We are currently carrying out improvement works to the Library that may cause some disruption to members visiting the building. We will continue to update members as the works progress via our newsletter, website and social media channels.

Members can still borrow and return books as usual and enjoy the beautiful spaces in our reading rooms and the stacks. If you need assistance finding an alternative study space, please speak to staff in the Issue Hall.

We are committed to improving the service and surroundings for our members and endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum while we do this. Should you wish to get in touch with any of our team about these works, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Update – 20 June

On Thursday 22 and Friday 23 June, a new keyless locker system will be installed in the Issue Hall. During this time, access to the lockers will be limited and we ask that members refrain from bringing large bags into the Library at this time. 

The upgrade will require members to use their membership card to access the lockers, rather than waiting and requesting a key from Reception.  

Please click here for full information.  

Update – 16 May

Members visiting the Library may have noticed new security gates at the entrances. These have been fitted to provide extra protection to the Library’s extensive collection of books for the benefit of our members and future generations of readers, writers and thinkers.

Further improvement works in the Issue Hall will follow in the summer:

• Self-service facilities will be installed as an option for members to loan and return books
• Our lockers will become keyless, requiring members to access lockers using their membership card rather than collecting a key from Reception
• Issue Hall carpets will see a refresh, with new carpets laid on the stairs leading up to and inside the Reading Room at a later date in the summer.

Signage will inform members which areas are likely to be temporarily affected so alternative spaces can be sought within the Library to read or write. Noisy works will take place before opening hours to minimise disruption, however, it is possible that some noise may be heard at times.

During works to the Issue Hall, there may be limited access to lockers and coat cupboards. Members are advised not to bring large bags to the Library at this time.

Below is the current schedule of works. We will update members as the works progress via our website and social media channels:

20 March - 1 April – the Issue Hall will be partially closed and one of the two Issue Hall entrances will close for two days while we install power and reconfigure data. Staff will be on hand to help with navigation.

27 March - 5 May – a new energy-efficient LED lighting system will be installed in the Book Stacks, which may cause disruption and some desk closures.

At a later date - the stairs leading to the Reading Room will be closed while we install new carpets.

We are committed to improving the service and surroundings for our members and endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum while we do this. Should you wish to get in touch with any of our team about these works, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Based on ongoing feedback, the Library is pleased to confirm that The Study will remain a laptop-free space for members who wish to engage in silent study without the potential distraction of electronic devices.

The Study takes over from the main Reading Room, which prior to the Pandemic was the Library’s only laptop-free space. In 2020, originally to allow for social distancing, the Library began to permit laptops in the Reading Room. Since that time, usage of the Reading Room has increased by 63%. 

In 2022, The Study was designated a laptop-free space on a 6-month trial basis. This followed the most recent member survey, in which 34% of responding members stated that a laptop-free space in the Library is ‘somewhat important’ or ‘very important’. The trial began in August 2022 and throughout that period, the Library received feedback from members showing appreciation for the provision of a laptop-free space and asking for it to continue.

Members are welcome to use laptops in all other reading rooms and workspaces. The Library is a silent study space throughout and devices must be set to silent mode and used with consideration to other members.

We are committed to offering a mixed range of welcoming study spaces that are conducive to reading and writing and accommodate all member needs. We hope that use of The Study will continue to grow.

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is now open for submissions for its fifth year. This increasingly influential scheme is geared towards supporting writers at the start of their careers. The Programme is open to anyone, from any background, who is committed to pursuing a career in writing and wants to develop their work.

The Programme is targeted at emerging writers who have not yet published a full-length work of fiction, non-fiction or a collection of poems, or had a full-length work professionally produced for mainstream film, TV or the stage. The Programme offers writers one year’s membership of The London Library (which normally costs £585 per year) alongside writing development masterclasses, networking opportunities, peer support and guidance in use of the Library’s extensive resources. There is no application fee and participation on the Programme is funded by philanthropic donations.

Since the initiative launched in 2019, it has supported 158 previously unpublished writers. In that time, participants have enjoyed increased awareness for their writing from the publishing industry – many have had first books and poetry collections published, secured publishing deals, and been recognised with awards and other writing successes.

Writers Abi Daré, Amber Medland, Daniel Marc Janes, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Lianne Dillsworth, Isabelle Baafi, Russell Franklin, Krystle Zara Appiah, Carole Hailey, Marina Gerner Gaar Adams, Paolo Chianta, Oakley Flanagan, and Natalie Linh Bolderston are just some of the Programme’s participants who have achieved significant success. 

Applicants will be selected anonymously by a panel of judges including screenwriter and playwright Moira Buffini (Harlots, The Dig, Handbagged), non-fiction writer Travis Elborough (Wish You Were Here, Through the Looking Glasses, Atlas of Vanishing Places), novelist and short story writer Zoe Gilbert (Mischief Acts, Folk) and novelist Ayisha Malik (Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, The Movement).

The fifth year of the Emerging Writers Programme will run from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. Applications open at 11am on 11 January 2023 and close at 11am on 2 March 2023.

Find out more and apply now