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Barbican Library


 Barbican Library new interiorBarbican Centre, London EC2Y 8DS
Enquiries & opening times
Online library catalogue
Map showing the location of Barbican Library
Events & exhibitions
Barbican library guides and newsletters

Starting out on the Internet

Free and friendly sessions at the Library to help you get started. Sessions for 2008 have yet to be scheduled. Watch this space!

Introductory tours

Download information on the next tours here

Welcome to the Library - February 08 (845kb)

Reading groups

Barbican Library has two reading groups which meet the first Thursday of each month for an hour; lunchtimes at 12.30pm and evenings at 6.00pm. A third group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6.00pm. New members are always welcome to join, please contact the Library in advance to confirm the date of the next meeting.

Improve your basic skills

This is a free service to help improve reading, writing, spelling and other basic skills.

Improve your basic skills (110kb)

Barbican Music Library

The Music Library is at the foot of a staircase within the General Library which is situated on Level 2 (the Library Floor) of the Barbican Centre.

Barbican Music Library Song Index
Search an index of over 62,000 entries to find printed music for all types of songs. 

Sound recordings

The Barbican Music Library has one of the largest recorded music collections in London available to the public. The recordings, on compact disc, cover most types of music including pop, jazz and blues, folk, film, musicals, country and western as well as a comprehensive range of classical music.

The Music Library is a member of the Greater London Audio Specialisation Scheme (GLASS) which means that if audio recordings are not held by the Library, it may be possible to obtain them from another member. Talking books, language courses and other spoken word cassettes and compact discs are located in the General Library.

Eight listening booths are provided.

The Library also houses Music Preserved - a growing collection of audio recordings of recent live performances from venues such as the Royal Opera House, the South Bank and the Barbican Hall, plus historic performances, many of which are unique. These recordings, which are not available commercially, can only be listened to in the Library. There is also a small collection of music videos in the Music Preserved archive.

Music scores

Scores of all kinds of music are available in the Library: popular music songbooks as well as operas, musicals, oratorios and other choral music, instrumental tutors, solo and chamber music and a large collection of study and full scores.

Sets of vocal scores and orchestral parts are not held but can be obtained from other libraries for groups which meet in the City of London.

Books and periodicals

The Music Library has an extensive collection of books about music and musicians both for lending and for reference.

Over 70 periodicals are taken covering different aspects of music and recording. Back issues of most of these, plus other titles which have ceased publication (some extending back into the last century) are held. The Library also has a large collection of periodicals produced by societies, mostly in the United Kingdom, which specialise in a particular composer or conductor.

Other facilities

An electric piano is available free of charge for practice purposes.

Barbican Children's Library

Tel 020 7628 9447

Here you will find fiction and non-fiction books for all ages including:
Board books, ABCs, counting and word puzzle books, picture books, first readers, information books, folk tales and fairy tales, story cassettes, career books, teenage fiction, parents' collection.

Free events ...

... for children aged five years and upwards take place on one Saturday morning each month throughout the year. Leaflets advertising the events are available in the Children's Library; alternatively, you may join our mailing list or view the Barbican library events page.


Last modified: 22 May 2008 | Author: Rosalina Del Campo | Contact author
Content owner: Rosalina del Campo
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