Due to major building activity at the Library you may hear some intermittent construction noise during your visit. We apologise for the inconvenience and we are grateful for your understanding. Some of our collection is also temporarily unavailable. This means we may not be able to fulfil some requests for deliveries of Library items to the Reading Rooms. At the moment, this includes most of the Ephemera Collections (until the end of April 2024) and the Pictures Collections - Hanging Art Works (until September 2024). Please check the catalogue carefully to find out if your selection is impacted. Learn more about these temporary changes.

People using the main reading room at the Library

Our reading rooms offer a comfortable and modern space for you to research and study. You can request and use collection material, access the internet for free, use our copying facilities, and browse the reference shelves.

Before you visit our reading rooms we appreciate that you read our Code of Conduct, which helps us maintain a peaceful environment and protect our collection.

Make the most of your research time by familiarising yourself with our opening hours, collection delivery service, and collection delivery times, as these vary between reading rooms and collections.