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 wealth 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.

13/09/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for the Senate House Library tour at Open House 2026 this weekend!

We loved meeting everyone and hope to see you again soon 📚🏢

11/09/2026

This week Dr Karen Attar from Senate House Library and Dr Michael Durrant from the Institute of English Studies, SAS delivered a lecture on Caxton and the lasting impact of the printing press at St Margaret’s Church beside Westminster Abbey.

Together they explored how Caxton brought printing to England, its commercial potential, and how the technology transformed the spread of news, academic knowledge and ideas.

Around 120 people attended the talk, with many staying afterwards to continue the conversation and ask questions.

The lecture followed the success of the Senate House Library exhibition The English Print Revolution: Caxton and Beyond, curated by Dr Attar and Dr Durrant.

08/09/2026

A new month means a new display of books to borrow in our Catalogue Hall!

This month’s display focuses on our Senate House Library staff’s list of favourite books which we have compiled in response to the Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels of all time.

Our list includes fiction and non-fiction. Why not have a browse next time you visit the Library and see if any of your favourite books have made our list?

07/09/2026

Join the 2026 Friends of Senate House Library Fellows at an in-conversation event hosted by Professor Clare Lees, Director of the Institute of English Studies and Chair of the Friends of Senate House Library.

The three Fellows will be discussing their recent research as part of the Fellowship programme, the impact of the Fellowship and the next steps for their research.

There will also be information available about how to apply for the 2027 programme. Booking is free but essential:

📅 Monday 14 September
🕓 4pm
📍 Online

Book at the link in our bio!

04/09/2026

Join Senate House Library for an online conversation exploring the work of Samuel Steward, a cult figure of mid-century q***r culture and author of the Phil Andros books.

Andrea Carboni and Professor Michael Bronski will explore the politics of q***r pulp, iconic cover art, identity, desire and q***r self-fashioning, focusing on three works held in the Haud Nominandum Collection at Senate House Library.

📅 21 September 2026
🕑 2–3pm BST
💻 Online
🎟️ Free — registration required

Discover more about Steward’s work and his place in q***r literary history. Book your ticket at the link in our bio 📲

02/09/2026

Do you know this place?

Lottie Reizenstein was a Jewish artist and designer, born in Nuremberg in 1904. Along with her brother, Franz, and mother, Lina, she fled N**i persecution in 1936 (Lina escaped in 1939) and settled in the Hampstead, North-West London.

Franz Reizenstein was able to continue his career as a successful composer and concert pianist, whilst Lottie sold and exhibited her paintings, alongside being an art tutor and designing for various companies. She was a member of the Artist’s International Association, the Hampstead Artist’s Council, and the Council of Industrial Design.

Many of Lottie’s paintings depict landscapes from places she visited after her exile. The gouache painting shown on the first slide will feel familiar to anyone who has visited Hampstead Village, where she lived. Its warm tones, the tree-lined square, and orange-brick walls capture the character of the area, with similar scenes visible throughout the neighbourhood.

However, the exact location of the scene is unknown, and we would love to know if anyone recognises the street corner! Lottie Reizenstein lived around NW6 and NW3 from 1936 until her death in 1982. Please comment below if you think you know!

The Lottie Reizenstein Collection is currently being catalogued at the Senate House Library and will be available to access by the end of the year.

01/09/2026

We were delighted to receive Hands in the Text, a new work created by Senate House Library’s Printer in Residence, Becca Drake , in response to our recent exhibition, The English Print Revolution: Caxton and Beyond.

The newly printed work will now become part of the Senate House Library collections, preserving Becca’s creative interpretation of the exhibition for future readers and researchers.

Hands in the Text invites readers to explore its pages in whatever order they choose, offering an open and engaging way to encounter the work.

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 📲

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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