Where To Sit In The British Library?

Finding a seat in the British Library is getting difficult. “It had always been the case that the British Library kept users down to manageable levels through a series of polite, but formidable, barriers. You were interviewed, and had to demonstrate a need to use the library. A reader’s ticket was, one understood, a scholar’s privilege, not a citizen’s right. Above all, the BL was at pains to keep at bay London University’s 100,000 students. But, in the last few months, undergraduates have suddenly been made very welcome. Word of mouth means more are streaming in every day. Why is the British Library now Liberty Hall? Bums on seats is mission statement 2005. And, if there are more bums than seats, it’s hard luck for the seat-less.”