Brief Note on Research at the new British Library
Submitted by John Grehan

The new British Library budding was officially opened in the summer of 1998. Though most of the books have been transferred to the new site the move will not be completed until mid-1999. The Rare Books section completed its move in March 1998 but the Manuscripts will remain at Great Russell Street until 6 January 1999.

Access to the Library is strictly limited to post-graduate studies or research of material unavailable elsewhere. Application for a Reader Pass should be made in advance of the first visit but the Pass will only be issued in person and will not be sent through the post. Two recent colour photographs and proof of identity (which should include the applicant's signature) must be taken to the Reader Admission Office from which the Pass will be issued.

The Library's catalogue is now on computer and there are terminals in every Reading Room. Unlike the old Library building which had only one principal Reading Room, there will be eight Reading Rooms and one Map Room open before the end of 1999. Books are requested from the catalogue through the computer (using the Automated Book Request System) and take approximately ninety minutes to be retrieved if they are stored on site. The computer system also allows the reader to request items for future visits on specified dates. Because of the huge amount of material held by the Library the on-line catalogue is not suitable for browsing (there are, for instance, over 4,000 books bearing the word Portugal in their titles published up to 1975 alone!) but there are conventional catalogues around the walls in each of the respective Reading Rooms (Humanities, Science, Business etc.).

Some of the computer terminals are linked to the Internet and there are power points at each desk for lap-tops. A Reader Pass is normally issued for five years. Access to the Library's catalogue is also available through the World Wide Web on http://opac97.bl.uk

The new building is a vast improvement over the old Library in the British Museum. There is a coffee lounge and restaurant, it is spacious and, best of all, the entire collection of books and manuscripts eventually will be housed in one building thus avoiding the long delays of previous times. With increasing numbers of old and rare books no longer available through the Inter-Loan service a British Library Reader Pass has become a necessity. In the first instance contact: Reader Admissions Office, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Tel. 0171412 7677 Fax. 0171412 7794 E-mail: reader admissions@bl.uk

Opening Hours:
Monday and Thursday 10.00-17.00
Tuesday and Wednesday 10.00-18.00
Friday and Saturday 10.00-16.30

Response: AoN #30

Forthcoming Books from Greenhill

Here is where you can try out their new Website at www.greenhillbooks.com. Their publishing programme for the first six months of 1999 is:

A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic War, by Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito and Colonel John R. Elting.
Napoleon in the Holy Land by Nathan Schur.
On The Napoleonic War. by David Chandler (paperback).
On The Road With Wellington: The Diary of a War Commisary by A.L.F. Schaumann.
A History of the Peninsular War Volume IX Modern Studies of the War in Spain and Portugab 1808-1814. Edited by Paddy Griffith.

Naval Dockyards Society

The Naval Dockyards Society provides a forum for those with an interest in naval dockyards and associated organisations. It is concerned with any aspects of naval dockyards; construction, history, workforce, as well as the surrounding communities.

The Society compiles and distributes a list of members and their interests; publishes two newsletters each year; organises meetings; creates links with related bodies both in the UK and abroad; promotes new research,; and increases public awareness of historic dockyards and related sites. The annual subscription is £ 5 ($15 US), and further details may be obtained from the Secretary, 44 Lindley Avenue, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hants., P04 9NU. Tel. 01705 787263.

The Open Museum, National Maritime Museum

The Open Museum has a short course programme planned for the coming months that covers a broad range of naval history, much of which covers the 18th and 19th Centuries. The following is a brief list of some of the courses available.

Crossing the Beach - 18th Century exploration of the Pacific. Held on Mondays from 18 January to 8 March 1999. Researching Local History - A look at local and national sources for researching local history. Saturday 27 February 1999.

Magnificent Models - A look at the vast collection of ship models housed at the National Maritime Museum. Thursday 18 February 1999.

17th Century Naval History - An examination of the navy between 1603-1714 in a social context. Tuesdays 27 April to 15 June 1999.

Model Making Techniques - 17th Century ship models and how they were made. Saturday 8 May 1999. For full details of these (and the fees involved) plus the many other courses presented by the

National Maritime Museum contact: The Open Museum, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, SEIO 9NE. Tel. 0181312 6747. Website: http://www.nmm.ac.uk