National Art Library: requesting material

Most of our items are held in store rather than on open access and need to be requested. To view material in the National Art Library Reading Rooms you must order most items via the Library catalogue.

You can order items when you are in our Reading Rooms, or in advance of a visit, either online or by contacting us for items that cannot be ordered online. We recommend that you order in advance so that you can make the best use of your time in the Library.

Some collection items are indicated as unavailable for online requesting and you will need to contact us for assistance:

• Periodicals need to be requested on paper request forms, either in advance or in the reading rooms
• Certain highly restricted items require a written recommendation and appointment
• Blythe House material requires an appointment in advance
• Prints & Drawings Study Room material cannot be ordered in advance

Ordering items in advance using the Library Catalogue

New readers must register online for a Reader Ticket before you can place requests online; click on the New User button for a web form.

Readers can request items in advance of visits by logging onto the Library Catalogue. Please consult the Help Sheet (PDF File, 162.0 KB) for full instructions on ordering material online.

• Delivery times may vary; items in the Crypt Store and Departmental Libraries will take longer to retrieve than general collection material (see Retrieval times below); some Special Collection items will only be retrieved once you are in the Library. Requests for Special Collections made after 15.30 will not be available until the next working day; ‘Crypt Store’ items ordered after 15.30 will not be available until 12.00 the next working day.
• Any items ordered after the last collection from the stores at 16.30 will not be available until approximately 11.30 the following day.
• Items will be reserved for you for 3 working days. Do not order material in advance of 3 working days before your intended visit.
• You may order up to 6 items at a time.
• You can check the status of the items you have ordered within the catalogue. If the status has changed from Available to Reading Room the item is ready for collection from the Library Counter or Invigilation Desk. (Tip: When logged in to your account on the catalogue, use ‘My List’ to keep a note of your requested items).
  

Contact us to order items in advance

Where an item is NOT available for online request, please contact us by telephone or email to order items on your behalf, or to make an appointment  where necessary.

Periodicals requests:

We require the following information to process your requests:

• Your name
• Your reader ticket number
• Date material is required
• Full details of the item(s) (including periodical title, volume/issue number and date)
• Pressmark (you will find this in the catalogue record)

We do not send automatic responses for periodicals orders by email although we will contact you if we forsee any problems with your request.

Access to collections by appointment only:

• Blythe House (Archive of Art and Design)
  Tel: +44 (0)20 7603 7493 or contact us online
• Blythe House (Renier Collection of Children’s Publications)
  Tel: +44 (0)20 7602 0281 ext. 212 or contact us online
• Blythe House (Theatre & performance)
  Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2698, email: tmenquiries@vam.ac.uk

In addition, most illuminated manuscripts and some artists books are not normally made available without a written recommendation received and acknowledged by us. Please contact us in advance if you require access to this material.

Contact details

Information Services Enquiries
National Art Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
London SW7 2RL
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)207 942 2400 between 10.00 and 17.30, Tuesday to Friday or contact us online

Ordering items in the Reading Rooms

You can order items from within the Reading Rooms, for the same day or for a future date, by logging onto the Library Catalogue. If ordering for the same day, please note the Retrieval times below as this will affect how long you will have to wait to view the items you have ordered. Remember to logout when you have finished making requests.

Periodicals cannot be requested online and should be ordered using the blue request forms available at the Library Counter.

Please visit the Prints & Drawings Study Room to view items with that location in the Library catalogue. There is no need to make an appointment; items cannot be ordered in advance and will be retrieved on demand once you are in the Prints & Drawings Study Room.

Retrieval times

Library staff retrieve material from the book stacks at the times indicated below. Books are usually ready for collection between 20 minutes to one hour after the stated retrieval time. Please note however that you may need to wait up to 2 hours 30 minutes for delivery of material from the Crypt Stores depending on when you order.

General stores

• 10.30
• 11.30
• 12.30
• 13.30
• 14.30
• 15.30 (last requests for Special Collection material for same day material)
• 16.30 (last requests for Special Collection material for same day material)

Crypt store

• 11.30
• 13.30
• 15.30

Departmental Libraries

• 2 working days notice required