Accessing the collections, Requesting Materials

Due to the limited amount of space in the Reading Room, the majority of our collections are on closed access and must be requested. This means that, with the exception of the books and periodicals located in the Reading Room, you will not be able to browse the shelves or retrieve the materials yourself.

1. Ask staff at the counter for an introduction to the library, its collections and resources.
2. Search our databases (Library catalogue for books, BID for periodicals, Idealist for Special Collections) to discover what materials we hold and how to access them.
3. Request items not held on open access in the Reading Room by filling in the appropriate request slips - limited to three items at a time - and handing them to a member of staff.

On average, it takes between 10-45 minutes for materials to be retrieved however, when very busy, it can take up to one hour.
We cannot process requests in advance of your visit to the Reading Room, except when you are pre-ordering materials held off-site.

Important Notice

Please be aware that, due to staffing shortages, on certain mornings we will only be able to operate retrieval runs to the basement at 11am and 12pm, when possible, and not upon request as normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We will try to keep disruptions to your research to a minimum but this cannot always be guaranteed.

We would welcome any feedback on how this affects your research.