Accessing Kew's Library and Archives
Members of the public can visit the Reading Room to use reference books and journals.
The Library & Archives Reading Room is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10.00am – 4.00pm for pre-booked appointments only. We require at least one week’s notice and there is a daily limit to admissions.
Many of our collections are accessible remotely – see below for further information.
Access to Digitised Collections
- Visit Art UK to browse a selection of our artworks and illustrations.
- Consult a range of published books from our special collections via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- The Joseph Hooker Correspondence Project is digitising the personal and scientific correspondence of the 19th century botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker. Access the transcriptions and digital images of Joseph Hooker’s letters.
- JSTOR Plant Science provides digital access to some series in Kew’s historical Director’s Correspondence Archive Collections (1809-1928).
Members of the public are welcome to visit our Reading Room.
We are open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10.00am – 4.00pm for pre-booked appointments only. We require at least one week’s notice and there is a daily limit to admissions. There is normally no admittance to the library collections themselves.
To see specific items, you need to make an appointment by email, letter or fax to the relevant address below. On arrival, you will be asked to show photographic ID and proof of address.
There are three types of collection and each has their own team to care for them and to contact for appointments.
The Library contains information on the naming, classification and uses of plants, plant ecology and conservation, and wild plants of the world.
The Illustrations and Artefact Collections are a world-renowned resource for botanical illustration forming an exceptional visual record for species of plants and fungi.
The Archive Collection contains the official records of the RBG Kew and includes the personal papers of many botanists, gardeners and other individuals including Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker and Marianne North.
Find out how to get to Kew or the library at Wakehurst:
How to access the Library
Online
Search Kew’s Library Catalogue.
To arrange a visit
We are open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10.00am – 4.00pm for pre-booked appointments only. We require at least one week’s notice and there is a daily limit to admissions.
Library & Archives
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
TW9 3AE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5414
Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5430
Email: library@kew.org
To arrange a visit to Wakehurst
Reference material on seeds, plant physiology, seed storage and seed germination is held in the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Library at Wakehurst in West Sussex.
This Library will answer enquiries on seeds and is open to bona fide researchers: appointments must always be made in advance.
Contact the MSB Library
Librarian & Information Officer
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Wakehurst
Ardingly
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6TN
Tel: +44 (0)1444 894178
Fax: +44 (0)1444 894110
Email: msblib@kew.org
How to access Illustrations and Artefacts
Online
We do not have a catalogue of the Art collection, instead please contact illus@kew.org.
To arrange a visit
If you wish to see items from our Illustrations & Artefacts collections, please give at least one week's notice.
The Illustrations Team
Library, Art & Archives
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
TW9 3AE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5429
Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5430
Email: illus@kew.org
How to access the Archives Collections
Online
Search the online Archive Catalogue.
To arrange a visit
If you need to visit the Archives to consult original material, it is best to make an appointment so that we can locate and prepare items ahead of your arrival.
The Archives
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond
TW9 3AE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5417
Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5430
Email: archives@kew.org
Copying services
A copyright declaration form must be completed, which is kept by us. Visitors to the Reading Room can make their own copies with a smartphone or digital camera (no flash lighting).
We can supply digital scans of most two-dimensional items in our collections, subject to the following restrictions: items covered by copyright legislation (no more than 5% from a book, no more than one article from a single issue of a periodical), if the item is too large or its format is inappropriate for scanning, is in poor condition or is too tightly bound.
We can also supply paper photocopies from Library collections (post-1801 only).
How to request copying services
Visitors to the library can complete a paper form from the information desk in the Reading Room.
To request copies remotely, please email library@kew.org and we will send you a quote for the total cost, with a copyright form to complete and return before we make the copies. Upon receipt of payment, we will send you the copies via email or post. We accept cheques (in Pounds Sterling), or payment by card can be made securely online.
Charges
£8.00 for the first 10 images or sheets then 50 pence per additional image or sheet plus VAT (if applicable) (plus postage & packing if applicable). Copying for further reproduction in other media may be charged at a separate rate.
External loans
Regrettably, we are not able to loan library items to other libraries.
