Terms of use
On this page you will find our policies and statements on the following issues:
Please note that these policies and statements are supplemental to any specific terms and conditions that govern the use of our individual services.
Copyright
The content (content being images, text, sound and video files, programs and scripts) of this website is copyright © The British Library Board. All rights expressly reserved.
The content of this website can be accessed, printed and downloaded in an unaltered form (altered including being stretched, compressed, coloured or altered in any way so as to distort content from its original proportions or format) with copyright acknowledged, on a temporary basis for personal study that is not for a direct or indirect commercial use and any non-commercial use. Any content printed or downloaded may not be sold, licensed, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or in or on any media to any person without the prior written consent of the British Library, including but not limited to:
- transmission by any method
- storage in any medium, system or program
- display in any form
- performance
- hire, lease, rental or loan
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this website should be addressed to us as follows:
Images:
Email: permissions@bl.uk
Text and all other types of material:
Email: webeditor@bl.uk
The British Library has made every reasonable effort to locate, contact and acknowledge copyright owners and wishes to be informed by any copyright owners who are not properly identified and acknowledged on this website so that we may make any necessary corrections.
Other individuals and organisations wishing to make British Library content accessible through their websites are encouraged to create hypertext links to the required content on this website.
Privacy
Web log files
In common with most websites, the British Library website logs certain information about every request sent to it. This information is used for system administration and for producing usage statistics. Summary statistics are extracted from this data and some of these may be made publicly available, but these do not include information from which individuals could be identified. Relevant subsets of this data may be used as part of investigations of computer misuse involving this site (see also the Legal Disclaimer below). Data may also on occasion be used to enable investigation of technical problems on the website. Otherwise logged information is not passed to any third party except if required by law.
Data protection
From time to time we will use electronic forms on this site to gather personal information for purposes directly related to a service, function or activity of the Library. When we do so we will let you know the purpose for which the information is being collected (including if the information is to be published). Completion of and submission of any form on this website is entirely at the discretion of you, the website user.
Data protection statement
In using and submitting forms on this website you agree that the British Library may use any personal data of yours that you supply through the forms. The British Library respects your privacy and seeks to protect your personal data:
- The British Library will only collect and use your information to administer, support, improve and obtain feedback on its services
- The British Library may also use this information to assess what British Library products and services may be of interest to you and to personalise our service and marketing efforts
- The British Library may also contact you to obtain feedback on services and any improvements we can make
- you have the right to ask us at any time not to contact you by way of direct marketing
- The British Library will not disclose your personal data to any other organisation without your permission.
Payment
Payments by credit or debit card for some goods and services supplied by the British Library are processed using Netbanx. When the payment is processed by Netbanx, the details of the credit or debit card are collected over a secure link. The British Library does not collect any details and they are not made available to us. Netbanx Ltd will use the personal information you provide to process your online payment and to refund any monies due to you. When you make a payment online, Netbanx will use industry standard software, which encrypts your information. For further details about the security of this information, please refer to Netbanx Ltd.
Netbanx may be contacted in writing at the following address:
Netbanx Ltd
Netbanx House
Station Court
Station Road
Great Shelford
Cambridge
CB2 5NE
If your credit or debit card details are not submitted using Netbanx, they are destroyed as soon as payment is cleared or held in secure storage until audit requirements are met.
Other websites
The British Library website provides extensive links to other independent sites, but this policy statement applies only to direct use of this website (www.bl.uk). You will need to consult the providers of other websites for information on their policies.
Legal Disclaimer
The British Library has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials on this website or on other linked websites or on any subsequent links. This includes, but is not by way of limitation:
- any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
- any liability for damage to your computer hardware, data, information, materials and business resulting from the information or the lack of information available
- any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information
- any decision made or action taken or not taken in reliance upon the information
The British Library makes no warranty as to the content, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the information or that the information may be relied upon for any reason and bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or legality of any linked site or for that of any subsequent links. The British Library makes no warranty that the website service will be uninterrupted or error-free or that any defects can be corrected.
The British Library shall not be liable for any losses or damages (including without limitation consequential loss or damage) whatsoever from the use of, or reliance on, the information in its website, or from the use of the Internet generally. Any links to other websites do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the British Library of any products, services, policies or opinions of the organisation or individual.
These disclaimers and exclusions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Those who choose to access this site from outside the United Kingdom are responsible for compliance with local laws if and to the extent local laws are applicable.
Links
What websites do we link to?
The British Library's experts recommend external web links on the basis of their suitability and usefulness for our users. Selection and addition of links to our website is entirely a matter for the British Library and for the British Library alone.
It is not our policy to enter into agreements for reciprocal links.
The inclusion of a link to an organisation's or individual's website does not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the British Library of any product, service, policy or opinion of the organisation or individual. The British Library is not responsible for the content of external websites.
What websites will we not link to?
We will not link to websites that contain racist, sexual or misleading content; that promote violence; that are in breach of any UK law; which are otherwise offensive to individuals or to groups of people.
The decision of the British Library is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
If you wish to report a concern, please email webeditor@bl.uk
Notice and Takedown Policy
If you are a rights holder and are concerned that you have found material on our website, for which you have not given permission, or is not covered by a limitation or exception in national law, please contact us in writing stating the following:
1. Your contact details.
2. The full bibliographic details of the material.
3. The exact and full url where you found the material.
4. Proof that you are the rights holder and a statement that, under penalty of perjury, you are the rights holder or are an authorised representative.
Contact Details:
Notice and Takedown
Room 1/11
The British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
LS23 7BQ
Upon receipt of notification the ‘Notice and Takedown’ procedure is then invoked as follows:
1. The British Library will acknowledge receipt of your complaint by email or letter and will make an initial assessment of the validity and plausibility of the complaint.
2. Upon receipt of a valid complaint the material will be temporarily removed from the British Library website pending an agreed solution.
3. The British Library will contact the contributor who deposited the material, if relevant. The contributor will be notified that the material is subject to a complaint, under what allegations, and will be encouraged to assuage the complaints concerned.
4. The complainant and the contributor will be encouraged to resolve the issue swiftly and amicably and to the satisfaction of both parties, with the following possible outcomes:
- The material is replaced on the British Library website unchanged.
- The material is replaced on the British Library website with changes.
- The material is permanently removed from the website.
5. If the contributor and the complainant are unable to agree a solution, the material will remain unavailable through the British Library until a time when a resolution has been reached.
