Our Collection - Making Space for the Future
As previously reported, The London Library’s shelf capacity is effectively full, with occupancy in many areas running at 92%- 95%. Space is so tight in places that it is becoming difficult to house and manage the existing bookstock, and we are rapidly running out of room to develop the collection with the new acquisitions that are so fundamental to keeping the Library up-to date. Each year we are adding around 6,000 new books and require 180m of shelf space each year to house these.
A detailed Collections Review was carried out in 2017 helping identify how we might prioritise management of stock and relieve shelf space. With the building at capacity we are now considering removing some material that no longer meets members’ needs, is available online, and is not core to our collection strengths. This includes some bibliographic materials which are now freely available online and for which print subscriptions ceased some time ago; Hansard which is available online, and some foreign, incomplete government publications; and duplicate monographs where we hold two or more copies which we can reduce without content being lost. It is anticipated that we will remove some material during December.
The Collections team in the Library are investigating the route through which some of these materials can best be removed. In some cases, there may be opportunities for sale or donation to other libraries/collections/book dealers; in others, where none of these options are viable or the condition of the books is too poor to warrant sale, disposal by recycling may be required.
Staff in the Issue Hall will be able to assist anyone in using electronic alternatives.
None of the decisions about reorganising our collection are being taken lightly but by freeing up shelf space we can continue to develop the Library’s outstanding collection and ensure it is housed and managed appropriately.
London Library Remote Access Membership
Apply now and get 15% off our great online offer!*
Remote Access membership is perfect for anyone that would like full access to the London Library's online resources and postal loan service. And with so many of us working from home at the moment it’s an ideal way of exploring a world class collection of reading and research material.
Our extensive online resources bring together millions of pages from thousands of journals, periodicals, newspapers and databases. They comprise over 25,000 fully searchable information sources.
Just use code 15Remote at checkout on our website before midnight on 15 May. With this offer, Remote Access membership costs around £20 a month, or £220 when paying by annual Direct Debit.
Our Online Resources
Academic resources
Through JSTOR you can access a huge digital library of academic journals, books, primary sources and periodicals. London Library membership provides free access to most of JSTOR's content, which subscribed to separately normally costs around £200 per annum.
Members also have access to a vast collection of historic research material through hundreds of publications including The Bibliography of British and Irish History, British History Online, the Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913, the Survey of London and The British Newspaper Archive, plus much more.
Newspaper archives and historic publications
As a London Library member you’ll be able to use the full digital archives of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, and The Observer, plus the extensive British Newspaper Archive, the 17th-18th Century Burney Newspapers Collection and more!
This enormous range of archival material is perfect for researching from home - whether you’re working on an academic research project, writing a novel or working on your family history.
Our subscriptions to historic publications - such as the Illustrated London News and the Country Life archive - provide a wealth of information, much of it beautifully illustrated, that is ideal for both work and pleasure.
Literary resources
An extensive collection of literary journals and collections is available if you’re looking to stay in touch with the literary world. London Library membership gives access to titles such as the complete archive of The London Review of Books, New York Review of Books, English Poetry, The Complete Prose of T S Eliot archive, Early English Books Online and many more.
Art
Our online art resources offer a wealth of material for art researchers and art historians. As well as access to all of the art journals available through JSTOR we also provide use of the International Bibliography of Art, Oxford Art Online and more.
Languages
The London Library’s language collection is extensive. Membership gives access to European language newspapers and publications such as Die Zeit/Literatur book reviews and Gallica: The digital library of the national library of France. We also offer Russian literature, language, history and art publications.
Online Research support
While our building is closed our Member Services team is on hand to help you get the most out of using our online services and to provide enquiry and research services by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Such help may include:
- Helping you identify sources and journal articles in the e-Library relevant to your research or interest
- Guidance on how to use the online resources if you have not used them greatly before and would like assistance on how best to approach your research.
Our Book Collection and Postal Loans
Our online resources are complemented by a book collection of extraordinary range and depth. The London Library has over one million books dating from 1700 to the present day, almost all of which can be borrowed when the Library building re-opens.
We have now resumed our postal loans service - you can continue borrowing books by ordering them online and we will then post them to you free of charge. We would normally charge for packing and postage but we have, for now, decided to waive those charges. We have also decided to extend every member’s existing borrowing limit by five books for the duration of the current Library closure, again, free of charge.
Until further notice members are asked to avoid posting books back to us or putting them through the letterbox in the front door.
Special Offer
Join before midnight on 30 April and get 15% off Remote Access membership!* Just use code 15Remote at checkout on our website.
With this offer, Remote Access membership costs around £20 a month, or £220 when paying by annual Direct Debit.
Join online today and become a member of one of the world’s great literary institutions
Newsletter
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You can opt-out of most communications or the ways in which we process your data by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For full details of how we collect, store, use and protect your data, see our Privacy Policy at www.londonlibrary.co.uk/privacypolicy.
*Valid for new members in their first year of membership. See all terms and conditions here.
Those of you who enter the Library via our Mason's Yard entrance will have seen the bumper crop of books on display in the window over the last year. The window regularly features books that have been written by London Library members and is a great way for us to demonstrate the wide variety of work being produced on site.
Currently on display is:
Stephen Hoare, Palaces of Power
William Dalrymple, Anarchy
Jessica Douglas-Home, William Simmonds
Duncan Hamilton, Great romantic
Thomas Grant, Court Number One
Lucasta Miller, L. E. L.
Andrew Lownie, The Mountbattens
Anne de Courcy, Chanel's Riviera
Charles More, From Arromanches to the Elbe
Richard Dove, Uneven Song
James Bartos, Geometry of Beauty
Robert Harris, Second Sleep
Patrick Bishop, Man who was Saturday
D J Taylor, Lost Girls
A N Wilson, Prince Albert
Jack Straw, English Job
Sara Wheeler, Mud and Stars
Max Hastings, Chastise
Daisy Dunn, In the Shadow of Vesuvius
Harriet Evans, Garden of Lost and Found
Victoria Hislop, Those who are Loved
Susan Ronald, Conde Nast
Philippa Gregory, Tidelands
Dan Jones, Crusaders
Bringing light to the stacks
Thank you to all who donated to the ‘Bring Light to the Stacks’ appeal, which raised over £90,000 towards the installation of an energy-efficient LED lighting system in the book stacks. Work on the 'Bring Light to the Stacks' project is progressing well – with positive user feedback to a trial test installation of LED fittings with sensors in two aisles within the Back Stacks. The next steps will be to select the light fittings that best fit the spaces and install up to 1,000 lights throughout the bookstacks.
Once installed, the planned lighting system will:
- Protect the book collection from damage from UV light and heat
- Greatly improve the everyday experience of using the stacks
- Significantly reduce the Library’s energy consumption
Library Fund Past Projects - Enhancing enjoyment and use of the Library
How people use the Library is at the heart of what makes it a special institution. And while there are many reasons to love the Library, there are also small improvements that could enhance how people experience its buildings and collections that are beyond the capabilities of the Library’s operating budget.
The Library Fund is an annual fundraising appeal focused on improving the Library in ways that directly impact its users. Supporters of The Library Fund help improve the Library’s collections, services and spaces to enhance enjoyment of the Library.
The 2020/21 Library Fund raised money to support the Library’s COVID-19 response, while the first Library Fund, in 2019/20, focused on some ageing toilet facilities. An earlier appeal in 2018 to replace some severely damaged windows inspired the Library Fund’s creation. The 2021/22 Library Fund is raising money to install an energy-efficient lighting system in the bookstacks.
2020/21 Supporting our COVID-19 response
A truly fantastic response from donors raised a total of £208,424 for the 2020/21 Library Fund. The extraordinary response from donors meant The Library Fund met over 90% of the Library's direct COVID-19 costs, estimated at £228,000. This alleviated much of the direct financial impact of the pandemic and, crucially, limits the knock-on effect to the Library's ongoing efforts to reduce the operating deficit and ensure its financial sustainability.
Our Library Fund infographic presents some interesting facts and figures about the Library’s COVID-19 response and donors’ support for The Library Fund (click to view full size).
2019/20 Refurbishing the red staircase toilets
The inaugural Library Fund campaign raised nearly £70,000 to refurbish the Library’s red staircase toilets. That refurbishment work was due to take place during summer 2020 and, while this ultimately wasn't possible due to the COVID-19 crisis, the funds are reserved with a view to the refurbishment happening in the summer of 2021.
Thank you to the record number of donors who combined to make the planned refurbishment possible. Work on the Red Staircase Toilets will begin in October 2021.
Other projects
2018 The St James’s Building Windows Appeal
The 2018 Windows Appeal raised over £100,000 to replace severely damaged windows on one side of the Library’s St James’s Building. The replacement of the windows alongside some decoration work and book moves greatly improved the environment and comfort in this part of the building, and the success of the appeal enabled us to buy new desks, creating 10 wonderful new working spaces for Library users.
The response from Library members to the appeal, and the support donors gave to the work to improve how they use the building, directly inspired the creation of The Library Fund.
