We have been informed that they have identified a possible source of the problem and believe a permanent solution can be implemented. However, we are being told it will take several hours before they can restore power and we can begin to restart all our safety critical systems. 

Given these circumstances, we have taken  the decision that the Library building will remain closed to members for the rest of the day.

We are expecting to have powered restored and for the Library to be open as normal on Tuesday 8 July.

Thank you for your patience.

UPDATE: work continues on power outage issue - Monday 7 July, 1pm.

Due to a local Power outage, the Library building is still without power and currently unable to open to ensure the safety of our staff and members. 

Along with multiple neighbouring buildings, large areas of the Library are affected included the stacks, lifts, toilets and fire alarms. Members may also experience a delay in communicating with staff who cannot access emails. 

UK Power Engineers are currently working on how to fix or bypass the issue and we will let members know when we can safely open again. Please note that we have no timescale for this. 

Thank you for your patience.

Library building closed due to local power outage - Monday 7 July

Due to a local Power outage, the Library building is currently unable to open to ensure the safety of our staff and members.

Large areas of the Library are affected including the stacks, lifts, toilets and fire alarms. Members may also experience a delay in communicating with staff who cannot access emails.

UK Power Engineers are currently working on this issue and we will let members know when we can safely open again.

In the meantime, members not visiting the building today can make use of our electronic resources, Catalyst, and eBooks, as well as the online events available through the website.

Please check back here for updates.

Our plans are progressing well for Phase One of the Building Connections project, which is the repurposing of old offices into a new room on the ground floor and the creation of a basement kitchen. We are now coming to the end of our tender process to select a building contractor and remain on track for the Phase One building works to commence towards the end of July and complete by the end of December. We will allow January for final fit-out and hope to begin making proper use of the room from February/March onwards. The commencement of the works in late July enables us to take advantage of the quieter period in the Library over summer and keep any inconvenience to a minimum, which remains a priority.

During the works, the area beyond the ground floor lift containing the printer, scanner, catalogue computers and guard books will be closed. Members will continue to have access to these services throughout the works as the equipment and books will be moved to new locations.

The front part of the basement (the area directly below the Issue Hall) will also be closed for the duration of the works. We shall be putting in place arrangements for Library staff to access the volumes in that area, so that members may still use the collection housed in that part of the building. The basement toilets will remain fully accessible.

We expect that the rest of the Library will remain unaffected by the Phase One building works.

Further details will be provided to members in our next newsletter and on our website when we will have appointed a contractor and have more specific information on our arrangements.

Our building improvements are intended to help us make our collection more accessible, support the needs of our growing membership, and ensure our long-term sustainability. We are funding the improvements entirely from donations, and the funds for Phase One have already been secured. If you would like to read more about the project, please visit the project website where you will also find detailed FAQs. If you have any further questions or comments, please get in touch with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The London Library is delighted to announce the newest cohort of its flagship Emerging Writers Programme, which supports early-career writers and is now entering its seventh year. The Programme is made possible thanks to the vital support from Amazon Literary Partnership, Bloomsbury Publishing, The Charlotte Aitken Trust, and Hawthornden Foundation.

40 participants were selected anonymously from a field of over 1950 applicants, a record-breaking number, by a panel of judges including poet Rishi Dastidar (Neptune’s Projects, Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different); children’s author, novelist, scriptwriter and songwriter Maz Evans (Who Let the Gods Out, Vi Spy); novelist and short story writer Irenosen Okojie(Nudibranch, Curandera); non-fiction author, photographer and broadcaster Johny Pitts (Afropean, Home is Not a Place); screenwriter and director Benjamin Ross (The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Poppy Shakespeare); playwright and performer Chris Thorpe (The Shape of Pain, A Family Business) and C&W literary agents Emma Finn and Lucy Luck.

The emerging writers hail from across the UK, from Scotland to the South Coast, Northern Ireland to Cambridgeshire and they span an age range from early twenties to early fifties. The cohort is working on a diverse array of projects, taking us from Sri Lanka to Zimbabwe, the Philippines to the Caribbean, the borderlands of Poland/Ukraine and England/Scotland and to all the many global iterations of Lands End. They explore ancient Rome, the Silk Road, Victorian erotica, Cold War Germany and the Partition of India. There are projects about literary couples, divorce, eugenics, sonic distortion and sonic fetishism, nostalgia, grief, religion and romance.  

Find out more about our new Emerging Writers cohort