Kingston University London - Information Services

Access and Facilities

The materials held in the Archives and Special Collections Rooms are unique, and we are pleased to welcome all visitors. However we do have some guidelines in place for the protection of the Archives, which we will ask all visitors to bear in mind. We have summarised some of these below:

Please make an appointment by contacting the Archive at least 24 hours in advance:

This is to ensure that a place in the reading room is reserved for you and that the collections you wish to use are available.

On arrival:

Please go to the Reception Desk in the LRC where you will be shown to the Archives and Special Collections Room.

Please bring some form of ID with you:

For Kingston University students and staff your ID Card is suitable, for other visitors we ask that you bring a driving licence, passport, household bill or some other form of ID. On arrival in the Archives room we will ask you to fill in a registration form.

In order to ensure the preservation of the archives we also ask the following:

• Please use a pencil when making any notes - we are happy to lend you one if necessary. Readers are welcome to bring in a laptop.
• To avoid damaging the documents food and drink are not allowed. You will be more than welcome to step outside in order to have something to eat or drink - there is a cafe in the LRC and other places to eat nearby.
• Archival material does require careful handling and respect - please bear in mind that many of the records are quite old and that we aim to preserve them for future generations of users. We do have guidelines for handling in the Archives, and staff will be happy to advise.
• In order to comply with copyright legislation and to preserve the records we do have to limit the copying of them, please ask a member of staff for more information.

Disabled access:

The entrance to the Penrhyn Road LRC is on the ground floor off the main corridor leading from Reception on Penrhyn Road. There is one disabled toilet on the ground floor within the LRC.

• Rules and regulations (PDF)