The Heythrop Library has been a work of the Jesuits in Britain as the Heythrop College Library since 1926. Since 2019 (after Heythrop College closed) it has been open to the public with a reading room at the London Jesuit Centre (Mayfair). For these last five years membership was open to anyone with a serious interest in theology or philosophy.
The cost of full membership has been £60, whilst costs for transporting books from one of our two off-site stores has increased by 40%.
From 2 January 2025, the annual cost for full membership will be £100 (access to all our 200,000+ journals and books), but we are also introducing a new membership option: for £50 you can borrow from our reading room (over 8,000 books, with the all new books stored here first), and consult the latest issues of academic journals (ca. 140 titles).
For more information, please see our latest update.
Clemens Gresser, Heythrop Librarian, explained:
‘A lot of our borrowing members only use the books in our reading room, yet there was the one cost for all. Whilst £100 - for being able to request and borrow material from off-site - still does not cover our costs, it contributes more towards the overall outgoings of the Library. I strongly believe that libraries should be accessible to all people who need access to them, but the Jesuits in Britain already subsidize the library very generously, for which we are very grateful.’
We will continue to offer short-term, reference-only access, and free memberships too. You can find more information on our collection and how to join, or explore our whole website.
To search the Heythrop Library’s catalogue please click here.
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