This scheme is a unique opportunity which offers state schools fully subsidised school membership of the Library for the full year. With its unparalleled collection of over 1 million volumes spanning 200 subject areas, unlimited access to around 1,000 online journals and beautiful workspaces, membership of the Library is a valuable asset to any school.

We currently have over fifty schools in membership. Many of these use the Library on a regular basis and benefit from bespoke support with study and research needs, ranging from EPQ group study sessions organised by our knowledgeable Librarian staff, to help with the research needs of individual students.

Here’s what one of our school’s members says about their membership:

"Membership of The London Library is a great asset for our Sixth Form students - especially those undertaking independent research for coursework or an EPQ. Having access to online resources such as JSTOR helps them find the latest research on their topics, enabling them to gain insights which are current and fresh."

The closing date for applications is 12pm on Monday 3 July.

Find out more

Congratulations to Travis Alabanza and Danielle Jawando who have won the 2023 Jhalak prize celebrating books by British/British resident BAME writers. 

Travis Alabanza, None of the Above, winner of the Jhalak Prize is a writer, performer and theatre maker. Danielle Jawando, When our Worlds Collided, winner of the Children's & YA Jhalak Prize, is an author, screenwriter and Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Judges described None of the Above, Alabanza’s memoir about being genderqueer, as ‘desperately important’, and said every teenager should read Jawando’s young adult novel When Our Worlds Collided. 

First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize and its new sister award Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize, founded in 2020, seek to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers. Recognising some extraordinary talent over the last five years, previous winners have included Jacob Ross, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Guy Gunaratne, Johny Pitts, Patrice Lawrence and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. 

We were delighted to celebrate the prize with an event at The London Library in May featuring Jhalak Prize judge Haleh Agar and Jhalak Children's & Young Adult Prize judge Maisie Chan in conversation with Yassmin Abdel-Magied, and readings from some of the shortlisted authors. Find out more here.

We look forward to welcoming the winners to the Library with two year's complimentary membership and a year's membership for the shortlist. 

This is part of an ongoing partnership between the Jhalak Prize and The London Library. 

You can find information on the Jhalak Prize here.

The Founders’ Circle and Library supporters recently spent a captivating evening exploring the late actor Alan Rickman’s rich and varied archive in The Writers’ Room.

Rare books dealer and former actor Neil Pearson, custodian of the archive, walked supporters through this fascinating paper trail of Rickman’s life, allowing guests the rare opportunity to leaf through the beautifully handwritten diaries and drawings, decipher heavily annotated working scripts and screenplays, and examine notes from friends and admirers, from Emma Thompson, to Tony Blair; from (then) Prince Charles to JK Rowling. Neil’s commentary, both as a former actor who knew Alan Rickman, and collector, gave us a unique insight into his extraordinary life, talent and practice.

Join the Founders’ Circle to attend exclusive events such as these, and to be first on the guest list to The Summer Party, hosted by our President Helena Bonham Carter. Find out more by visiting The Founders' Circle webpage or contact our Patrons & Legacies Manager, Emma van Straaten at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..