About the NLS main catalogue
The NLS main catalogue has over four million records, covering the majority of the printed collections. It contains:
- Printed material acquired by the Library since 1682 (irrespective of date of publication), and a constantly growing proportion of material acquired before that date
- Entries for recent music items, mainly music scores published since about 1993
- Records for printed maps and atlases, with records for map series gradually being added
- Records of some manuscript maps.
Downtime: Please note that from 22.00-22.15 every night the main catalogue will be unavailable, due to essential maintenance.
Request material before you visit
If you register to use the reading rooms, you can use the online request system direct from the main catalogue.
In advance of a visit you can request books / monographs which are available for consulting in the General Reading Room and the Special Collections Reading Room.
Read more about preordering using the online request system.
Guidance for library professionals and researchers
For library professionals and advanced researchers, we have guidance on the use of our records and our Z39.50 profile.