Using BBIH online: a help pack for students and lecturers
The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is a high-quality record of over 660,000 publications relating to British and Irish History. This page helps you get the most from BBIH and shows how to use it in a blended learning environment.
Using BBIH: how to find and link to the resources you need
The BBIH is the largest and most comprehensive record of what's been published in British and Irish History, and the British empire -- as well as on histories of migration, gender and race. BBIH has detailed records of over 660,000 books, articles, essays and theses, including thousands that were published this year.
Each record has a detailed index to help discoverability. Records also provide links to locate a copy of a book in your Library, or go direct to journal article if your Library subscribes. This makes BBIH the best way to find what's been published, create reading lists, write a literature review, or swiftly identify the different kinds of academic publications used at university.
Getting started with the new interface of BBIH
A new and improved interface is now available for the Bibliography of British and Irish History. The new interface is designed to enhance user experience and provide more precise results.
Watch this short video to learn more about the features and functionalities of the new interface.
BBIH help pack
Please note that this help pack contains some information about the previous BBIH interface, which was withdrawn in February 2025. BBIH editors and Brepols are working hard to update this help pack, which we hope to make available in the coming months.
For more information about using the new BBIH interface, see the section above called 'Getting started with the new interface of BBIH'.
The Bibliography's editors have created a set of videos that introduce BBIH, and show how to use it for teaching preparation and study.
The current set of videos are for:
- First and Second-year undergraduates studying History, with a focus on Britain and Ireland, the history of British empire and Commonwealth.
- Third-year History undergraduates looking to plan, research and write a dissertation on British and Irish history, including the histories of empire, race and migration.
- MA and PhD researchers for whom an understanding of principal and sub-fields of study is key, for shaping their research plans and creating a literature review.
- History lecturers and college librarians, with a focus on using BBIH for teaching -- both to find relevant content and enable students to identify and distinguish between different kinds of history publications.
In creating this package we've consulted widely with students and lecturers, but no doubt there's more we can do. We want this pack to be useful, so please contact us if you've ideas for further development.
1. Introductions to BBIH, for first and second-year students
This first set of videos are intended for First and Second-year undergraduates studying History, with a focus on Britain and Ireland, the history of British empire and Commonwealth.
2. Using BBIH for your undergraduate dissertation or MA/PhD thesis
In this section we have two videos that explain how BBIH can be used when writing your dissertation or thesis.
Video 1 looks at using the Bibliography for your undergraduate dissertation and how to find the secondary literature that's most useful to you. Video 2 is for students (and their supervisors) writing an MA or PhD thesis. BBIH is the essential resource for mapping a subject and for creating that all important literature review.
3. For librarians and university lecturers
In this video, we explain the history and background of the Bibliography of British and Irish History. BBIH is created and extended by specialist editors and historians, making it the most useful and fullest guide to the British and Irish past.
