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Access to our collection

We are temporarily unable to provide physical access to Insight, our Collections and Research Centre—please see below for further information.

Access to Insight

We are currently unable to provide physical access to Insight, our Collections and Research Centre, to support researchers.

We will make every effort to answer collections research enquiries remotely, via our virtual reading room service, and access to Corporate Records will continue to be facilitated by the Science Museum Group Records Manager.

Our teams look forward to supporting researchers to access our collections remotely, and we very much look forward to welcoming you back to Insight.

In our collection

Booking a visit

It’s free to visit Insight, but you must book your visit in advance.

To book, please email the curatorial team to discuss your research plans at research@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk. Research slots will normally be released a month in advance, and your booking must be made at least 14 days before the date you would like to visit.

If you can’t visit, we offer virtual collection access via any videoconferencing platform. Please get in touch via research@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk for further details and to discuss your needs.

Available dates and times

  • Next dates TBC

Important information about booking

When you contact us, please let us know what you want to see; if this is not possible, our team will contact you for more details once your booking is complete.

Once we have confirmed your plans with you, we will provide a link to a booking page which will issue you with a ticket for the day of your visit.

When you visit

Visits to Insight are hosted in the Gandolfi Room, a purpose-built reading room with reader tables, power sockets and free WiFi.

Please try to limit the number of personal items you bring into Insight. There is a secure space to safely leave your belongings; you’re welcome to use your laptop or tablet, phone or camera, notepad and pencil when researching.

On arrival at the museum, please show your ticket and you’ll be directed to Insight, where a member of our curatorial team will be there to welcome you. The curatorial team can help with any queries you have in advance about visiting; please contact us at research@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk .

Research online

Our collection⁠—and the inspirational stories it contains⁠—is also open to you online. You can find further information about the objects, archives and library we care for via Collection Online, the archive catalogue, the Science Museum library catalogue and the National Railway Museum library catalogue.

We offer a free enquiry service to help you find out more about the items in the Science Museum Group Collection. Please contact us via research@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk. We normally aim to respond to enquiries within 20 working days; however, responses may take longer depending on the nature of the enquiry.