Other libraries
Visit libraries across London and the British Isles as a registered student from the Courtauld.
University of London Libraries
All staff and students have access to Senate House Library, as the central library for the UoL Federation, and students have access to King’s College London Libraries under the Courtauld/King’s Strategic Partnership. Please ask Courtauld Library staff for details.
The University of London Access Agreement provides reference access to institutional libraries within the University of London (UoL). Libraries may have different access arrangements, so please check with the library you intend to visit before traveling.
Libraries and archives with significant collections relating to the history of art and architecture include:
- BFI Reuben Library
- British Library
- British Museum Library
- Goldsmiths Library
- Institute of Classical Studies Library
- Institute of Historical Research Library
- Iniva Stuart Hall Library
- Kings College London Library
- Lambeth Palace Library
- National Art Library
- National Archives
- National Portrait Gallery Heinz Archive and Library
- Natural History Museum Library
- Paul Mellon Centre Library and Archive
- RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) British Architectural Library
- School of Oriental and African Studies Library
- Science Museum Library
- Tate Library and Collections
- University of London: Senate House Library
- University of the Arts London Library Services
- Warburg Institute Library and Collections
- Wallace Collection Library and Archive
- Wellcome Library
Some of these libraries are part of the University of London, some of them are publicly accessible, and others are HE libraries which Courtauld users could access as an external visitor or under the SCONUL Access scheme.
You can find lists of art library and research institutions in the UK and Ireland, and art documentation societies around the world on the ARLIS webpages.
Accessing other libraries and archives
Courtauld students and staff may be able to access other libraries and archives:
- As a University of London (UoL) member
Your access and the services you can use will vary between member institutions and according to your level of study. - Through the SCONUL Access Scheme
‘Band A’ only – open to PhD, researchers and staff only - As an external user. Student and academic services can provide a letter of introduction if you need one.
Please check individual libraries’ websites for the most up to date information about external visitors, or ask Courtauld Library staff for advice.
Finding resources in other libraries and archives
- Library Hub Discover
gives details of materials held in many UK national, academic and specialist libraries - Archives Hub
lists archives held by UK institutions - Worldcat
includes more than 10,000 libraries worldwide - Artists’ Papers Register
This archive of artists’ papers is privately held according to this National Archives record. A 2009 article from the Journal of Archivists gives you details about the Register. Visit the Association of Art Historians to read the papers. - The European Library
searches the content of European national libraries - KUBIKAT
collective catalogue of the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, Max-Planck-Institut, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich, Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte, Centre allemand d’histoire de l’art in Paris and Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte in Rome