Anthropology Library
The Anthropology Library is part of the
Museum's Centre for Anthropology and is
one of the world's major specialist anthropological collections. It
was started in the nineteenth century and its holdings
were greatly enhanced by the gift of the Royal Anthropological
Institute (RAI) Library in 1976.
Opening hours (from Monday 1 June 2009):
10.00–17.00, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Friday
12.00–17.00, Thursday
Closed: weekends, Bank Holidays and 24 December – 1 January
Collection
The library contains around 120,000 books and pamphlets and
4,000 journal titles (of which about 1,500 are current), in
addition to microfiches, microfilms, maps, newsletters, sound
recordings and congress reports. There is also an important
pictorial collection of more than 150,000 photographs and other
material.
Every aspect of anthropology is covered, including: cultural and
social anthropology with a strong emphasis on material culture and
art, archaeology, some biological and medical anthropology and
linguistics, together with such related fields as history,
sociology, description and travel.
The collection covers the whole world, but is
particularly strong on the British Commonwealth, Eastern
Europe and the Americas, notably Mesoamerica.
Facilities
- Access
The library is open to the public for reference and research only.
Fellows of the RAI are eligible to borrow books donated by the
RAI
- Catalogue
The library catalogue holds all acquisitions. There are six OPAC
terminals, which offer access to the Anthropological Index
Online (AIO) and the index to the library's journal
collection
- Photocopying
There is a self-service
photocopier available. Photocopies may also be requested by email
or letter.
History
The (then) Ethnography Department Library was much enlarged by
Augustus Wollaston Franks, who from 1866 to 1896 was Keeper of the
Department of British and Medieval Antiquities, which at the
time included ethnography. Franks purchased around 2,000
volumes from his own resources and added these to the Christy
Library, a collection of contemporary travel books received in 1865
from the industrialist Henry Christy.
The RAI Library began by combining the collections of the
Ethnological Society, founded in 1843, and the Anthropological
Society of London, which seceded from it in 1863 but returned in
1871. It was built up by purchase, bequest and a journal exchange
programme with other learned institutions throughout the world. The
RAI continues to generously support the Anthropology Library.
Contact:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7323 8031
Email: anthropologylibrary@britishmuseum.org
Anthropology Library
Centre for Anthropology
British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG