National Art Library · V&A
National Art Library
The National Art Library cares for and develops the UK's largest library collection on art, design and performance. Our holdings have been freely available to everyone since 1866 and remain so today.  With over a million items from the 8th century to the present day, we welcome all readers in our historic reading rooms in South Kensington and
V&A East Storehouse
. We also offer lots of opportunities to explore our collections online and in person and are committed to supporting all visitors and enquirers to find material to study, enjoy or be inspired by.
Sign up to be the first to hear about National Art Library news and events:
National Art Library newsletter
Find and request print collections available to view in our study rooms. Explore our 'Course Reserves', which provide book lists and e-resources on a range of topics, including databases, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, current V&A exhibitions and courses, NAL events and the history of the V&A. Some e-resources are only available to view when you are in our study rooms due to licensing arrangements.
Search the Library Catalogue
Explore our Course Reserves
You can find information on how to search the Library Catalogue and request material in our downloadable instructions.
How to search the Library Catalogue and request material
PDF (1.37 mb)
Items from the National Art Library are available to view at two sites: National Art Library, South Kensington and the V&A East Storehouse.
Information about which venue the material is held and how to request it can be found in the individual search results of the
Library Catalogue
All items may only be consulted in the study rooms and cannot be borrowed.
National Art Library, South Kensington
We recommend that you request items in advance of your visit to make the most of your time in the Library. You can request up to 8 items at a time. Please note that some rare items can only be requested during your visit or are available by appointment – this is indicated in the library catalogue.
V&A East Storehouse
You can request to view library books on subjects including performance history and children’s literature at the
V&A East Storehouse's Study Centre
The Library is
open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10.00 to 17.00
Although an appointment is not necessary, you are strongly advised to order any items you wish to consult in advance of your visit via our
online catalogue
. Item requests must be placed by 15.30 for same day delivery. The Special Collections desk closes at 16.30.
View the location of the Library on our
digital map
Food and drink are not permitted in the Library. Any bags should be deposited at the cloakrooms. Cloakroom charges are payable on your first visit but you will be exempt on future visits on production of your valid library card. A clear plastic bag is provided to decant any items you need to use in the Library. Please see
conditions of use
for further information.
Visit the
NAL blog
for the latest updates about the Library, and
sign up to the NAL newsletter
National Art Library. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Library hosts a number of free events for the general museum visitor.
National Art Library and Archive talks
Join V&A Library and Archive staff each Monday (except bank holidays) at 11.30 and 14.00 for a short talk on an item from our collections and the history and purpose of the Library.
Library and Archive Discovery Days
All are welcome to drop in and explore our reading rooms, meet our staff, see our collections and take a glimpse behind the scenes on one of our regular Discovery Days.
Find out more about our Discovery Days
Find out about access to and facilities for people with disabilities in the National Art Library and our other study rooms.
Study room services for people with disabilities
If you are a group involved in researching, studying, working or participating in the arts and would like to visit the Library, you can contact us at:
nalvisits@vam.ac.uk
. Group visits require a minimum of six weeks notice.
In addition to the National Art Library study rooms at South Kensington and V&A East Storehouse, we have a number of other study rooms where it is possible to view over 2 million objects from the reference collections and to conduct private research.
Find out more about our study rooms
Conditions of use of the V&A South Kensington study rooms
To request items to view, you will first need to join the Library by creating a user account. This can be done in advance or during your visit.
Create an account by completing our online form. Once you have set a password, you will be able to login to the library catalogue and place requests.
Create a Library account
On your first visit to the Library you will need to show current ID (e.g. passport, bank card, national ID card, etc.) in order to complete the joining process and be issued with a Library card.
Please contact us if your membership has expired and you wish to request items in advance of your visit. We will issue your new Library card on receipt of your ID when you visit.
Enquiries
Our staff can help you with questions about our library collections and services, as well as specific queries related to art and design.
Copying
Copying is subject to
UK copyright law
and permitted for private study or non-commercial research. The amount you copy must be 'fair and justifiable' and no more than a single chapter or 10% of a total work. Out-of-copyright materials may be copied not for publication.
You may take photographs using hand-held devices or at the camera stand provided. Please note that flash or use of other artificial light is not permitted in order to protect our collections and avoid disrupting other readers. Please treat all material with great care and make use of the book supports and weights. Ask a member of staff if you need help or advice in handling any item.
Book scanners are available and free to use with a USB drive or online App for use with iPhones. Please bring your own USB drive for use in the study rooms.
If you are unable to visit the library in person, please contact us to order copies online.
Please find our charges listed below.
For copyright materials we supply research quality copies (200dpi) in line with
UK Copyright Law
to individuals undertaking non-commercial research and private study only. Please see our
. You may be required to sign a copyright declaration statement. If you require high resolution images or images for publication, please visit
V&A Images
Please note that the supply of copies can take up to 20 working days.
Charges
Where possible scans will be provided as double page spreads. Any born digital material will be charged at a flat fee of £15.00.
Number of scans and cost:
0 – 10: £15
11 – 20: £20
21 – 50: £35
51 – 100: £50
101 – 150: £75
151 – 200: £100
201 – 250: £125
251 – 300: £150
We are part of the national inter-library loans (ILL) community, which is committed to the co-operation of libraries in sharing resources.
National Art Library inter-library loans
The National Art Library’s Virtual Reading Room (VRR) is a free service allowing you to consult items from our collection without having to visit in person.
Book a VRR appointment
Appointments take place via a Microsoft Teams call and are facilitated by a Library staff member, who will share your requested materials through a high-resolution camera. You can ask the staff member to turn pages and zoom in on areas of interest. If material you request is unsuitable, or has already been digitised and is available online, you will be notified by a member of staff after you have submitted your request form.
The service is free and open to all on a first come, first served basis.
The service is available on
Mondays and Fridays, 09.30 – 10.30 and 15.30 – 16.30
, excluding bank holidays and other planned
Library closures
Appointments should be booked
at least 7 days in advance.
Appointments are limited to
1 hour.
You can consult up to
3 items per session.
Large format items may exceed the reach of the overhead camera (approximately A3).
Some materials may be unsuitable for the VRR service due to their fragility, format or copyright restrictions.
Before booking an appointment, you will need to know the details of the item(s) you would like to view, including their title and pressmark. Items can be searched for using the
Library Catalogue
If you are not already a registered member of the Library, you will need to
create an account
in order to access the service.
Please be aware that VRR appointments are not consultations with subject experts. If you wish to speak to a subject expert at the Library, please
contact us online
Book a VRR appointment
The Library holds around one million books on subjects central to the V&A collections including prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, ceramics and glass, textiles and fashion, furniture, design, metalwork and sculpture. Our rich collections range from medieval manuscripts to contemporary artists' books and armorial bindings to comics and graphic novels.
Find out more about our Books collection
Find out more about our Manuscripts collection
Find out more about our Artists and the Book collection
Visit our blog to keep up-to-date with the latest Library news, exciting new service developments and to discover more about our collections, displays and research projects.
Go to the National Art Library blog