The thirty-four photographs linked below were taken on two separate occasions. The first date was 1990 or 1991; the second set was taken on the site of the new building at St Pancras. At this distance, I can’t remember the precise dates, and the Press Office was unable to tell me. The first set was for a feature; I had a publication in mind but as with so many things in my life over the years, it never materialised. Having said that, although I used a good quality camera, I did not use a good quality photographer, so probably nothing would have come of it anyway. All these photographs were taken in broad daylight. I arrived at the Library before it opened; the gent who showed me around – see for example Bloomsbury 1 – was a press officer.

The second set – St Pancras 1-9 – is not so much behind the scenes as before the scenes. At some point, Bloomsbury readers were invited to visit the site of the new building. Many of us did, and I have no doubt that both professionally snapped photographs and video footage were taken in abundance.

A few words about the earlier set: Bloomsbury 1 is of the main reader’s entrance to the Round Reading Room; Bloomsbury 7 for example is of the Annexe. This is a circular corridor that runs round the outside of the Round Reading Room; at one point I did quite a lot of bibliographical work in there. Photographs 10 & 11 show seat g7, the one used by a certain Karl Marx, ditto Round Reading Room Photograph 4. Bloomsbury Photograph 12 is Advanced Reservations for the Round Reading Room; Photograph 13 was taken in the North Library – Rare Books. The North Library Gallery – above – is for periodicals. Photograph 17 appears to be looking down on an exhibit in the North Library from the North Library Gallery. Photograph 18 is, I believe, the Reading Room Annexe again, ditto 19. Round Reading Room Photograph 3 is, or would have been, a spectacular panorama. This, and other photographs, can be lightened or otherwise manipulated, but I will leave that to the professionals – ie anyone with marginally more skill than me.

Before the move to St Pancras, the Library also used other buildings, in particular Life Sciences at Aldwych; SRIS at Holborn, BLISS, also at Bloomsbury, and the India Office, which was South of the River. I used both SRIS and rather more frequently Life Sciences on occasion; I also used both the India Office and BLISS once or twice. The India Office is now at St Pancras, while BLISS has been integrated into the main collection, as has the Sound Archive, which was formerly located at South Kensington (and which I never used).

July 14, 2010

Updated March 18, 2025

Bloomsbury – 1
Bloomsbury – 2
Bloomsbury – 3
Bloomsbury – 4
Bloomsbury – 5
Bloomsbury – 6
Bloomsbury – 7
Bloomsbury – 8
Bloomsbury – 9
Bloomsbury – 10 (the seat used by Karl Marx)
Bloomsbury – 11
Bloomsbury – 12
Bloomsbury – 13
Bloomsbury – 14
Bloomsbury – 15
Bloomsbury – 16
Bloomsbury – 17
Bloomsbury – 18
Bloomsbury – 19
Bloomsbury – 20
Bloomsbury – 21
Round Reading Room – 1
Round Reading Room – 2
Round Reading Room – 3
Round Reading Room – 4

St Pancras – 1
St Pancras – 2
St Pancras – 3
St Pancras – 4
St Pancras – 5
St Pancras – 6
St Pancras – 7
St Pancras – 8
St Pancras – 9