Since 1992, the Science Museum Library has operated a computerised Online Library Catalogue jointly with Imperial College Libraries.

Library Catalogues

You can start your research by looking in the The Online Library Catalogue which we have shared with Imperial College Libraries since 1992. It already includes a large part of our holdings and we are hoping to recatalogue the remainder into the database over the next few years.

The catalogue is part of the library management system which is used to order books, register library users and manage their loans and other use of the library.  It succeeded the Science Museum Library's own computerised catalogue which had been in operation since 1984.

Unfortunately a certain amount of older material, including many of the books in the printed literature collections at SML Swindon, is not yet on the database, and can only be accessed via the Science Museum Library Card Catalogue at SML London.
Researchers looking for material published before 1984 should always try the online catalogue first, but if unsuccessful should then check in the Card Catalogue, requesting the assistance of library staff if required.

The catalogue contains details of:

  • all Science Museum Library holdings of printed books since 1984, 
  • selected Science Museum Library holdings of printed books from before 1984, notably at SML London, those in the Science &Technology Studies (STS) collection, and at SML Swindon, the Rare Books and selected subject areas from the 19th and 20th centuries,
  • most Science Museum Library Archives Collection holdings, 
  • most Science Museum Library journals, 
  • journal articles on historical topics, in volumes published 1986-2000,

and also

  • all Imperial College Central Library books or monographs,
  • all Imperial College Libraries journals,
  • all Imperial College Departmental Library and Medical School Library holdings including St Mary's Hospital Medical School Library since 1978,

Due to the relocation of 90% of the collections from London to Swindon, we regret that some items may have incorrect locations recorded in the catalogue. Please bear with us while we correct these entries; we apologise for any inconvenience.