British Library down updates — Website suffers major outage after cyber-attack as users struggle to access online system

British Library gives update

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the British Library : "We’re continuing to experience a major technology outage, as a result of what has now been identified as a cyber-attack.

"The outage is still affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services including Wi-Fi.

"We expect to restore many of our services soon, although some disruption is likely to continue for several weeks."

Outage may take weeks to fully restore

A library spokesperson said: "We expect to restore many of our services soon, although some disruption is likely to continue for several weeks.

"We’ve taken targeted protective measures in response to the attack to ensure the integrity of our systems.

"We’re also undertaking a forensic investigation with the support of NCSC and cyber security specialists.

Library was once part of the British Museum

The Library was a component of the British Museum, located in the Borough of Camden, until 1973.

Situated on Euston Road in Somers Town, adjacent to St Pancras station, the Library's purpose-built contemporary structure was formerly a freight yard.

Services available onsite

The following services remain available at the library's buildings:

• Reading Rooms
• Collection items ordered to the Reading Rooms
• Manual collection item ordering
• Limited Reader Registration
• Onsite cafés, restaurants, and shops

More about the library

A vast research library, the British Library holds materials in several languages and digital and print forms, including books, playscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, films, maps, patents, databases, drawings, prints, and stamps.

The Library has over 14 million volumes in its collection, in addition to substantial amounts of manuscripts and artifacts that date back to 2000 BC.

The library continues its content acquisition effort, adding about three million items annually, taking up 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) of additional shelf space.

What to know about the British Library

The British Library is among the world's biggest libraries.

Between 170 and 200 million objects from several nations are thought to be present.

The British Library receives copies of every book published in the United Kingdom and Ireland due to its status as a legal deposit library; this includes a sizable amount of foreign publications that are disseminated in the country.

The Library is a non-departmental public entity sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport.

Library remains open

Despite the online outage, the buildings remain open.

Some services are still available onsite.

Online services could remain disrupted for several weeks.

More from the Library on the attack

The spokesperson continued: "We expect to restore many of our services soon, although some disruption is likely to continue for several weeks.

"We’ve taken targeted protective measures in response to the attack to ensure the integrity of our systems. We’re also undertaking a forensic investigation with the support of NCSC and cyber security specialists.

"We know many of you have questions but, as this investigation is ongoing, we’re unable to provide any more information at this time and we’ll update when we can. Thanks for your continued understanding."

Major outage at the British Library

The British library has been targeted in a cyber attack that caused a "major technology outage."

The outage could last for several weeks.

A spokesperson for the library said: "We’re continuing to experience a major technology outage, as a result of what has now been identified as a cyber-attack. The outage is still affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services including Wi-Fi."