What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 8:45pm Tuesday 9am - 8:45pm Wednesday 9am - 8:45pm Thursday 9am - 8:45pm Friday 9am - 6:15pm

Senate House Library

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Senate House Library

We are the University of London's central library and the home library for the School of Advanced Study.
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Senate House Library is a world-class academic research Library, located in Bloomsbury, Central London. It is the central library for the University of London and the School of Advanced Study. The library houses and cares for more than 2 million books and 1,200 archival collections, it is one of the UK’s largest academic libraries focused on the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It holds a we

alth of primary source material from the medieval period to the modern age. As well as being a research and academic library it holds regular exhibitions and events open to the public.

28/08/2026

Senate House Library will be closed from Saturday 29 August to Monday 31 August for the bank holiday weekend. The library will reopen on Tuesday 1 September, where normal operating hours will resume.

Wishing you all a happy bank holiday weekend!

20/08/2026

Summertime at Senate House 😎

14/08/2026

Andrea Carboni (SHL, Durham) is hosting a show & tell event to discuss q***r bibliographies and genres.

The books under consideration will be available to see and discuss.
From Fritz Peters’ ‘Finistere’ to Samuel Delany’s ‘The Motion of Light in Water’, this public session explores Jonathan Cutbill’s personal collection, questions about growing up gay in the second half of the twentieth century, and the debunking of myths of adulthood in gay literature.

Join us to discover more about this selection and the Haud Nominandum Collection.

The event will only be available in person. Book at the link in our bio 📲

11/08/2026

🐝 A hive hidden in plain sight…

What can a 400-year-old book about bees tell us about politics, music and the people who owned it?

The Feminine Monarchie (1623) by Charles Butler, held at Senate House Library, is much more than an early guide to beekeeping. Butler saw the beehive as a model for society — led by a queen and governed by order, diligence and hard work.

The book even includes Melissomelos, a musical composition inspired by the sound of a queen bee. 🎶🐝

But perhaps most fascinating are the traces left by the book’s owners: handwritten inscriptions, bookplates and evidence of its changing bindings reveal a story that stretches across centuries.

A remarkable example of how historic books can tell us as much about the people who used them as the words printed on their pages. 📚

Discover more about The Feminine Monarchie and its hidden stories at Senate House Library.

05/08/2026

Explore our new book display in the Catalogue Hall, featuring life stories - autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies. All the books can be borrowed by SHL members!

24/07/2026

📚 Join us online as we rediscover the work of James Purdy – one of the most influential yet overlooked voices in 20th-century American literature.

In this free online talk, Michael Bronski (Harvard University) and Andrea Carboni Monesi (Senate House Library, Durham) will explore Purdy’s distinctive writing, his impact on q***r and experimental literature, and his works held in the Haud Nominandum Collection.

📅 Friday 31 July
🕑 2–3pm (BST)
💻 Online (booking required)

The event includes a 20-minute Q&A, with joining details shared before the session.

Book your free place via the link in our bio.

22/07/2026

If you haven’t been to see our exhibition The English Print Revolution: Caxton and Beyond, this is your 24 hour warning! After such a brilliant run the exhibition closes tomorrow, Thursday 23 July, so don’t wait around, get down to Senate House Library while you still can!

17/07/2026

🏙️ What does it mean to have a place to call home?

This winter, discover A Place to Call Home: Poverty and Housing in London, a new exhibition at Senate House Library exploring 200 years of London’s housing history through rare books, pamphlets, photography, Charles Booth’s famous poverty maps and powerful personal stories.

From Victorian London to today’s housing challenges, the exhibition reveals how communities, campaigners and ordinary Londoners have shaped the city we know today.

📍 Opening this winter at Senate House Library. We look forward to welcoming you.

13/07/2026

Caxton wasn’t a perfect printer, so we don’t have to be either. Our Printer in Residence .l.drake talks us through the workshop she recently hosted with Senate House Library and the work that’s been created in response to the exhibition.

The English Print Revolution: Caxton and Beyond runs until 23 July and is absolutely free to view, so come and see us and make sure you don’t miss out!

03/07/2026

Explore our new book display in the Catalogue Hall, featuring books that celebrate London—its people, communities, history and hidden stories. From guides to landmarks linked to Black history and women commemorated by blue plaques, to literature, historical events and places that have disappeared, there’s something for every curious reader.
Borrow a book, get inspired, and discover more of London this summer. 🌞📖
The display is available until the end of July.

Address

Senate House Malet Street
London
WC1E7HU

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8:45pm
Tuesday	9am - 8:45pm
Wednesday	9am - 8:45pm
Thursday	9am - 8:45pm
Friday	9am - 6:15pm

Website

http://London.ac.uk/senate-house-library

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