Housed within the V&A Museum is a vast collection of art and design books dating back centuries. You must register in order to use the library but anyone can join. It then works on a basis where you find a book using the computer database, order it and then 20 minutes later it will be brought to you by a librarian. You cannot take books out of the library but you can ask to use the same books again the following day.
I originally went to the National Art Library in search of books on contemporary textile designers, I had little luck with this. However, for history of art purposes I have found the library immensely helpful. The library is usually very quiet and has a limited capacity making it an easy and pleasant to work in. read more