Further details on how you can register to become a reader can be found on our Reader's Ticket Page.
You need a valid Reader's Ticket to order items on the Catalogue to view in the Reading Room, and to use External Resources. You'll find further information on using External Resources on the What Can I Access page.
You can log in to your account from the top right corner of the Catalogue ('Sign in' button). You must log in in order to request items from the Catalogue and to view subscribed items.
If you've found the record you wish to request, you can lo in from the sign in link in the yellow banner.
There is no log out button, you must close the whole browser to log out. We are currently investigating the possibility of adding a specific log out button.
You can change your password on the Change Password page.
To close or change details in your account, please contact the Enquiries Service.
The Library doesn't deliver items to the Reading Room on Saturday. Therefore all items MUST be ordered before 16:15 on the previous Thursday.
Users are encouraged to order items to view in the Reading Room beforehand wherever possible. For detailed information please see our Item Delivery Times page.
On the main Catalogue you can limit your searches to these main collections:
The Library Resources page offers a full list of all the websites/catalogues/forms available to search our collections.
This is a long list, and includes some well known websites search as Welsh Newspapers Online, and other less well known once such as Welsh Poetry in Manuscripts.
It also includes bespoke search forms to search some specific collections eg wills, marriage bonds.
NLW Archives and Manuscripts is a Catalogue specifically to search these collections. It allows you to view the archival tree for each collection, and request the material to view in the Reading Room.
You can also search these collections from the main Catalogue, but you may need to filter your results to view only archive and manuscripts, depending on your search term. You will be directed to the NLW Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue to request items.
For further details on what you can access before and after registering, please see our What Can I Access page.
View our External Resources page for a full list of the External Resources the Library subscribes to.
The scheme is funded by the Welsh Government, and therefore to access this material you must have an address in Wales or a Welsh postcode.
You don't have to sign in before searching, but it can be helpful as you won't have to re-select any volumes etc which you may have already selected on the item record.
If you only want results for items held in the collections of the National Library, you should select 'In the Library' from the drop down when you enter your search term.
You'll find a link to a list of all our External Resources at the top of each page on the Catalogue, and also in one of the boxes on the homepage.
From this list you can select which resources you wish to search, or you can search across the all from the search box at the top of the page.
NLW Archives and Manuscripts is a dedicated catalogue for our archival and manuscript collections. You can search and view the archival tree for each collection on this catalogue. You can also request items to view in the Reading Room.
If you wish, you can search archives and manuscripts in the main Catalogue, but you would need to filter your results to just these collections. To do this, select Archives and Manuscripts under 'Resources Type' in the right column of your results.
Please note that you cannot search for wills or marriage bonds in NLW Archives and Manuscripts. You should use the bespoke wills search form and marriage bonds search form to search these collections.
Yes. We have many websites and search form which allow you to search specific collections eg Welsh Newspapers Online, Wills etc.
View the Library Resources page to see a full list of the searchable resources we offer. It's often better to use the bespoke resources on this page to search specific collections as it narrows your search, and some offer additional functionality eg searching newspapers on article level.
When searching on any of our Catalogues, it's best to avoid using sentences.
The Catalogue will search for all the terms you use, so using long sentences will bring a lot of unrelated results eg don't use search terms such as 'wills for the diocese of St Asaph' instead, you should narrow your search terms eg wills AND St Asaph (see the question regarding Boolean searching below for an explanation about how to use AND in your search terms)
Yes. When you type in your search terms, you will see a dropdown appear under the search box. This allows you to select what type of material you wish to search. Clicking on one of these will significantly narrow your search results. See the What Can I Search help page for more information on what these options mean.
You can also see this list in the dropdown to the right of the search box (it says In the Library). This list is a little longer than the dropdown which appears as you type.
By default, you will always search In the Library, which means your search will be confined to all NLW collections.
Once you see your results, you will see a column of filters to the right which allows you to refine your results.
You can refine by:
You can choose one item at a time from the list by clicking on the text of the one you want.
You can choose more than one at the same time by ticking the boxes to the left of each label (text) and then clicking on the Apply Filters button which appears at the bottom of the column.
You can also choose to omit some of the items by hovering over the text and the clicking on the red icon of a box with a tick and a line through it which appears to the right of the text
Any fileters you have chosen will appear at the top of the right hand side filters column under the title Active Selections. To clear these click on the Clear Selections option at the bottom of your selected filters list.
You can sort your results by:
Click on the small down arrow to the right of the Sort by option at the top of the right hand column in your results list.
The default sort order is always Relevance.
These are commands which allow you to combine search terms to broaden or limit your search. The terms supported in this Catalogue include AND, OR, NOT and NEAR.
Wildcards stand in for missing characters. They are useful if you want to search for variant spellings
If you're aware that a certain item is in the collection, but cannot find it on the Catalogue, you can use this form to make a non-Catalogue request.
Click on the link to the right of the main Catalogue search box.
Select one of the Search for options to narrow your search. The default is alway In the Library (searching only NLW collections).
Use the Title dropdown to refine your search eg if you know the title or author, select the relevant option and place your search term in the box to the right.
You can use multiple lines of the search boxes if you know for instance the title and author.
You can use the options on the right if you know for instance the year, or the type of material you're interested in.
Once you have added your search terms the text Search will appear in the bottom right corner of the box - click this to search.
Your results will appear below the box.
You'll find a link to a list of all our External Resources at the top of each page on the Catalogue, and also in one of the boxes on the homepage.
From this list you can select which resources you wish to search, or you can search across the all from the search box at the top of the page.
Anyone can search fro External Resources, but to view the resources, you must be a registered user, and certain other restrictions apply. To find out more about viewing the External resources, please see the What Can I Access page.
The best way of searching through our archives and mansucripts is to use NLW Archives and Manuscripts. This is a specific catalogue which will confine your search to these collections.
The collapsible list is the archival tree. It is this tree that shows how different items within a specific collection relate to each other. Within a collection like the Badminton Estate Records you have many single items. You may have opened a record that sits in the middle of a collection, and it's the archival tree that allows you to see what record come before and after it, and how it relates to the rest of the collection.
Once you have opened the collection you require on NLW Archives and Manuscripts, you will see the archival tree in the left column (which lists every record in the collection). Above the tree you will see a tab called 'Quick search' - click on this. You can then enter your keyword, and all relevant results within the collection will appear below the search box. Select the record you want and the description will open in the right column.
You can search for wills through our designated wills search form.
From the wills search form you can select one or more of the following: diocese, date, name, parish, township or occupation. The more of these you can input information for, the more accurate your search results will be.
Once you have filled in the wills search form, you will be directed to your search results in the Catalogue.
If you are searching for a specific 'call no' you can find this under the 'Request' tab for each will (to the right of the title 'Location').
To view wills click on the tab 'View' under the required Will. To view a large version, click on 'View larger version in new window' (this will open a new tab in your browser).
To see the will as a full screen, click on the link in the bottom right corner 'Full Screen'. To return to the normal view click Esc on your keyboard.
To see the different pages of the will, click on the thumbnail image in the left column or click on the arrows (to the right and left of the image)
When you hover over the image you will see a '+' and '-' in the top left corner of the image, which will allow you to zoom in and out of the image. You can also use the circular arrow to rotate the image clockwise.
You can search the marriage bonds collection thorugh our designated Marriage Bonds search form.
Marriage bonds can only be searched from the Catalogue, and are NOT available in NLW Archives and Manuscripts
The 'call no' will be shown in brackets at the end of the text 'Available at' (to the right of the green dot) in the record for each bond.
If you know the full name you're looking for, place the name in the search box with '' " around it. The results will only show records containing the full name. If you search for a full name without '' " it will show all results containing either name eg if you search for Mary Jones it will show every Mary, every Jones and every Mary Jones.
If you have a full name and place, use the Advanced Search (link to the right of the search button. Place the name in '' " in the first box and the place in '' " in the second box.
If you have a general date for the bond, you can refine your search results under 'Creation Date' in the left column (remember to click on the Search button and your results will update).
To search for manuscripts visit NLW Archives and Manuscripts
You will find a search box in the black banner at the top of the page.
The archival tree can be seen in the left column when you've opened a record in NLW Archives and Manuscripts (under the image of the Library). The archival tree looks like a collapsible list. It is a list of all the items within a specific collection. For example a collection like the Badminton Estate Records has many single items. You may have opened a record that sits in the middle of a collection, and it's the archival tree that allows you to see what record come before and after it, and how it relates to the rest of the collection.
The record you have opened will appear as dark grey. To open another record click on the blue text, or to open another 'branch' of the collection, click on the down arrow to the left of the item (it may take a little time for the tree to open).
When you select a record, the description will open on the right.
Once you have opened the collection you require on NLW Archives and Manuscripts, you will see the archival tree in the left column (which lists every record in the collection). Above the tree you will see a tab called 'Quick search' - click on this. You can then enter your keyword, and all relevant results within the collection will appear below the search box. Select the record you want and the description will open in the right column.
There are many ways of searching estate collections at NLW.
You can enter your search term in the search box in NLW Archives and Manuscripts and see if there is a relevant collection in one of the estate collections
Following user feedback, we have developed an A-Z index list of 50 of the largest/most used estate collections held at the Library. This list allows you to click on a title of an estate collection and see the top level record for that estate in NLW Archives and Manuscripts. You can subsequently use the quick search to search within the estate collection. Hopefully this should give quick access to a selection of estate collections.
You can search for NLW Annual Reports 1909-2000 (previously on ISYS) on our Archives and Manuscripts: Annual Reports page.
You can use this designated form to search Theses Collection Wales.
You can use this designated form to search Welsh Ballads Online.
If you know the date of the photograph, you can Select a 'Start Date' and 'End Date' before searching
To search the Bibliography of Wales:
You must be logged in to request items to be viewed in the Reading Room.
How to login:
You don't have to sign in before searching, but it can be helpful as you won't have to re-select any volumes etc which you may have already selected on the item record.
Click on the title of the item, and you'll see a pop up wich is the item record.
You'll see a heading called Request. If you haven't logged in, you'll see a red strip - click on this to log in (you must be logged in to request items).
If you have logged in, you'll see a Request button - click on this, and fill in the request form as required, then click on the red Request button to send.
*Please note that a link to 'Check Delivery Times' appears at the top of the last box, and this will give details of when your item is likely to be available. Please note that items are not delivered on Saturdays and should be requested in accordance with the details on that page.
No, you must request each item individually.
Click on your name in the top right ocrner of any page on the Catalogue, and select My Requests. You will then see a list of your requests.
Please note that all requests for archives and manuscripts (except for wills and marriage bonds) are processed through NLW Archives and Manuscripts, and will not appear in the request list on the main Catalogue.
If you're aware that a certain item is in the collection, but cannot find it on the Catalogue, you can use this form to make a non-Catalogue request.