The Library

In the original building the library was situated in what is now the Member's Room but on completion of the new extension it moved to the end of the new Business Centre space.

In the old Member's Room the relentless pressure on space had seen it expand into many of the basement rooms below, accessed via a staircase cut through the floor, but as the collection expanded no more storage space could be found, so a space for the store was rented in Salisbury House on the other side of London Wall. The Library store moved to the Institute's warehouse near Milton Keynes in 2016.

In 1960, in response to increased library use after the merger with the Society of Incorporated Accountants, a reference room was created in the 1930's extension.

In September 1966, while the extension was being built, the library temporarily relocated to Eileen House, 26-34 Old Street. The Accountant reported that "The temporary inconvenience caused to members by the distance from the centre of the city is being mitigated as far as possible by photocopying and postal service."

When the library returned to Chartered Accountants' Hall in 1970, it took up a space that straddled the old and new buildings and was in a T-shape. One head of the 'T' was in the 1930s extension while the other head was in Whitfield's Belcheresque extension to the old building. The body of the 'T' was in the modern extension. At this time the 1930s extension on this level ended at a doorway which lead to an internal staircase down to the lower ground floor of offices, now removed as part of the works to deliver a Business Centre running the length of the building. Today the location of this doorway is now a throughway to the Business Centre café.

The following images show the library in the early 2000s after it has been renovated after receiving a bequest from the estate of former ICAEW President Baron Benson. The works included the installation of a purpose-designed enquiry desk and the introduction of modern furniture for the public access computers (OPACs) in Summer 2000.

In 2008 the library space was re-worked to create a modern business centre. A mezzanine floor was created over the Copthall Reception and the library office moved into the newly created space.

The Business Centre and the Library were refurbished in 2019 and the library office and workspace was moved up to Level 3, but a staffed library desk and the Library's book and journal collection remains in the the Business Centre.

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a collection of books and articles on Chartered Accountants' Hall, covering the original building and the later extensions. See our Further reading page for details of these, as well as links to web pages on the sculptors and artists whose work decorates the building.