Journals, eJournals & online resources

The Library holds many journals related to history. Some of these titles are no longer subscribed to, or are defunct, but the Library retains back issues in its collection. Some titles may be online only or kept off-site. Please check the online catalogue for details of holdings.

The latest issues of periodicals are available for consultation in the Reading Room, with earlier issues bound as volumes and shelved in the basement or off-site, available for loan.

The Library possesses a range of materials published by institutions and learned societies. These society publications are shelved in the Societies section in the basement, under the original name of each issuing institute. These include a significant number of county historical and field archaeological journals, many dating back to the mid-19th century. Some examples are: Cambridge Antiquarian Society Proceedings, London Record Society Publications, English Place-Name Society Journal.

Through the Catalogue, members can view a range of electronic journals – as well as other electronic publications and databases – in the library or remotely. There is also access to JSTOR, an electronic periodicals archive that allows members to access back-runs of over 750 additional periodical titles.

The Library subscribes to a number of important historical databases which can be searched onsite or remotely. An All resources search on the Catalogue will return a wide set of results including book titles, journal articles and database results. One key resource is British History Online, a digital library of major primary and secondary sources, including digitised versions of the Survey of London and the Victoria County Histories. Other important resources include the British Newspaper Archive, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the Illustrated London News.