Library and archives
The Museum's Egyptian and Sudanese collections, among the most
important of their kind in the world, are underpinned by the
library of the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan which ranks
among the top ten libraries for Egyptology world wide.
The departmental library has been in existence since around
1860. Its aim is to cover all elements of Egyptology and
Sudanology. The collection comprises around 18,000 library
items, the oldest of which was published in 1636.
The library has a particularly strong collection of older
material (including journals going back to the nineteenth century),
museum and exhibition catalogues (around 1,100 items), auction
catalogues, and the Nubia and Sudan section. Special
collections include the Rare Book Collection, the Pamphlet
Collection and the Roxie Walker Collection (books on Physical
Anthropology). The library also houses 180 runs of journals,
of which 90 are current.
This collection enables research into any topic in Egyptology,
Coptology, and Sudanology.
The departmental library is a library of last resort. It is
used primarily by British Museum staff, participants in the
International Curatorial Training Programme, and scholars and
international researchers who are working on the department's
collection of objects. It is also accessible to those who are
seriously researching topics in the fields of ancient Egypt, Coptic
Egypt and Sudan.
Appointments should be made through the librarian.
Since its move in 2001 the library has been accommodated in the
Study room, which is the dynamic heart of the department and an
integral part of its public-service provision.