THE RADA LIBRARY
CONTACT DETAILS
18-22 Chenies Street, London, WC1E 7PA
+44 (0)20 7636 7076
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OPENING HOURS (TERM TIME)
- MONDAY9:15am - 7:45pm
- TUESDAY9:15am - 7:45pm
- WEDNESDAY9:15am - 7:45pm
- THURSDAY10:00am - 6:30pm
- FRIDAY10:00am - 6:30pm
- SATURDAY12:00pm - 4:00pm
HISTORY OF THE LIBRARY
The library collection began soon after 1904 with donations from distinguished actors and writers of the time such as, Sir Squire Bancroft, William Archer, Pinero and Bernard Shaw. In 1968 the addition of a new floor was made to the Malet Street building enabling a small room to be set aside as a library. With support from the council of the Academy and individual gifts, the library was established. It was realised that if the library was to survive this would depend on a proper system of issuing books and checking their return. In 1995 a purpose built space was made available at the recently acquired annexe on Chenies Street and in 2002 funds were made available to begin computerisation. All essential stock has been catalogued and an online search option is now available.
THE COLLECTION TODAY
There are some 30,000 acquisitions available in the current collection, including around 10,000 plays, many of which are rare and out of print. There is also a very good selection of poetry, theatre history, criticism, biography, stage design, costume, technical theatre, fine art, film, screenplays and social history, as well as theatre periodicals, which are very useful for researching previous productions of plays.
THE FILM & VIDEO COLLECTION
A stock of more than a thousand VHS films, documentaries, TV Dramas, animal videos, 500+ DVDs and the Nuryev U-matic videotape collection are stored in the library. There is also a small audiotape collection, which covers dialects, poetry readings and some plays.
USING THE LIBRARY
The library can be used for reference by all academy staff and students. A £50 deposit is required to borrow. Full time students may borrow up to eight items at any one time, (short course students/graduates, staff and outside readers by arrangement). All books must be returned or renewed within four weeks. Items may be recalled if another user requires them. It is the borrower’s responsibility to ensure their books are safely returned. If any item has been lost or damaged beyond repair a minimum charge of £10.00 will apply. Late fees will be charged at 10p per day.
External readers must make enquiries or book an appointment by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please note that a charge of £10.00 will be made for a visitor to access the library – this will not give any borrowing rights.
There is an area for quiet study at the back of the Library - the need for silence is to be respected at all times.
A limited number of computers are available for individual study and can be booked in advance.
If you cannot find what you are looking for please ask.
FOOD AND DRINK ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE LIBRARY
MOBILE PHONES TO BE TURNED OFF.