I've been doing some research at the British Library over the last couple of weeks, and it occurred to me that the way the system is set up there, there is no way that Superman could get a reader's card, so have access to the books.
It's actually very easy to get a reader's card, and a student or reporter called e.g. Clark Kent wouldn't have any problems; you just need proof of your current address, such as a driving license, bank statement, or passport, and another form of identification (such as a credit card) that gives your signature. As far as I know you don't need to be British. After that you just have a brief interview to ensure that you have legitimate reasons to access the collection, they take your photo and give you a reading pass, and you can start reading as soon as they find the books you want in the stacks. 70 minutes to a few days depending where they are stored. You can't actually borrow them, they have to stay in the reading room, but that's how it's done. I think most other major reference libraries e.g. the Library of Congress work along similar lines, but I don't have details.
Superman doesn't have an address, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a driving license or passport; there's no way he could get a reader's card. So sorry, supes, no books. Clark, on the other hand, would have no problems.
So the challenge is to find something that Clark can do but Superman can't, and build a story around it.
