Welcome

Welcome to the Science Museum Library & Archives, a major research library for the history and public understanding of the physical sciences and the branches of engineering, operated by the Science Museum and available to the public with a minimum of formality. The Library is now based over two sites, in London and Swindon, with complementary collections. The Archives collection is also based in the Swindon facility.

Although the emphasis is on the physical sciences, transport and engineering we also have significant collections on the scientific exploration of the natural world, including natural history and the science of life, cartography, oceanography and the earth sciences, astronomy and cosmology, and on the application of science and technology to human life, including public health and medical technology, agriculture and domestic technology.

At our new Library and Archives facility in Swindon you can consult our collections of original scientific and technical books and journals, documenting the development of science and technology through the ages. As well as the nineteenth and twentieth century books and journals, the printed literature collections include rare scientific and technical books dating from 1486 onwards, early science journals from the major societies and academies of Europe and America, plus historic British patents, manufacturers' trade catalogues and other special collections.

Amongst our fascinating collection of manuscript letters, personal papers, business records and technical drawings in the Archives collection are well-known names such as Barnes Wallis and Charles Babbage. 
 
In London you can consult a world class collection on the history, biography and social context of science and technology, which is made available alongside the Science Museum in South Kensington. Here you will find works on the development of the sciences, exciting tales of discovery and invention, the histories of well-known companies and organisations, and one of the best collections of biographies of scientists and engineers in the world.

We welcome researchers to use the library and archives for reference, including the general public and private researchers; academics and students; curators, collectors and dealers; enthusiasts, restorers; family and local history researchers. We can provide advice and guidance for your research, and help in using our collections, and will answer enquiries requiring a limited period of research.