The RIBA Library Reading Room

Our reading room offers access to the books, periodicals and photographs in the RIBA Collections, with everything from 15^th century illustrated texts to the latest architectural journals and photographs from around the world.

RIBA Library Reading Room
66 Portland Place
London, W1B 1AD

Opening Hours

Monday Closed
Tuesday 10am to 8pm
Wednesday 10am to 5pm
Thursday Closed
Friday 10am to 5pm
Saturday 10am to 1.30pm
Sunday Closed

Planned Closures 2020

• Easter - Friday 10 April to Monday 12 April inclusive
• Early May Bank Holiday - Friday 8 May to Sunday 10 May inclusive
• Spring Bank Holiday - Saturday 23 May to Monday 26 May inclusive
• Annual Summer Closure (four weeks) - Saturday 1 August to Monday 31 August inclusive
• Christmas and New Year holiday - dates to be confirmed

Admission
Admission is free and open to all. You will be asked to sign in with a photo ID or RIBA membership card. Food and drink are not permitted in the reading room and bags must be left in the free lockers provided.  

Access to materials
The reading room holds a mix of open and closed access materials, with timed retrievals at 12pm and 3pm. Some recent journals may be offsite at the binders, so please contact us in advance to check availability of these. Access to photographs must be arranged by appointment.

Accessibility
Step-free access is available by lift to the third floor. Guide dogs are welcome.

Photography, reprographics and Wi-Fi
Photography of books and periodicals is permitted for the purposes of non-commercial research or private study. Please read our personal photography policy before visiting.

We also offer a remote copying service for books and periodicals, and a digitisation on demand service for material too fragile to be copied. Please contact us for further information.

Photocopiers, scanners and free Wi-Fi are available.

Loan Library
Around 4,000 books are available for loan by RIBA members, including student members. These books are closed access and can be retrieved on request. We are unable to retrieve loan books on Tuesday evenings or Saturdays.