Using the Library and Archives | Natural History Museum
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:30
Using the Library and Archives | Natural History Museum
Using the Library and Archives
Part of William Smith's geological map of Great Britain, published in 1815
The Library and Archives team provides staff, visiting researchers and members of the public with easy access to the Museum's unique natural history information resources.
Below you will find information for staff and public visitors on:
requesting and accessing Library and Archives material
joining the Library
booking a Reading Room visit
adhering to our terms of use
Search the Library and Archives
Have a query?
Send a message
South Kensington Reading Room
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 to 16:00 (by appointment)
Visitors
Changes to the
reading room opening hours
From 5 May 2026, the opening hours for the Reading Room at South Kensington will be changing.
New opening times
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
10:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 16:00.
Visitors will be asked to leave the Reading Room during the lunchtime closure.
Your booking is valid for the whole day, however if you can let our team know if you will be arriving in the AM or PM slot, this would be very helpful to us, but not essential.
How to arrange an appointment
1. Identify the items that you would like to view during your visit.
Search using our collections
Discovery layer
and
Museum Archives catalogue
.
We have created some helpful guides regarding how to search our collections and how to request items for an appointment.Please refer to the links on the right.
There is a maximum of 10 collection items per appointment, excluding e-resources, e.g. 10 volumes, 10 artwork boxes etc. This is because items can be large in size and our collections are not held centrally; they are held in numerous locations. We are not able to retrieve additional items during your visit.
2. When would you like to come?
Refer to our
opening hours
and ensure that you give us at least eight working days’ notice. Any forthcoming closures are also advertised on the same homepage.
Please note that special collections held off-site can take longer for us to provide access to. If you are travelling far, we advise that you give us as much notice as possible.
3. Email our team via
[email protected]
Include the list of items, or your research area if you need advice on what we may have.
Let us know when you would like to visit.
4. What next?
Our team will respond to you as soon as possible, to confirm your appointment and to provide you with information about accessing the Museum on the day of your appointment.
Until you receive confirmation from us, your appointment is not finalised.
In advance of your visit, please read the
visitor guidelines and conditions of use PDF (20KB)
, the
intellectual property terms and conditions PDF 34.8KB)
and the
data protection terms and conditions PDF (94KB)
.
New visitors will be required to bring
two forms of identification PDF (106KB
) along with their completed
membership form PDF (96KB).
Please do not send these by email.
Public visitor guides
Search and navigation for visitors PDF (551KB)
Placing a Reading Room request PDF (367KB)
Access to e-resources PDF (269KB)
Using the Archives catalogue PDF (219KB)
Terms and conditions for Library and Archives members
Rules and regulations for accessing the Museum collections DOC (33KB)
Visitor guidelines and conditions of use PDF (148KB)
Intellectual property terms and conditions PDF (34.8KB)
Data Protection terms and conditions PDF (94KB)
Membership form
Membership form PDF (177KB)
Related information
Locating the main reading room (PDF 1.6MB)
Museum staff
If you're new to the Museum or just need a refresher, you can
book a place
on one of our staff induction sessions, which take place on the first Wednesday of every month.
If you would like to visit the Library and Archives before your session the guides listed will help you to identify and access the resources you need to support your work.
We recommend that staff register with the Library and Archives to get the most out of our services. To register,
email us
with the following information:
name
staff pass barcode number
staff pass expiry date (if applicable)
email address
room number
supervisor/line manager
department and division
Staff guides
Searching and navigation for staff PDF (738KB)
Inter-library loans: how to request material from outside our collections PDF (351KB)
Using my library account (staff) PDF (470KB)
Accessing library e-resources PDF (650KB)
Staff guidelines PDF (248KB)
Using the Archives catalogue PDF (219KB)
Related information
Library and Archives intranet pages
Related information
Library and Archives collections
About the Library and Archives
Policies and procedures
Library and Archives donations policy PDF (155KB)
Follow us on Bluesky
@nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social
Library and Archives blog
Images of Nature Gallery
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Accept cookies?
We use
cookies
to give you the best online experience. We use them to improve our website and content, and to tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. You can change your preferences at any time.
Manage my preferences
Using the Library and Archives
Part of William Smith's geological map of Great Britain, published in 1815
The Library and Archives team provides staff, visiting researchers and members of the public with easy access to the Museum's unique natural history information resources.
Below you will find information for staff and public visitors on:
requesting and accessing Library and Archives material
joining the Library
booking a Reading Room visit
adhering to our terms of use
Search the Library and Archives
Have a query?
Send a message
South Kensington Reading Room
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 to 16:00 (by appointment)
Visitors
Changes to the
reading room opening hours
From 5 May 2026, the opening hours for the Reading Room at South Kensington will be changing.
New opening times
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
10:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 16:00.
Visitors will be asked to leave the Reading Room during the lunchtime closure.
Your booking is valid for the whole day, however if you can let our team know if you will be arriving in the AM or PM slot, this would be very helpful to us, but not essential.
How to arrange an appointment
1. Identify the items that you would like to view during your visit.
Search using our collections
Discovery layer
and
Museum Archives catalogue
.
We have created some helpful guides regarding how to search our collections and how to request items for an appointment.Please refer to the links on the right.
There is a maximum of 10 collection items per appointment, excluding e-resources, e.g. 10 volumes, 10 artwork boxes etc. This is because items can be large in size and our collections are not held centrally; they are held in numerous locations. We are not able to retrieve additional items during your visit.
2. When would you like to come?
Refer to our
opening hours
and ensure that you give us at least eight working days’ notice. Any forthcoming closures are also advertised on the same homepage.
Please note that special collections held off-site can take longer for us to provide access to. If you are travelling far, we advise that you give us as much notice as possible.
3. Email our team via
[email protected]
Include the list of items, or your research area if you need advice on what we may have.
Let us know when you would like to visit.
4. What next?
Our team will respond to you as soon as possible, to confirm your appointment and to provide you with information about accessing the Museum on the day of your appointment.
Until you receive confirmation from us, your appointment is not finalised.
In advance of your visit, please read the
visitor guidelines and conditions of use PDF (20KB)
, the
intellectual property terms and conditions PDF 34.8KB)
and the
data protection terms and conditions PDF (94KB)
.
New visitors will be required to bring
two forms of identification PDF (106KB
) along with their completed
membership form PDF (96KB).
Please do not send these by email.
Public visitor guides
Search and navigation for visitors PDF (551KB)
Placing a Reading Room request PDF (367KB)
Access to e-resources PDF (269KB)
Using the Archives catalogue PDF (219KB)
Terms and conditions for Library and Archives members
Rules and regulations for accessing the Museum collections DOC (33KB)
Visitor guidelines and conditions of use PDF (148KB)
Intellectual property terms and conditions PDF (34.8KB)
Data Protection terms and conditions PDF (94KB)
Membership form
Membership form PDF (177KB)
Related information
Locating the main reading room (PDF 1.6MB)
Museum staff
If you're new to the Museum or just need a refresher, you can
book a place
on one of our staff induction sessions, which take place on the first Wednesday of every month.
If you would like to visit the Library and Archives before your session the guides listed will help you to identify and access the resources you need to support your work.
We recommend that staff register with the Library and Archives to get the most out of our services. To register,
email us
with the following information:
name
staff pass barcode number
staff pass expiry date (if applicable)
email address
room number
supervisor/line manager
department and division
Staff guides
Searching and navigation for staff PDF (738KB)
Inter-library loans: how to request material from outside our collections PDF (351KB)
Using my library account (staff) PDF (470KB)
Accessing library e-resources PDF (650KB)
Staff guidelines PDF (248KB)
Using the Archives catalogue PDF (219KB)
Related information
Library and Archives intranet pages
Related information
Library and Archives collections
About the Library and Archives
Policies and procedures
Library and Archives donations policy PDF (155KB)
Follow us on Bluesky
@nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social
Library and Archives blog
Images of Nature Gallery
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Accept cookies?
We use
cookies
to give you the best online experience. We use them to improve our website and content, and to tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. You can change your preferences at any time.
Manage my preferences