Historic libraries · London
Abdus Salam Library
Abdus Salam Library — Main academic and research library of Imperial College London.

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Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Nearest railway station
- Gloucester Road · 0.6 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Abdus Salam Library is a historic library in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1959. Part of Imperial College London. Address: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21014269. Wikidata describes it as: "Main academic and research library of Imperial College London". Coordinates: 51.4983°, -0.1783°.
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From the Wikipedia article
The Abdus Salam Library is the largest academic and research library of Imperial College London. The current library opened in August 1969, taking over from the original Lyon Playfair Library which opened in 1959. The collection grew out of earlier libraries of the various departments and colleges; the oldest dates back to 1845. Formerly known as the Central Library, it is one of 7 libraries at Imperial with its collection covering all of the university's research departments. It is situated on Queen's Lawn next to Imperial College Road, and across from Queen's Tower.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The earliest library collection associated with the Imperial was that of the Royal College of Chemistry, which opened in 1845. For most of the early 20th century the college's collection was spread out over the various constituent colleges and departments. The City and Guilds College building was home to a technical collection, with the Royal College of Science building containing a chemical reference library. Early on some professors, including Harold Maxwell-Lefroy, let students access their private collections due to the lack of extensive provisions at the college, however, in time the departmental libraries grew with donations of books from their leading academics, whose name they…
Architecture
The Abdus Salam Library building was opened in 1969 with the rest of what is today known as the Sherfield Building, and extensively uses exposed concrete surface as was common with British architecture at the time.
Visiting
The library primarily serves students and researchers at Imperial, with the library open 24 hours a day all week, excluding Friday night.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.4983, -0.1783
- District
- Westminster
- Parish
- Westminster, unparished area
- Postcode
- SW7 5HG
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
- Established
- 1959
- Nearest railway station
- Gloucester Road — 0.6 km
- Official site
- imperial.ac.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q76834801 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Abdus Salam Library (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Imperial College Central Library on Queen's Lawn.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Abdus Salam Library?
- Abdus Salam Library is in London, United Kingdom (postcode SW7 5HG), in the parish of Westminster, unparished area.
- When was Abdus Salam Library built?
- Built or established in 1959.
- How do I get to Abdus Salam Library?
- The nearest railway station is Gloucester Road, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SW7 5HG.