A vast permanent archive forms the core of exhibitions at the British Library, although they have populist shows like 'Headlines in History' and '50 Years of Album Charts' which draw huge crowds to the magnificent main halls. These huge free exhibitions are usually fantastically curated and offer a great insight into British and European culture over the last couple of centuries.

The John Ritblat gallery is the historical exhibition space with glass cabinets housing priceless illuminated manuscripts from the archive. The low lights and magical looking manuscripts lull visitors into a reverie, like a dream of days gone by. It's a brilliant place to come if you've spent the morning fighting with fax machines and idiotic colleagues. Although they don't allow sandwiches in there.

The Folio Society is dedicated to a rolling series of temporary exhibitions and is in many ways the lushest part of the museum, full of inspiring pieces that evoke history and adventures in far flung lands. They frequently exhibit maps and prints, and the stamp collections are surpassed by none.

One of the best ways to take in the British Library is with a highlights tour which briskly drags you from room to room; it's a very good orientation and you can look like an expert if you ever come back with someone. Alternatively, you can print the tour guide from the website and walk round it in your own time.

The British Library is a magnificent building, and a treasure trove of European and British history. It is an institution that puts you in touch with the lives of the billions of individuals who have been written about through the ages. It's a secular church of humanity for the modern age, simultaneously glorious, inspiring, and ever so slightly terrifying.