This month we turn our attention to the art libraries of Jisc Library Hub Discover and what an amazing collection we have! From university campus libraries to national galleries, specialist art colleges and internationally renowned institutions – the art libraries of Jisc Library Hub are astoundingly impressive. Art History, sculpture, fine and decorative arts, portraits, exhibitions and so much more – find out all about the incredible libraries that contribute to our service.
Glasgow School of Art – Glasgow School of Art Library has one of the finest art, design and architecture collections in the UK and is one of Europe’s leading University-level institutions for the visual creative disciplines. Founded in 1845, it is a small specialist institution offering undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes across art, design, architecture, and digital design. Its lending library has been collecting material since its foundation, and today holds a collection of around 80,000 volumes, principally focusing on contemporary creative practice. By providing access to high quality information resources and services, the library plays a pivotal role in the institution. The library has also designed its own award-winning portfolio of easy-to-follow interactive modules in information, study and research skills specifically designed for creative practitioners – InfosmART. You can also explore the library’s archives and collections and view online images of their collections. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
University of the Arts – As one of the top-rated institutions in the world for art and design, University of the Arts London consists of six colleges, each with their own library. The collections include over 500,000 printed items, including books, exhibition catalogues and a number of archive collections. Other material includes over 17,000 electronic books, 60,000 electronic journals and almost 200 online databases. The Archives and Special Collection Centre, based at London College of Communication holds collections dedicated to renowned graphic artists, filmmakers and designers. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Library – Providing scholars and research students with the opportunity to study British Art and Architecture, the library at the Paul Mellon Centre has an impressive collection from the Middle ages to the present day. Comprising of almost 26,000 books, pamphlets, exhibition catalogues and theses, the library collection provides a wealth of information to assist with research into British Art including British painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, decorative arts, architecture and garden history. The collections on British artists and architects, the British and Irish country house and the eighteenth-century Grand Tour are particularly strong. The library also collects monographs, biographies and catalogues raisonnés on artists, as well as catalogues of public and private collections. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Courtauld Institute of Art – The Courtauld is an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history and a major public gallery. Providing access to a significant art historical collection, the library is one of the major international research collections of art historical books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues in the country, numbering some 200,000 volumes. The Library also has a special collections department which comprises of a number of bequests from individuals associated with the Institute, and a general collection of rare and fragile materials. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
National Gallery Library – Established in 1870, the library contains over 100,000 printed volumes relevant to the study of the history of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the early 20th century. Holdings include a wealth of material including monographs, catalogues raisonnés, exhibition catalogues, and pamphlets as well as works on iconography. The library is also home to a significant collection of early guidebooks and a fine collection of publications relating to private collections in this country and abroad. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Royal Academy of Arts – The Royal Academy of Arts Library is the oldest institutional fine arts library in the UK, established at the time of the Royal Academy’s foundation in 1768. The library has built up significant collections of books and other material relating to British art and the history of the Royal Academy, its Members, Schools, exhibitions and collections since the mid-18th century. The library has a British Art Reference Collection containing monographs, exhibition catalogues and reference books, a Historic Collection with volumes published before 1920 and an Illustrated Book Collection. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Wallace Collection Library – The Wallace Collection Library and Archives reflect the collections and history of the Museum and its founders. With material on a wide range of subject areas including French 17th and 18th century decorative arts, European sculpture from the Renaissance to the 18th century, Medieval and Renaissance decorative arts, Portrait miniatures and many more. The Wallace Collection Library is part of the Senate House Libraries at the University of London. The library showcases many highlights online with detailed descriptions of their art collections. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Sainsbury Institute for the study of Japanese arts and culture – The Lisa Sainsbury Library is one of the most comprehensive reference libraries for the study of Japanese art history and archaeology. Its collection covers major aspects of Japanese arts, cultures, archaeology, cultural heritage and architecture from general introductory level books to advanced study reference materials. The Library holds over 45,000 books dated from the 17th century to the present, and journals, exhibition catalogues and over 100 items of old maps, prints and other materials. In addition to the contemporary materials, the Lisa Sainsbury Library also houses some special collections. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Tate Britain – Tate Library, located at Tate Britain, is a centre of excellence for art historical research, covering British art since 1500 and international art since 1900. As well as a wide selection of books, printed journals and electronic resources about art and artists, the library has a pre-eminent collection of exhibition catalogues dating from the late 19th century to recent contemporary shows. Tate Library also has a collection of 6500 artists’ books which date from the 1960s to the present day. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Victoria and Albert Museum libraries- The National Art Library holds one of the UK’s most comprehensive collections of literature on the fine and decorative arts, including books, manuscripts, journals, exhibition catalogues, auction house sales catalogues, comics, e-resources and much more. The Library holds around one million books on subjects central to the V&A collections including prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, ceramics and glass, textiles and fashion, furniture, design, metalwork and sculpture. The library showcases developments, collections, displays and research projects on the library’s blog. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
National Portrait Gallery Library – Supporting research in British portraiture, history and biography, the Heinz Archive and Library has been collecting materials since the founding of the Gallery in 1856. Now holding approximately 35,000 books and exhibition catalogues as well as periodical titles, a collection of rare books and a small number of theses and dissertations, the library forms a vital part of the Gallery. Additionally, the Library also holds a complete set of Gallery publications, including catalogues of the Gallery’s Collections and exhibitions, and materials contributing to the understanding of British portraiture. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
Henry Moore Institute – The Henry Moore Institute Research Library is a specialist resource for the study of sculpture with the aim to provide unparalleled access to material on modern and contemporary British sculpture. The library specialises in British sculpture post-1850, with collections spanning international and historical contexts, taking in monographs, exhibition catalogues and themed publications. The library holds around 20,000 titles, including rare publications, artists’ books, ephemera and a unique and growing audio-visual collection. Their significant collection of rare books and journals include hand-produced artists books and important early works on the history of sculpture, dating from 19th century to present day. Rare catalogues from influential and ground-breaking exhibitions from the 1960s and 1970s sit alongside artists’ books and early publications on the history of sculpture. Find out more about the library and explore on Discover.
More information
- View full list of Discover libraries, with details of their collections
- Watch our introductory video on using Discover
- Find out how to conduct basic and advanced searches
- Follow us on Twitter @JiscLibraryHub
