British Library Cyber Attack one year on

It has now been a year since a cyber attack impacted nearly every aspect of the British Library’s (BL) public services. Over the past 12 months, BL has worked hard to restore as many services as possible.

On December 20, 2023, the British Library Board approved a new Rebuild & Renew program. This program, designed for an 18-month period, will coordinate the Library’s long-term recovery efforts across three focused phases:

  1. Respond: Immediate crisis management.
  2. Adapt: A six-month phase focused on identifying and implementing interim solutions to restore services, internal processes, and partnerships.
  3. Renew: An 18-month phase dedicated to creating a resilient infrastructure and delivering lasting solutions, either by upgrading or adapting current systems or implementing new ones as needed.

BL is now deeply engaged in planning the next recovery phase, which will continue into the new year. This phase will prioritize the restoration of key resources, including the Sound Archive and the popular Ethos database of 600,000 digitized theses.

Stay updated on restoration progress via the Knowledge Matters blog. For available services and access details, visit the BL webpage.

Impact on Edinburgh Napier

Inter Library Loans

Currently, we cannot use our institutional account to request books and articles through the inter-library loan form on Library Search. We continue to rely on other libraries and institutions to supply these items. Although book deliveries vary in timing, articles generally arrive within a few days. Our inter-lending team is also managing requests from other universities, supplying books and articles promptly.

Digitisation

Requests for Digitised items are now available once again. However please be aware that it will take longer for the British Library to process them. University staff can request digitised items from our web pages.

If you have a personal BL account and plan to visit the reading rooms, you can now order items online for consultation at either Boston Spa or St. Pancras.

BL remains committed to restoring all services, with a goal to modernise and enhance its operations. Meanwhile, we will do our best to source materials for you from other institutions. Remember, the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge also offers extensive resources that may be helpful.

By Vivienne Hamilton

Read more about Inter-Library Loans here