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NATIONAL ART LIBRARY (VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM) |
The Library
Free and open to all, the National Art Library takes
a broad view of art. It is a reference
library in handsome, airy, book-lined 19th century rooms, inside the Victoria
and Albert Museum at South Kensington. The
collection reflects the character of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Anyone interested in the way we live should be able to find something
interesting among its more than a million books and other items.
As well as great art, its stocks cover anything to do
with the art, craft and design of everyday objects; including, furniture,
dress, architecture, styles of house decoration, books, pottery marks, artists,
sculptors, photography, auction house sale catalogues (Country House sales,
Sotheby's, Christies etc). Surprisingly
it also has rare literary material. It is a great place for serendipity - we searched
for something relating to an early civil engineer expecting a portrait or
a sale catalogue for the contents of his house but found a book of pictures
beautifully illustrating one of the bridges over the Thames during
its demolition prior to his rebuilding it,
The library holds short induction sessions introducing
its facilities and resources. These
start at 10 am on the first Tuesday of each month. To book a place telephone 020 7942 2400.
Readers tickets
General Collection A
temporary ticket, valid for three months and allowing you to use the general
collection, is issued in a few minutes after you complete a registration form
and provide proof of identity such as a passport or driver's licence.
Special Collections
The process is a bit more involved if you want to use the special collections. Among the gems are around 1,600 letters to
and from David Garrick, over a hundred letters from Charles Dickens to John
Forster, and manuscripts of Dickens' novels.
Finding and ordering what you want
Some of the catalogue is on computer but much of the
collection, especially older acquisitions, is still on microfiche catalogues.
The library has a leaflet clearly explaining the ordering
procedure. The staff are pretty swift
in delivering your order; you will probably have your books within half an
hour.
Visiting the library
The library is busiest in the afternoons, and on Tuesday
and Wednesdays, so it is best to visit outside these times if you can.
You will not be allowed to take large bags etc into
the library - leave these in the cloakroom near the Museum's main entrance,
where you can borrow a transparent bag for notebooks, pencils etc. It is best to do this when you first
enter the museum because the cloakroom is a long walk back from the library.
Portable computers are allowed, though only some of
the desks have a power point for them. These
desks cannot be reserved in advance.
On entering the library you should pick up a numbered
token which allocates you a seat. Seating
is limited, and the library warns that if all the seats are taken you will
be asked to wait until one is available.
There is a lift so the (first floor) library
is accessible to those unable to use the stairs.
Website
The library's website (see below ) has an "on-line
catalogue" and information about the non-computerised catalogues, as
well as a tempting glimpse into the wealth of the library's holdings.
Friends Group
There is no friends group for the library. However, there is one for the V&A Museum,
which you might want to consider. There
are details on the museum's website at www.vam.ac.uk.
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00-17.00.
Telephone: 020 7942 2400
Address: National Art Library, Victoria and Albert
Museum, South Kensington, LONDON SW7 2RL.
Website:
Underground: South Kensington
Bus: 14, 74, C1
Anne Bennet Alan Dove 18 September 2023