January 30, 2008—The British Architectural Library, located at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), has announced that members of the public will be able to access the library completely free of charge starting January 2, 2008.
The largest and most comprehensive resource in Europe for research and information on all aspects of architecture, the British Architectural Library was established in 1834 at the founding of the RIBA. Since that date it has been almost wholly funded by RIBA members.
The British Architectural Library is part of the RIBA Trust—the UK’s national architecture center that focuses on education, public outreach and the role of architecture in culture.
The library collections number close to four million objects: books, periodicals, manuscripts, archives, drawings, photographs, models, paintings, medals and artifacts. Books, periodicals and photographs are located at the RIBA headquarters, 66 Portland Place, London. Drawings and archives are located at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), under the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership.
As part of opening up the collection to the widest possible audience RIBApix was launched in 2006. It is now possible to view up to 16,000 photographs, drawings and etchings online.
For more information on the RIBA and library opening times, see the Web site.
