October 31, 2023 at 03:08PM
The British Library is currently experiencing a major IT outage and cyber incident, affecting online systems and services, including its website, phone lines, and on-site library services. The incident is being investigated with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre. The library has not yet provided details on the nature of the attack or if any personal or financial information was accessed. While some services are still operational, digital collections and exhibition tickets can only be accessed on-site with cash payment. The library houses over 150 million items and receives copies of every UK and Ireland publication.
The British Library is currently experiencing a major IT outage as a result of a cyber incident that occurred on Saturday, October 28. This outage is affecting their website, phone lines, and on-site library services in London and Yorkshire. However, the Reading Rooms for personal study remain operational, and collection items requested on or before October 26 can still be accessed on-site.
The library is working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident. It is currently unknown whether personal or financial information belonging to customers or employees was compromised during the cyberattack.
The library has not provided details regarding the nature of the attack or how the malicious actors breached their systems. As of now, the British Library website remains offline due to the cyber incident.
While there is limited manual ordering of collection items using printed catalogs in St Pancras, access to digital collections and the digital catalog is unavailable. Additionally, exhibition tickets can only be purchased onsite using cash.
Despite the IT outage, the library’s Fantasy exhibition and public spaces will operate as usual, and public events will proceed as planned. However, only cash payments will be accepted on site.
The British Library houses over 150 million items on 625 km of shelves, adding 3 million items annually. It receives copies of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland. Annually, over 11 million learners visit the library’s website, and more than 16,000 individuals utilize its collections daily, both on-site and online.