Participating Libraries

Huntington Library 

The Huntington was founded in 1919 by Henry E. Huntington, an exceptional businessman who built a financial empire that included railroad companies, utilities and real estate holdings in Southern California. Huntington was also a man of vision – with a special interest in books, art and gardens. During his lifetime, he amassed the core of one of the finest research libraries in the world and, to this day, the Library’s collection of rare books and manuscripts in the fields of British and American history and literature is nothing short of extraordinary; with about six million items altogether.

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond 

The Georgian Theatre Royal, Britain's oldest working theatre in its original form, is both a thriving community playhouse and a living theatre museum. Built by actor-manager Samuel Butler in 1788, the Georgian Theatre Royal was managed by Butler and was in regular use until 1830 when performances became less frequent. In 1848 it was let as an auction room. The theatre reopened in 1963 and was restored in 2002-2003. The Georgian Theatre Royal has an extensive collection of archive material that has been collected and collated over many years. The archive contains playbills, images and scripts form all eras of the theatre.

Garrick Club Library

Founded in 1831 by a group of literary gentlemen, the Garrick Club, is a private members’ club situated in the heart of London’s West End and theatre district. The club was named in honour of the great eighteenth century actor David Garrick and was intended to be a place where 'actors and men of refinement and education might meet on equal terms'. The Garrick Club holds a remarkable collection of art works and an important theatrical library representing the history of the theatre. There are more than 10,000 books, manuscripts, scrapbooks and ephemera, including a large collection of material relating to Garrick himself.

University of London, Senate House Library

Senate House Library – which opened in 1838 and moved to their current location 1937 – is the central library for the University of London and the School of Advanced Study. Located in the heart of London, the library houses Humanities and Social Science Research Collections and Special Collections, with millions of books and journals available.

The British Library

The British Library serves business and industry, researchers, academics and students in the UK and worldwide. The library receives a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland and the collection includes well over 150 million items, in most known languages, with three million new items added every year. The British Library houses manuscripts, maps, newspapers, magazines, prints and drawings, music scores, patents, sound recordings, stamps and other philatelic items and over 16,000 people use the collections each day (on site and online).

Victoria and Albert Museum

As the world's leading museum of art and design, the V&A enriches people's lives by promoting the practice of design and increasing knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world.