Other useful websites

• British Standards Institution
• Chartered Society of Designers
• Crafts Council
• Design Council
• Design Research Society
• Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers
• British Furniture Manufacturers
• FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association)
• The Textile Institute

Sconul Access member libraries

If you're not already registered with SCONUL Access please complete the online form.

• Birkbeck, University of London
• Brunel University Library
• City University
• Goldsmiths, University of London
• University of Greenwich
• Kingston University
• London South Bank
• Middlesex University
• University of Roehampton
• SOAS
• University of East London
• University of the Arts (includes Central Saint Martins)
• University of West London
• University of Westminster (Harrow campus)

Specialist libraries

• Bishopsgate Institute Library
  Specialist collection on London history, includes a lot of architectural material. Free to access.
  
  
• British Library
  Reader's pass required.
  
  
• British Museum Libraries and Archives
  Subject areas covered reflect the museum’s collections such as decorative arts and crafts. Access by appointment only.
  
  
• BSI Members Reading Room
  British Standards. Students (with proof of student status) can consult British Standards not available from Construction Information Service free of charge for the first two hours as non-members of BSI. At least 24 hours' notice is required for visits.
  
  
• Courtauld Institute of Art Book Library
  Visit by appointment only.
  
  
• Dana Research Centre and Library, Science Museum
  Technology, design history, product design. Open to the general public – appointment required.
  
  
• Guildhall Library
  History of London, particularly the City. It is strongly recommended to book a visit in advance if you wish to access material from their stores.
  
  
• London Metropolitan Archives Library
  Archives from the City of London Corporation, free for all to access.
  
  
• National Art Library (Victoria and Albert Museum)
  Reference library for research in art, design and decorative arts. Huge archive of photographs, reports, surveys and maps. It is strongly advised to order any items you wish to consult in advance of your visit.
  
  
• Wallace Collection Library and Archives
  17th and 18th century French decorative art, sculpture, ceramics and furniture. Access is by appointment only.

See also the Local History archives in individual boroughs - search for them under Libraries.

• ArchDaily
  Compiled by architects - good for research, up-to-date projects and architectural products.
  
  
• Architonic
  This platform can be used to find products, brands, retailers, and expertise for architecture and design.
  
  
• Archives Hub
  Archives are a good source of primary material. Find out if there is an archive on your research area, where it is, and how to access it.
  
  
• ARH net
  Research into the history of modern arts, architecture and design. It consists of three linked databases: ReVIEW - digitized, searchable versions of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art journals; Arts & Architecture ProFILES (AAP) - a biographical dictionary of modern artists, designers, architects, craftspeople and photographers; Design Abstracts Retrospective (DAR).
  
  
• Barbour Product Search
  A "searchable database of products and suppliers, including images, case studies, technical data, catalogues, news and project data".
  
  
• British and Irish Furniture Makers Online
  A digital resource created in a partnership between the Institute of Historical Research and the Furniture History Society. It contains details of furniture manufacturers and suppliers - their organising structures, their clientele, the material they produced and the services they provided - from the beginning of the 17th century to the early 20th century.
  
  
• BSI Knowledge Centre and Shop
  Find information on British Standards.
  
  
• designboom
  This is a design magazine website covering history and the contemporary. It includes articles, competitions, shop, videos, snapshots, and a product library.
  
  
• Design Museum Designers
  Provides profiles of the leading designers.
  
  
• How Products Are Made
  This online encyclopaedia covers a wide range of products. Browse the volumes or use the search box. Also includes inventor biographies.
  
  
• International Textile Collection
  The collection is based at the University of Leads, but you can search for textiles and view images and descriptions on their website. The collection dates from the Ancient Egyptian to the present day, with the greater part covering the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's particularly good for embroideries from China and the Mediterranean region, resists and weaves from Indonesia, India and West Africa, and European woven samples. This collection includes the former International Textiles Archive known as ULITA.
  
  
• MoDiP
  The Museum of Design in Plastics is based in Poole, but the collections can be searched online.
  
  
• Survey of London
  This is the website of the Survey of London's Whitechapel project. Use it to explore the histories of Whitechapel’s buildings and places. It includes a map, information about every building in Whitechapel as of 2016, photographs, stories, research, film clips and audio recordings.
  
  
• Trendhunter
  TrendHunter.com is a trend community. The site includes trend reports and consumer insights, and events.
  
  
• World-architects.com
  Useful website for international profiles on architects, landscape architects, engineers, interior designers, lighting consultants, and architectural photographers. Also provides reviews and job vacancies.