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Whatever your interest in architecture, you will find something in the collections of the RIBA British Architectural Library to inspire you.

The most comprehensive resource in the United Kingdom for research and information on all aspects of architecture, it is the largest collection of architectural material in Europe and one of the finest in the world.

Our developing education programmes are targeted to support and inspire students of all ages, widening access to the RIBA Library collections. Numbering some 4 million items, these include:

• books and periodicals, 
• drawings and archives
• photographs
• models and artefacts

These are housed in our two London locations. Most can be found at the RIBA headquarters at 66 Portland Place; the Drawings and Archives collections, plus the V&A+RIBA Partnership Architecture Gallery can be found at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

For those in Higher Education, whether studying architecture, the built environment, or design and cultural history, the RIBA Library collections offer an unparalleled resource.

We offer inductions| for groups to help orientate students and lecturers, and introduce them to the scope of the collections. We can also facilitate research seminars, focusing on elements of the collections, from concrete to Nonconformist chapels to Neoclassical country houses.
Find out more on resources for colleges|.

For schools, architecture and the built environment can be studied across the curriculum, from Design Technology, Art and Design, to the Humanities. With international collections, dating across centuries, you can travel through time and space, encountering castles and cartoons, tower-blocks and toys.
Find out more on resources for schools|.

Online Resources
With such vast collections, the question is where to start. Begin by:

• Searching the extensive RIBA Library online catalogue if you're interested in particular themes, places or architects.
• Explore the RIBA Library digital image database RIBApix with its 20,000+ images. Mirrors, motorways, mud houses and musicians are just some of the images you'll uncover, more are added daily.
• Or get an overview of British architecture's development with the RIBA Library's online exhibition designed to accompany the BBC series 'How We Built Britain'.

Study rooms
You can encounter the collections online, but to get a real taste of their wealth you can visit the RIBA Library study rooms, either individually or in groups. At the Victoria and Albert Museum, the collections can be accessed in the RIBA Architecture Study Rooms|, plus the magnificent V&A + RIBA Partnership Architecture Gallery, which explores the key constituents of buildings, their materials, makers and styles.


At 66 Portland Place, our inspirational new space for teaching and learning can be found - the CETLD, Bene Education Room|. Funded by the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD|), this creates new possibilities in the way the collections can be accessed. Adjacent to the Library's main reading room, it offers a window on to the collections, and a great base to explore London's ever-changing architecture.