposit library entitled to the delivery of printed and similar (including digital) publications for persons who publish work in the United Kingdom.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British Library also undertakes the functions formerly assigned to the Registrar of Public Lending Right, under the Public Lending Right Act 1979, namely:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eestablishing and maintaining a register showing books in respect of which public lending right subsists and the persons entitled to the right in respect of any registered book; and\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003edetermining and paying the sums (if any) due by way of public lending right.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Library's public task is also incorporated in our mission and vision and in our six public purposes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe British Library's mission is to make our intellectual heritage accessible to everyone for research, inspiration and enjoyment.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eOur vision is for the British Library to be the most open, creative and innovative institution of its kind in the world.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eSix public purposes encompass our scope and remit and provide a framework for why and how we spend the money the public entrusts us with:\u003c/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCustodianship\u003c/strong\u003e - We build, curate and preserve the UK's national collection of published, written and digital content.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch\u003c/strong\u003e - We support and stimulate research of all kinds.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEconomic\u003c/strong\u003e - We help businesses to innovate and grow.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCultural\u003c/strong\u003e - We engage everyone with memorable cultural experiences. \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLearning\u003c/strong\u003e - We inspire young people and learners of all ages.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInternational\u003c/strong\u003e - We work with partners around the world to advance knowledge and mutual understanding.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese purposes are aligned to our statutory duties as set out in the British Library Act 1972, the Public Lending Right Act 1979, and the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 as amended by The Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis statement of public task is reviewed every 5 years and is due to be considered again in 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have any queries on our public task statement, please email \u003ca href='mailto:FOI-Enquiries@bl.uk'\u003eFOI-Enquiries@bl.uk\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}},{"id":14,"component":"richtext","content":{"wysiwyg":"\u003cp\u003eDate of last update: 24 January 2024\u003c/p\u003e","limit":null}}]},"menuSlugs":[{"id":3,"slug":"press/2024-at-the-british-library","navigation_title":"2024 at the British Library","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/a-silk-road-oasis-life-in-ancient-dunhuang-opens-at-the-british-library","navigation_title":"A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang","navigation_primary":null},{"id":2,"slug":"about-us","navigation_title":"About us","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/beyond-the-bassline-500-years-of-black-british-music-opens-at-the-british-library","navigation_title":"Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music opens at the British Library","navigation_primary":null},{"id":2,"slug":"bipc","navigation_title":"Business","navigation_primary":true},{"id":2,"slug":"research/blogs","navigation_title":"Blogs","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"about-us/governance/borrow-for-exhibitions","navigation_title":"Borrow items for exhibitions","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"about-us/projects/boston-spa-transformed","navigation_title":"Transforming our Boston Spa site","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/british-library-acquires-elizabeth-barrett-browning-letters-and-john-galsworthy-archive","navigation_title":"British Library acquires Elizabeth Barrett Browning letters and John Galsworthy archive","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/british-library-announces-2025-exhibitions","navigation_title":"British Library announces 2025 exhibitions","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/british-library-celebrates-irish-literature","navigation_title":"British Library celebrates Irish literature with blockbuster festival","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"careers","navigation_title":"Jobs","navigation_primary":false},{"id":39,"slug":"more/collection-metadata-services","navigation_title":"Collection metadata services","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"more/commercial-venue-hire","navigation_title":"Venue hire","navigation_primary":null},{"id":10,"slug":"complaints","navigation_title":"Complaints","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"contact-us","navigation_title":"Contact us","navigation_primary":null},{"id":6,"slug":"cyber-incident","navigation_title":"Cyber incident","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"visit/digital-guide","navigation_title":"Digital guide to the British Library","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"more/digitisation","navigation_title":"Digitise your collections with the British Library","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"research/digitised-manuscripts-2","navigation_title":"Digitised manuscripts - page 2","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"research/digitised-manuscripts-3","navigation_title":"Digitised manuscripts - page 3","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"research/digitised-manuscripts","navigation_title":"Digitised manuscripts","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"careers/early-careers","navigation_title":"Early careers","navigation_primary":null},{"id":40,"slug":"visit/eat-drink-shop","navigation_title":"Eat, Drink, Shop","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/exhibition-that-tells-the-story-of-medieval-women-in-their-own-words-opens-at-british-library","navigation_title":"A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/first-exhibition-to-document-500-years-of-black-music-in-britain-opens-at-the-british-library","navigation_title":"Black music in Britain","navigation_primary":null},{"id":10,"slug":"foi","navigation_title":"Freedom of information","navigation_primary":false},{"id":3,"slug":"whats-on/food-season-awards-2025","navigation_title":"What's on","navigation_primary":null},{"id":2,"slug":"whats-on/medieval-women/guide","navigation_title":"Medieval Women","navigation_primary":null},{"id":52,"slug":"about-us/international","navigation_title":"Visit","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/last-chance-to-see-major-exhibition-at-the-british-library-exploring-fantasy","navigation_title":"Last chance to see Fantasy exhibition","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/last-chance-to-see-major-exhibition-that-tells-the-story-of-medieval-women-in-their-own-words","navigation_title":"The story of medieval women in their own words","navigation_primary":null},{"id":4,"slug":"learning","navigation_title":"Learning","navigation_primary":true},{"id":9,"slug":"legal-deposit-web-archiving","navigation_title":"Web archiving","navigation_primary":null},{"id":54,"slug":"about-us/local-communities","navigation_title":"Visit","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/major-new-exhibition-opens-today-at-the-british-library-exploring-fantasy","navigation_title":"Malorie Blackman exhibition opens","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/malorie-blackman-the-power-of-stories-opens-at-the-british-library","navigation_title":"Malorie Blackman exhibition opens","navigation_primary":null},{"id":2,"slug":"whats-on/medieval-women","navigation_title":"Medieval Women","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"whats-on/membership","navigation_title":"Membership","navigation_primary":null},{"id":7,"slug":"more","navigation_title":"More","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/new-report-reveals-benefit-of-business-growth-programme","navigation_title":"Business Report","navigation_primary":null},{"id":0,"slug":"news","navigation_title":"News","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"nls","navigation_title":"National Life Stories (NLS)","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"plr","navigation_title":"PLR","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press","navigation_title":"Press and media","navigation_primary":false},{"id":3,"slug":"privacy","navigation_title":"Privacy policy","navigation_primary":false},{"id":43,"slug":"research/reader-pass","navigation_title":"Reader Pass","navigation_primary":null},{"id":42,"slug":"research/reading-rooms","navigation_title":"Reading Rooms","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/rebecca-lawrence-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-of-the-british-library","navigation_title":"Rebecca Lawrence appointed as new Chief Executive of the British Library","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"more/research-collaboration","navigation_title":"Research Collaboration","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"research","navigation_title":"Research","navigation_primary":true},{"id":1,"slug":"learning/resources","navigation_title":"Literature and KS4 learning resources for teachers","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"visit/service-update","navigation_title":"Service update","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"press/sir-roly-keating-to-step-down-as-chief-executive-of-the-british-library-in-april-2025","navigation_title":"Roly Keating to step down","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/startup-day","navigation_title":"Start-up day","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"terms","navigation_title":"Terms and conditions","navigation_primary":false},{"id":3,"slug":"ukwebarchive","navigation_title":"The UK Web Archive is currently unavailable","navigation_primary":null},{"id":5,"slug":"visit","navigation_title":"Visit","navigation_primary":true},{"id":3,"slug":"whats-on/west-yorkshire-events","navigation_title":"What's on","navigation_primary":null},{"id":3,"slug":"whats-on","navigation_title":"What's on","navigation_primary":true},{"id":3,"slug":"press/writers-award-2024-goes-to-hannah-lowe-and-alia-trabucco-zeran","navigation_title":"Writer’s Award 2024 winners","navigation_primary":null},{"id":44,"slug":"press/writers-award-2025","navigation_title":"Writer's Award 2025","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"learning/young-creators-lab","navigation_title":"Young Creators Lab","navigation_primary":null},{"id":1,"slug":"learning/young-sparks","navigation_title":"Young Sparks","navigation_primary":null}]},"__N_SSG":true},"page":"/[...page]","query":{"page":["privacy"]},"buildId":"DF2EmaxEKyrM3joy9uz_G","isFallback":false,"dynamicIds":[4427,5266,2122,1150,1986,4296,7356],"gsp":true,"scriptLoader":[{"id":"ga","strategy":"afterInteractive","dangerouslySetInnerHTML":{"__html":"(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnew Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tj=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'\u0026l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-TSFX37GD');"}}]}</script></body></html>