LibGuides: Architecture & History of Art: Home

The AHA Library Reading Rooms

The Architecture Room

This room holds 19th-21st century books on architecture. There is a large antique table with antique smoke room chairs for your use, and a small desk by the windows where you'll find one catalogue search station and one general use computer. Most of the materials in this room are borrowable but you may find a few overnight loans or reference only items due to popularity and being on reading lists.

The History of Art Room

This room is a little smaller than the architecture room, holding 19th-21st century publications on History of Art. There is a slightly smaller antique table with comfortable modern seating. You will also find another two computers in this room, one of which is our NPLD (Non-Print Legal Deposit) computer for consulting ebooks, which are not able to be accessed off-site. The second computer is for general use. Most of the materials in this room are borrowable but you may find a few overnight loans or reference only items due to popularity and being on reading lists.

The Rare Books Room

This room holds most of our rare material in secure antique glass-fronted cupboards for easy browsing. All of our rare books have been catalogued so you should be able to find these materials on iDiscover. If you wish to consult any rare materials please send the iDiscover permalink(s) to library@aha.cam.ac.uk at least 1 day in advance so that we can try to locate your requested title(s) ahead of your visit or provide alternatives.

Visitor information

Registration

All current members of the University are automatically registered to borrow, including staff, affiliated staff, undergraduates, postgraduates and affiliated students.

Academic visitors to the Architecture & Art History (AHA) Faculty may also register to borrow. They should be introduced by a Member of the Faculty or by the Faculty Administrative Staff. All academic visitors need to be resident in Cambridge for at least a month to be able to register to borrow.

Academic visitors to Colleges and other Departments can use the Library only for reference.

Access for visitors

Throughout the year, the following may use the library for reference by appointment:

Graduate students from other UK universities on production of a student card or similar
Cambridge alumni who are not attached to a Faculty or College in the University of Cambridge

During the vacations only, the following may use the library for reference by appointment:

Undergraduates from other UK universities on production of a student card or similar
Graduates and undergraduates from overseas universities. However only on presentation of a letter from their home university addressed to the Faculty Librarian, justifying the need for using the Library
Members of public who have applied in writing to the Librarian, justifying the need for using the Library.

Food and drink (other than bottled water) is not permitted in the reading room and large bags or items can be left in the library lockers located in the central Faculty corridor to avoid trip hazards in our narrow spaces.

Using the Rare Books Room

Faculty members are welcome to use the Rare Books collection for research and studies.

Visitors outside the Faculty are welcome. But we have very limited resources to provide access. Thus, if you do want to look at a specific book in our Rare Books collection that is not available elsewhere, please write to us at least 1 day in advance and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

No food or drink is permitted in the Rare Books room. We do ask you to leave the large bags in the library lockers, and to only use pencils when consulting the rare books. Please familiarise yourself with our Rare Books Good Handling Guide before consulting the rare books.

Access to materials

The library holds a mix of open and closed access materials. Some journals may be offsite at the binders, so please contact us in advance to check availability of these. Access to rare materials must be arranged in advance via email, telephone, or in person.

Accessibility
Step-free access is available by lift from the central faculty corridor. Call ahead for more information so you can plan your visit. If you have any accessibility needs, please let the library staff know and we will be happy to help.

Photography, reprographics and Wi-Fi

Photography of books and periodicals is permitted for the purposes of non-commercial research or private study. As a general rule, you are permitted to photocopy or scan up to 10% or 1 chapter of each book or journal. Please bear in mind that some items may be subject to further copyright limitations.

Photocopiers, scanners and free Wi-Fi are available.

Please talk to a member of library staff or email us if you have a photocopying / scanning request for a book in the Rare Books collection.