Self-service photography was introduced to the British Library at the beginning of January this year, and since Monday 16 March it has been extended into the Business & IP Centre here in St Pancras.

You are now able to use your own smartphones, tablets and compact cameras to make copies of collection items in the Centre. This arrangement only covers printed items and does not include taking photos of any of the databases on our computer screens.

Before taking photographs you should watch these videos on photography and collection handling and read our guidelines on self-service photography.

You should be fully aware of Copyright and Privacy Laws:

• If an item is still in copyright you can only copy a certain amount. We recommend you only copy a book chapter, an article, or no more than 5% of an in copyright work for your own private study or non-commercial research purposes.

• You may copy more if you have permission from the copyright holder, but you will need to bring in proof.

• You may also copy more than 5% if copyright has expired.

• The Data Protection Act of 1998 and other privacy laws may apply to the use of any information obtained from our collections.

• You are responsible for any copies made which infringe copyright, data protection, privacy, or other laws.

This is a substantial change to existing practice in the Business & IP Centre, so please bear with us as we get to grips with the practicalities of the new arrangements. Please also show consideration for your fellow visitors by making sure your device is switched to silent mode before you start snapping away!

If you have any queries about the new service or, or comments about how it is being rolled out you can tweet @BL_Ref_Services or speak to staff in the Centre.