Catalogues and Finding Aids
It is the Library's policy to record all printed books of whatever date in the main catalogue. We are in the process of converting earlier card catalogue records for books catalogued before 1974 into online catalogue records. Until this is complete, it is easiest to search for the Library's pre-1801 British or English language books using the 'English Short-Title Catalogue' (ESTC), which is available in the Special Materials Reading Room. (See sections British Books 1501-1701 and British Books 1701-1800 on our Collections page). There are temporary finding aids for the Moir, Mercier and Aitken collections.
We can provide access to a large number of surrogates both in microform and digital format, and most of these are not included in the online catalogue at individual item level. Special finding aids for these therefore constitute a valuable supplement to the main online catalogue. Digitised versions of over 125,000 English-language books or books printed in Great Britain before 1701 can be located and viewed through 'Early English Books Online', to which free access is offered within the Library.
The Library subscribes to 'The Eighteenth Century', a series of microfilms of over 150,000 English language books or books printed in Great Britain 1701-1800 (shelfmark Mf.134). These are available for visitors, and the most convenient finding-aid for these is the 'English Short-Title Catalogue' (ESTC). The Library also subscribes to the microfiche collection 'The Nineteenth Century', containing over 25,000 British books published 1801-1900 (shelfmark Mc.698). Access to this is through either a special catalogue on CD-ROM (1998) available in the Library or in a slightly less detailed form over the web at http://c19.chadwyck.co.uk/
Some deposited collections - principally the Crawford Collections - have not been fully catalogued and so will not be included in the retrospective conversion programme. They will be added to the main online catalogue in due course, as also will other uncatalogued collections such as the Dieterichs collection of German pamphlets. Other collections will be made available through digitisation programmes, such as the Library's collection of theatre playbills. General information about the special and named printed collections is included in our online directory. For uncatalogued named collections access can sometimes be provided by a variety of printed and manuscript finding aids, some of which we intend to make available over the web. Rare Book Collections staff should be consulted directly for advice concerning these, although many are listed in the online directory.
Access to the main catalogue is the same for visitors to the Library and for external users - 24 hours per day. Users are asked to note that catalogue records will indicate which books have to be read in the Special Materials Reading Room, though staff may direct additional books to be read there.