From traditional print collections to cutting-edge digital resources, engineering and technical libraries have adapted to meet the changing needs of their users. They provide access to specialised databases, technical standards, and the latest research publications, ensuring that professionals have the tools they need to stay at the forefront of their fields. Furthermore, these libraries often offer a range of services, including research assistance, workshops, and collaborative spaces, fostering an environment of academic and professional growth and innovation.
We will explore the various resources they offer and highlight some of the most renowned engineering and technical libraries in the UK, and look at how to explore their collections on Library Hub Discover.
Energy Institute
The Energy Institute Library holds an extensive collection of material on the energy industries, ranging from oil exploration to petrol retailing, nuclear energy to renewables, technical to business, and dating from the mid-19th century to the present day. If you wish to visit, it is advisable to contact the library in advance.
Institution on Materials, Minerals & Mining
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK science and engineering institution. IOM3 supports professionals in materials, minerals, mining and associated technical disciplines. Their activities promote and develop all aspects of the Materials Cycle, from exploration and extraction, to characterization, processing and application, to product recycling, repurposing and reuse.
The Library is considered to be a major member benefit and a significant UK, if not worldwide, collection. Based at Grantham, it houses several collections, many historic, including books, conferences, journals, reference works, reports and maps. Subjects covered are ceramics, composites, materials science and engineering, metals, minerals and mining, packaging, polymers and wood. If you wish to arrange a visit, please contact the library.
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers was founded in 1818 by a small group of idealistic young men and was granted a royal charter in 1828. With over 130,000 titles, including major conference series and over 900 periodical titles, the ICE Library is the largest single resource in Civil Engineering in the world.
The ICE archives contain records relating to the ICE from its formation to the present, as well as records relating to prominent engineers of the past, including James Brindley, John Smeaton, Thomas Telford and The Rennies; and engineering wonders like Marc Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge, the Forth Railway Bridge, and the Panama Canal. Please contact the library for details about visiting.
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Library
The Institution of Engineering and Technology
The Institution of Engineering and Technology was formed in 2006 by the joining together of the IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) and the IIE (Institution of Incorporated Engineers). Its history can be traced back to 1871. The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168,000 members in 150 countries.
The Library’s specialist engineering-related collection has over 70,000 books, pamphlets and journals covering a wide range of disciplines, to reflect the increasingly diverse nature of engineering in the 21st century. To arrange a tour or visit, please contact the library.
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Founded in 1847, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers is an independent professional body and learned society. It strives to improve the world through engineering by developing engineers, promoting engineering, informing opinion and encouraging innovation.
The Institution’s library collection has evolved throughout its life to become one of the strongest specialist engineering libraries in the UK, holding unparalleled collections relating to mechanical engineering. These range from extensive scarce nineteenth- and early twentieth-century works to current reference works and British Standards. The Library’s collections are particularly strong in landmark engineering reports, journals and conference proceedings (IMechE, CIMAC, FISITA), which are difficult to locate elsewhere. To visit, please contact the library to make an appointment.
Institution of Structural Engineers
The library contains the only UK specialist collection on structural engineering and its related disciplines: primarily text books from the late 1880s to the present, with a separate Historical Collection of books dating back to the 1700s.
A particular strength is the collection of current and superseded British Standards and Codes of Practice relating to structural engineering. The reports collection includes trade literature – an important resource for understanding the materials, methods and systems used in the construction of much of the nation’s built infrastructure and for those working on its maintenance and upgrading. The collection currently consists of c13,500 books, c14,000 reports and c5,000 standards. To visit, please contact the library to make an appointment.
The Institution of Structural Engineers Library
How to browse a library’s records in Library Hub Discover
On the Library Hub Discover Search page, click on the ‘Libraries list’ link for a list of contributing libraries.
Scroll through the list of libraries and click on the name of the library collection you wish to browse. At the bottom of the library’s information page, click on the ‘Browse all of their records in Library Hub Discover using Discover search’ link.
This will display the records for resources held by that Library.
More information on Library Hub Discover:
- Visit Library Hub Discover
- Find out how to conduct basic and advanced searches
- View full list of Discover libraries, with details of their collections
- Join our mailing list: to receive updates about Library Hub Discover – visit Jiscmail to sign up
This post was written and edited with the assistance of Microsoft CoPilot
