The Royal College of Art

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world ‘s number 1 art & design university for a remarkable ten consecutive years (QS World Subject Rankings 2015-2024).

The Library is part of IT, Library and Technical Services (ILTS), a directorate of skilled and specialist staff supporting students and staff to meet their academic objectives.  ILTS includes Library, Special Collections, Technical Services, IT Services and Digital Delivery.  The Library is based on the Kensington campus and provides services to our campuses in Battersea and White City.

The Library is home to some 70,000 items including books, magazines, print journals and our Special Collections. In addition, we have an expanding digital library of e-books, e-journals and online resources covering a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects. The library provides quiet study spaces across three levels.  The Library team deliver a customer-focussed and pro-active service as part of our hybrid service model.