Become a Patron

Great minds meet at the British Library. Throughout history, great Patrons have been instrumental in fostering artistic and scientific achievement through their generosity and foresight.

British Library Patrons continue this fine tradition by supporting a number of inspiring and creative endeavours and, in doing so, enable countless scholars and researchers to fulfil their goals.

Your support as a patron is vital to the Library’s mission in helping people advance knowledge to enrich lives.

As a Patron, you will enjoy privileged and unparalleled access to one of the world’s greatest libraries. Behind the scenes visits, private views of our outstanding exhibitions, and enlightening talks – all explained by our expert curators – will present the Library in a new light.

Keeping our collections relevant and accessible to generations of scholars and enthusiasts is our core activity – but it is a costly business. Our much-valued Patrons provide vital funds that enable us to develop our programmes which, in recent years, have included the opening of the Harry M Weinrebe Learning Centre, major acquisitions, and ground-breaking exhibitions, such as Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art – the most successful exhibition that we have ever presented.

There are three levels of gift from which to choose:

Woolf Patrons - £1,500
Austen Patrons - £5,000
Shakespeare Patrons - £10,000

You can make a difference by joining this lively and vibrant group of key supporters. Please contact us if you would like more information about our Patrons’ Programme or join now.

Click here for a PDF of our Patrons' Programme brochure.

As a longstanding British Library reader, who has spent many summers working blissfully in the Rare Books reading room, concern about the latest austerity measures prompted me to become a Patron.
Heather Jackson, Patron of the British Library

We like to think that our small contribution towards preserving the unique material kept in the British Library, particularly the medieval manuscripts, connects us to the great scholars and writers of the past - Bede, Aelfric, Marie de France - and to the collectors and bibliophiles who ensured that their works were passed down to us and continue to enrich our culture. We in turn owe it to future generations to continue this great work of preservation and just being a small part of that seems incredibly worthwhile.
Chantry Westwell, Patron of the British Library