The Kusuma Gallery has been ‘highly commended’ in the SCONUL Library Design Awards 2025, open to projects completed between 1st January 2018 and 31st December 2023.
The Award showcases and celebrates the very best in recent UK and Ireland academic library design and we are delighted to have been recognised amongst such a strong field. The Kusuma Gallery was chosen as “the V&A’s approach was innovative, with space that was well integrated with the museum, linking back to exhibitions and events” (SCONUL press release, 19.11.25).
The Library Design Awards Panel is chaired by Dr Judith Keene, Director of Library Services, University of Worcester, who said: ‘It has been inspirational to learn of the wide range of activity in the sector that is demonstrating creativity, innovation and leadership in the face of the challenging times we are going through. On visiting the shortlisted institutions the judging panel engaged with teams who were uniformly passionate about providing excellent services and spaces to their users. I have been honoured meet them and to chair the awards.’
The Kusuma Gallery houses the 20,000 strong library of the Royal Photographic Society, received by the V&A in 2017. The books are visibly shelved alongside a changing display of photobooks, periodicals and other items from the V&A and RPS collections. The Kusuma Gallery aims to raise the profile of both the collection and the connection between photography and the book. The books are all available to request on the National Art Library’s catalogue and are viewed in the NAL’s reading rooms. It also features a browsing library, currently curated by Sofia Coppola, which you can sit and enjoy in the Gallery space.
The V&A worked with architects Gibson Thornley to design the Kusuma Gallery as part of the development of Phase Two of the Photography Centre, which opened in May 2023.
