A combined 'suggest a book' and 'Inter-Library Loan' service to request any books or articles you need which are not held by the University of Westminster.
To gain access to other academic libraries in London, and indeed the whole of the UK, the SCONUL Access scheme is the means of doing so. Note that it is only their print resources, not their electronic resources, to which you will have access.
Library Hub Discover allows you to discover the holdings of the UK’s National Libraries (including the British Library), many university libraries, and specialist research libraries.
WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. It allows you to search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world.
**As of 2024 the British Library is still experiencing an outage due to a cyber attack - please check the British Library Website directly for information about available services during this time.**
There will be times during the research process when you will require the resources of other academic libraries. The major research library in the UK is the British Library.
Other useful libraries for Architecture and Cities courses include the following:
The National Art Library is located inside the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. You can search the catalogue online and create an account so that you can request the books before you visit the reading room. It has many books and journals on architecture and related topics. It holds part of the British Architectural Library.
RIBA Library (British Architectural Library)
The British Architectural Library is largest and most comprehensive resource in the United Kingdom for research and information on all aspects of architecture. Related subjects such as construction, engineering, landscape architecture, interior design, planning and law are also represented in the collections. The collection holds four million items, including archives, books, drawings, periodicals and photographs, in a variety of languages and formats. It has two public sites, one at the Victoria and Albert Museum and another at the RIBA's headquarters, 66 Portland Place, London. Access to both is free.
Senate House Library has many humanities and geography resources which are of great value to architecture, environmental and urban studies. It can be joined via the SCONUL Access scheme.
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a leading centre for the study of the history and conservation of art and architecture. As an external visitor you must book an appointment online before visiting.
