Library

The Academy Library is a place to immerse yourself in the past and discover ideas for the future.

Whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you’ll find everything you need for your day-to-day lessons, recitals, and research in our Library.

Our library staff are available to help you navigate and make the most of these valuable resources. In addition to our internal holdings, students may also apply for access to:

• The University of London Library
• The British Library

Special Collections

The Special Collections and Archives were awarded Designated status in recognition of their significance by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (now part of Arts Council England).

Read about the Designation Scheme

Collection Highlights

Our archives include remarkable artifacts that serve as a bridge to musical history:

• Autograph Manuscripts: Original works by Purcell, Sullivan, Vaughan Williams, Kenny Wheeler, and other leading composers.
• The Robert Spencer Collection: Rare 16th-century lute books.
• Marked Scores: Personal scores from the collections of legendary figures such as:
  • Henry Wood and John Barbirolli
  • Nadia Boulanger and Otto Klemperer
  • Yehudi Menuhin and Charles Mackerras
• Choral Library: The Choral Library contains an extensive range of choral sets, which are included in the online catalogue.
• Orchestral Library: Managed by the Concerts Department, the Orchestral Library holds approximately 4,000 sets of parts. This collection is constantly growing through new acquisitions and includes vital research materials, most notably the orchestral sets from the personal libraries of Henry Wood and Otto Klemperer.

Contact the Library

Donations

The Library is unable to accept donations to the loan collection at present, but we might be able to suggest other possible recipients.

Please contact library@ram.ac.uk to discuss.

External users

The Library is available for external users with particular research needs that cannot be met by the public library service.

To arrange an appointment please contact library@ram.ac.uk