British Library

[rockyracoon]

Does anyone know how long after publication a book will appear in the British Library.

Thanks

[Maydup]

I thought a copy went as soon as the book was published but I'm not 100% sure exactly how long that would be. Maybe you could try searching for the book in the library's online index.

http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&;dstmp=1394313771442&vid=BLVU1&fromLogin=true

[boxtops]

I agree, I understood that the BL holds a copy of every book as soon as it comes out.

[boxtops]

Oh my goodness me, thanks to maydup's link - I have found two articles I wrote for journals, some years back!

[saxy_jag]

The publisher has to send a copy of the book to not only the British Library, but also the National Libraries of Wales and Scotland, Dublin Trinity College and Oxford and Cambridge University Libraries. This should be done within one month of publication. You need to check with the publisher that this has been done.

If the book is self-published then that usually means it's up to the author to do it. Information here:
http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/legaldeposit/printedpubs/depositprintedpubs/deposit.html

[boxtops]

I've had two publications and I can't see either of them listed....

[rockyracoon]

Thanks all, it's not there and twas published on 31st Dec 2013.

It's for my daughter, she had her poem published in a young writers book and I can't find it to buy anywhere, it appears on Amazon and Waterstone with an ISBN but says unavailable. I'm not sure how the British Library works but would have liked to at least show her a copy of the book if I can't buy it.

[Maydup]

If you have the ISBN rocky, you could ask a bookshop to order you a copy.

[Maydup]

Keep looking Boxie. A link to yet another place to spend more time than we intended!

[rockyracoon]

Thanks all. I've just looked on the publishers website and apparently my daughter should have received a pack with a permission slip to be signed to allow her work to be used, she hasn't had anything so I don't know how they published it. I'll email them and maybe ring the school tomorrow.

Thanks again :)

[atalanta]

You should look in the British National Bibliography ( B N B ) which is the published list of all items sent to the British Library - via the Copyright Agent - under the copyright deposit scheme. The BNB is online and free to view, but there are many hundreds of entries every week, and only Librarians are likely to scan every single title. For non-Librarians, the BNB is quite difficult to read, but it is electronically searchable. Many titles are notified to the BNB before publication.
Not all books are sent to all copyright libraries other than the British Library - if a book is staggeringly expensive and is published in a very short run ( say a commemmorative pubiication with art binding ) only one copy needs to be sent. The five other copyright libraries can decline to receive items if they think they are too trivial or not worth the space they would take up.