Regarded as having one of the top three architectural collections in the world and the finest in Europe, the British Architectural Library| at the RIBA is home to over four million items:
Visitor notice: Reduced access and hours
Until 2014, access to the Photographs Collection will be very limited. Some books and journals will be available by advanced request only. Temporary opening hours for the Reading Room at 66 Portland Place will operate from now to the end of May 2013. For further details go to Library news|.
Visiting the collections
Everyone is welcome to visit| and use the collections. Admission is free to the Library's two public sites: the Reading Room at the RIBA (66 Portland Place, London) and the RIBA Architecture Study Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Visitors can explore the collections as part of the Library's education| programmes and in exhibitions and talks| at the RIBA and beyond.
View the collections online
The collections can also be explored remotely through the RIBA's expanding range of online exhibitions| and the image database RIBApix|.
Conservation
Much of the work related to the collections takes place behind the scenes. Discover the RIBA's conservation| work undertaken for its drawings by Palladio.