Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art library holds a number of archives and collections of rare books. These became a discrete service area with the addition of purpose-built storage facilities in 1996 and dedicated staffing in 2004. Archives and other rare or unique materials are used to support interdisciplinary research at the RCA and among the wider research community. Additional material is acquired where resources allow, and, usually, where there is a clear link between the collections and the College’s life, work and history.
The repository represents the life and work of the Royal College of Art from 1896, including activities of its staff and students, but has a particular strength from the 1950s onwards. Its pictorial record of student work is substantial; it forms a unique visual record of art and design history and education in the second half of the 20th century and beyond.
About 50 per cent of the RCA’s special collections will be made available on the Archives Hub. Some acquisitions not yet included require more detailed cataloguing, or are relatively minor. Some special collections consist almost entirely of printed material, most notably the Colour Reference Library, and are not archival collections.
Contact: Neil Parkinson, Special Collections Manager
Telephone: 020 7590 4234
Email: special-collections@rca.ac.uk Web: www.rca.ac.uk
