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Our Reference Enquiry Team can help you with short research enquiries

Quick Chat

Use our Quick Chat service for short research enquiries and get an instant reply.

Quick Chat is available: Monday to Friday: 09.30–17.00

When Quick Chat is unavailable, you can contact the Library via the 'Ask the Reference Team' enquiry contacts.

Contacts for enquiries

Asian and African Studies Enquiries
(India Office Papers, oriental language publications and oriental language manuscripts)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7873
Email: Ask the Asian and African Studies Reference Team

Business & IP Enquiries
(Intellectual property, market reports, business start-up, patents)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7454
Email: Ask the Business & IP Reference Team

Humanities Enquiries
(Arts, Humanities, Library and Information Science)
T: +44 (0) 20 7412 7831
Email: Ask the Humanities Reference Team

Manuscripts Enquiries
(Western language manuscripts, archives and papers)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7513
Email: Ask the Manuscripts & Maps Reference Team

Maps Enquiries
(Printed maps, topographical drawings, globes)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7702
Email: Ask the Manuscripts & Maps Reference Team

Music Enquiries
(Printed music scores, manuscript music scores and papers)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7772
Email: Ask the Music Reference Team

News Enquiries
(Newspapers, broadcast media)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7377
Email: Ask the News Reference Team

Rare Books Enquiries
(Pre-1850 publications, incunabula)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7564
Email: Ask the Rare Books Reference Team

Science Enquiries
(Science, technology, medicine)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7288
Email: Ask the Science Reference Team

Social Sciences Enquiries
(Social science, law, management, official and government publications)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7894
Email: Ask the Social Sciences Reference Team

Sound & Vision Enquiries
(Spoken word, music, wildlife and moving image recordings)
T: +44 (0)20 7412 7418
Email: Ask the Sound & Vision Reference Team

Written enquiries should be addressed to the relevant team (e.g. Humanities Enquiries) and sent to:

The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom