A member of Library staff helping a student in the book stacks

Find material in the Library

Find out how to search our collections and locate material in the Library.

Search for material

Search our collections using Library Search or one of the other specialist catalogues

Locate material on the shelves

To efficiently find books and journals in the Library, click the 'Locate' button on the item record to view a map and see directions to it on the shelves.

A screenshot of the a catalogue record on Library Search with the red 'Locate' button visible

Contact Library staff by email, via Library Chat or in person at the ground floor desk if you need any assistance locating the material you need. 

Course Collection (1st floor)

The Course Collection is for LSE staff and students only. It is here you will find copies of the essential books on your reading lists. You can borrow these books for 7 days.

Main Collection (across 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors)

In the Main Collection you will find our research collections and background readings from your reading lists. You can borrow these books for up to 90 days (reduced to 7 days if requested by someone else). 

Archives and other restricted access store collections

Archives and special collections

See our access archives and special collections page for up to date information.

Library store and offsite collections

Certain collections are located in closed storage areas and need to be fetched for use. This can take from 48hrs to 5 days. 

Items can be identified through Library Search and include:

  • Russian collection
  • Intergovernmental organisations (IGO) reports
  • UK Government publications
  • Microform and microfilm
  • Historical newspapers
  • Pamphlets 
  • LSE PhD theses
  • Reserve Books
  • Reserve Journals

The process for accessing these items depends on your status. 


Get further help

If you need any further help or information, please email us.