Library opening hours are 11:00 to 4:30, Monday to Friday.
Members must book in advance to use the Library using our online booking system.
Please refer to the information below the Library Calendar before booking your appointment.
To make a booking:
- Select the Booking Type by clicking the appropriate link in the calendar
- Select the date, then time and click ‘Confirm’ (note: the time displayed is the time the Library opens, not the time you’re expected to arrive)
- Complete your details then click ‘Schedule Event’
- If you don’t receive your booking confirmation, check your junk / spam folder
Library Calendar
| Booking Type | Library Staff Available | Advance Requests Deadline | |
| Mon 18 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Remotely | Fri 15 Oct |
| Tues 19 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Remotely | Fri 15 Oct |
| Weds 20 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
On site | On the day |
| Thurs 21 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Remotely | Weds 20 Oct |
| Fri 22 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
On site | On the day |
| Booking Type | Library Staff Available | Advance Requests Deadline | |
| Mon 25 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Unavailable | Fri 22 Oct |
| Tues 26 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Remotely | Fri 22 Oct |
| Weds 27 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
On site | On the day |
| Thurs 28 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
Remotely | Weds 27 Oct |
| Fri 29 Oct | - Members’ Room & Library - Library Access Only |
On site | On the day |
Booking Type
- Members’ Room & Library: Full access to the Members' Computer Room and the collections in the Reading Room, Galleries and Café Area between 11:00 and 4:30
- Library Access Only: Access to the Reading Room, Galleries and Café Area between 11:00 and 4:30. This booking does not give access to the computers in the Members' Room
- Members’ Room (Library Closed): Access to the Members’ Computer Room between 11:00 and 4:30 when the Library is closed for an event; there is no access to the collections in the Reading Room, Galleries or Café Area
Note: For those bookings including access to the Reading Room & Galleries, last minute changes to availability may occur; we will contact anyone with a booking as soon as we know of any change to make alternative arrangements.
Note: Copying is available but we're currently unable to provide the facility to print from the Members' computers. This should be rectified soon, apologies in advance for any inconvenience.
Things to consider when booking your visit:
- Member access only: Each member must make their own booking, appointments are for the member named in the booking only (no guests)
- Library staff available: Most Library services are self-sufficient but if you need to see the Librarian in person, please ensure your booking is for a day when they are listed as ‘On site’. When they are listed as available ‘Remotely’, they can only be contacted by phoning 0207 440 3373 or e-mailing library@rsc.org
- Advance requests: Items accessible only by the Librarian (or all items when the Library is closed for an event); refer to the Journal Locator (PDF) to find which journals must be requested in advance. Ensure you have made the request by the deadline of your visit as shown in the Library Calendar
- Historical items: To view any items from the Historical Collection (mainly those listed in the Library Catalogue as ‘Location: Hinshelwood Room’), the Librarian will need to be ‘On site’ on the day of your visit
Book Loans
To drop off a book loan, without accessing the Library, you may do so between 11:00 and 4:00 without making an appointment.
To take an item out on loan when in the Library, you can use our Self-Checkout system; full details on how to use this are on display in the Members’ Room and on the Library Catalogue (Self-Checkout Guide).
M25 Cards (Access25)
Applications for M25 Cards are only accepted by e-mail or post. Please print, complete and scan/post the application form from the Access25 site to the Library, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA.
Covid Secure Measures
We place the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of all those who visit Burlington House and, although there are no longer any legal restrictions in place, we are still observing some COVID secure measures.
On arrival at Burlington House:
- Please ensure you have a suitable face mask or covering, you may be required to wear it upon arrival and when moving around the building
- Please read any information on entry then follow the instructions and guidelines
- We invite you to ‘Check in’ using the NHS QR Code and NHS COVID-19 app (other check-in methods available)
Additionally, we have:
- introduced additional and regular cleaning of the computer equipment, handrails, door handles, doorplates, tables and chairs, toilets etc.
- provided hygiene stations & hand sanitiser dispensers around the building
We ask that you do not visit and that you follow the Government guidance for self-isolating if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19:
- a new persistent cough
- a temperature of 38 degrees or above
- loss of taste or smell
Or if you are:
- required to quarantine for 10 days due to international travel restrictions
- awaiting a coronavirus test result
- contacted by test and trace and asked to self-isolate
Discover what the Library collections have to offer or start using the Library catalogue now to browse the collections or find a particular item.
When a small group of chemists met in 1841 to form the Chemical Society, one of the original objects for the society was 'the formation of a Library of scientific works'. From a small collection of books, the Library rapidly grew to become one of the finest single collections of works on the chemical sciences in Europe.
Today's collections consist of the virtual (accessible via our Virtual Library) and the physical. The physical collections house loanable books and journals and reference items. The Historical Collection is available both physically, in Burlington House, and online, through our Publishing Platform.
The Image Collection
Including a diverse range of formats and subjects, the Image Collection comprises many photographs, prints, paintings and glass slides. Some of the subjects included are Vanity Fair cartoons, caricatures and drawings of laboratory equipment and processes but the bulk of the collection comprises photographs of individual chemists.
Many of the images in the collection came to the Royal Society of Chemistry as donations; one unique group of images that was donated to us is the Rose Collection donated by Sir Harold Rose. This is a collection of ‘artistic photomicrographs’; the subject of this collection are crystals that Rose himself grew and photographed, magnified many times their original size, through a microscope.
Many thousands of the images in this collection have been digitised and are available for purchase, please contact the Library for further information. In order to give you a more accurate quote, we will need to know which images you require and how to intend to use them.
Advice on how to search for (and see a preview of) an image is available on the Library catalogue’s Advanced Search page.
If you are able to visit the Library at Burlington House, we provide a Members' Room with two computers as well as free wi-fi and tea & coffee. Please ensure to book your visit in advance using our online system (see the 'Visiting the Library' tab).
The majority of services are for members-only but if you are not a member, we may still be able to assist so please ask.
Historical enquiries
One of our most widely accessible enquiry services, not solely for the use of members, is the historical enquiry service.
As more people are keen to research their family history, they sometimes come across information to suggest that an ancestor was a past member of the Chemical Society or Institute of Chemistry; if this proves to be true, we can often provide some information.
Not limited to genealogy, we can also help with a wide range of biographical enquiries of scientists and more general history on the chemical sciences.
The Royal Society of Chemistry's Library Catalogue can be used to search for information on individual chemists and other scientists.
Technical enquiries
Whilst unable to provide a detailed or technical search for information, we have many resources available to assist you. The main resources can be found in the Virtual Library) or you could search the Library catalogue or the Publishing Platform.
We would also recommend looking through the Directory of Consultants to locate someone with the expertise to help you.
The Virtual Library provides members with free access to a range of chemical resources from several different publishers.
Problems logging in?
- Ensure you are accessing via the sign-in button (and not via any direct links to the resources)
- Enter your username as your 6 digit RSC number. If you have forgotten your ID or password, you can reset them on the Members' area sign-in page
- Clear the cookies from your browsers’ cache
- Try using a different browser
- ScienceDirect requires a separate account that you can request from the Library (accounts expire at the end of each year)
EBSCO eBooks
Access to over 100 titles on the chemical sciences, including many on the history of chemistry, and more than 3,000 general interest titles.
Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology
Features over 1,300 regularly updated articles on chemical substances: their properties, manufacturing, and uses.
Also includes information on industrial processes and unit operations in chemical engineering, as well as fundamentals and scientific subjects related to the field. Environmental and health issues concerning chemical technology are also addressed.
Knovel eBooks and Databases
Engineering data resource including eBooks & Databases on a range of related topics. Other research tools include:
- Material property search
- Interactive equations
- Periodic Table
- Engineering unit converter
ScienceDirect eJournals and eBooks
Over 300 eBooks and 18 journal archives (c. 1995 to 2016). Journal titles include Analytica Chimica Acta, Journal of Chromatography A and Tetrahedron Letters.
Springer eJournals and eBooks
Access to over 400 eBooks and the journal archives of over 100 titles, e.g. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry; Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine.
Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry
Complete coverage of the science and technology in all areas of industrial chemistry containing over 1,000 major articles by some 3,000 authors.
The Presidents of the Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry (1841-2024)
This booklet contains profiles on every president of the Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry since 1841.
Find out about some of their many professional achievements as well as other interesting facts about them; which president played in the second ever FA Cup Final? Who was the inspiration for the White Knight in ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’? Who are the presidents that have craters on the Moon named after them?
Download the President's BookletThe Story of Burlington House
For a century and a half, the London premises of the Society have been within Burlington House in Piccadilly. Prior to it being the home of six learned societies, Burlington House was a private residence; this booklet charts the history of the building from 1664 to present day.
Pro Patria: Remembering the First World War
To commemorate the centenary of the First World War (1914-1919), this booklet profiles each of the 82 members of the Chemical Society and the Institute of Chemistry who died on active duty and who are named on the two war memorials within Burlington House. Additionally, there are sections on some of those members who survived the conflict, and the role of women chemists.
The Historical Collection
The Library cares for an extensive collection of items on the chemical sciences, part of which is the Historical Collection. This booklet describes each of the component parts of that collection and showcases some of the more notable and unique items within it.
Library
- Tel:
- +44 (0) 20 7440 3373
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