Curious to learn more about the British Library? Whether you would like to know more about our careers, events or services, our virtual work experience programme is filled with information on some of the key areas of our organisation.
The World at the British Library
Our virtual work experience programme The World of the British Library is available to anyone aged 13+ who has an interest in the British Library and what we do. The module contents have been created by some of our own experts, who have shared their expertise and career journeys. Each module concludes with an interactive element to test your knowledge.
Our current programme is jam-packed with information so be sure to set aside some time to view everything as it can take approximately 7 hours to complete. You will learn about:
- The World of the British Library
- Librarianship
- Curation and Exhibitions
- Cataloguing and Collections
- National and International Partnerships
- The Learning Team
- Commercial Services and Publishing
Reward for Completion
After completing your virtual work experience, you will receive a digital certificate, to showcase your hard work and commitment to the programme. Recently, we offered 9 of our most engaged virtual work experience participants the opportunity to visit the British Library, St Pancras, for an exclusive event. One of our attendees, Katie-Linh, described the event as, ‘An extremely beneficial, rewarding and enlightening experience, which I would heartily recommend.’
First, we began our afternoon with a welcome from the early careers team, followed by introductions and a quick quiz to get to know a bit about the British Library.
Next, we had a private tour of the conservation studio – one of the Library’s restricted areas. We were lucky enough to observe some of the work that conservators were doing. One of the staff members showed us the preparation that goes into lettering front covers. We were
extra fortunate to witness gold lettering embossed into leather. We were also introduced to one of the digital conservators, who demonstrated various kinds of digital conservation that takes place in the studio. The conservation studio was immensely popular with everyone,
this is what Ingrid had to say, ‘The event was amazing, I learned a lot about how the British Library runs and what is available. I especially enjoyed the conservation area and tour. I learned a lot about work in libraries. I would recommend this to anyone.’
After that, we were met by our tour guide from visitor experience, who showed us around the site and provided some additional context to the history of the building and how we acquired certain items.
