The Dana Library and Research Centre (formerly the Dana Centre) on Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London, is a venue where researchers and visitors can access the library and archives of the Science Museum Group.
Designed by Sir Richard MacCormacofMJP Architects,[1] the building opened in 2003 as a public event venue for contemporary science debate, run largely by the Science Museum. The building itself houses offices used by the Science Museum and the British Science Association (formerly known as British Association for the Advancement of Science). The Dana Centre is not directly accessible from the main museum, and is on the nearby Queen's Gate street.
Previously an events space and café, the building re-opened in late 2015 as the Dana Library and Research Centre, aiming to "provide a world-class environment for academic research, bringing together the Science Museum's Research and Public History Department and access to its library and archive collections".[2]
The centre is currently open to researchers and visitors alike by appointment only, Thursdays and Fridays from 11.00 to 17.00. It is closed on Bank Holidays during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods.
Visitors to the Dana Centre can access almost 7,000 volumes on the history and biography of science, technology and medicine and their philosophical and social aspects. Journals are also available in physical and digital formats, with core titles being mainly available electronically.
As 99% of the Science Museum Group's library and archives are held at the Library and Archives at the National Collection Centre, in Wiltshire, most material will need to be ordered in advance.[3]
Gloucester Road, South Kensington
