Library FAQs

I would like to look at a book in the library. How do I do that?

Our collections are available for all members to view. If you are not a member, you can purchase a £10 Day Membership, which you can pay for at the front desk when you arrive.

If you know which book you would like to look at, we would recommend emailing us at [email protected] to let us know which book/s you would like to look at, and when you would like to visit. We will then reserve you a table in the Inner Library and the book/s will be ready for you when you arrive.

If you don’t know what you want to look at yet, visit our online catalogue first, and then request an appointment by emailing [email protected]. You are also very welcome to email us for recommendations, based on your interests or research subjects.

If you have not made an appointment, we will do our best to accommodate your request on the day. We are a small staff team, so it is possible that there may be a delay in dealing with your request.

Our modern collections are browsable and you can retrieve books from the shelves yourself if you would like. Our staff and volunteers are also happy to retrieve modern books for you. Books from our heritage collections are retrieved by staff and volunteers only.

Why can’t I help myself to some of the books on your shelves?

Members are welcome to help themselves to books in our modern collections. Our staff and volunteers are very happy to retrieve books from the heritage collections for members, and there are no books that we would not retrieve.

Heritage books are only retrieved by staff and volunteers:

• To ensure that they are retrieved in a way that does not cause damage to these often fragile and historic books;
• As a security measure: it is considered best practice across heritage organisations that access to historic materials takes place under supervision, in a designated reading room, in our case, in the Inner Library;
• To ensure that books are returned to the same place that they were retrieved from, so that they can be found for other researchers in the future.

We are always striking a balance between access for researchers in the present and preserving these collections for future generations.

Can I access the galleries in the library?

Galleries are only accessible to staff and volunteers, and not to the general public. This is for reasons of health and safety, and for security and safe handling of the historic collections.

Are the books just about Devon and Exeter?

We have many modern and historic books about Devon and Exeter, but these only make up around 20% of our collections. The majority cover a wide range of subjects and reflect the interests of the nineteenth century proprietors of the Institution. Particular strengths include early science, natural history, voyages and travel, and arts. Find out more about our collections here and view our full catalogue here.

How do you decide which books to keep in your collections?

Our heritage collections are designated as a permanent collection and will be kept in perpetuity. Our modern collection, which largely consists of reference books about the South West, will remain here for as long as they are deemed useful to our members.

Can I donate books to the library?

Please email [email protected] with a brief description of the books that you would like to donate, and the Librarian will get back to you. We are often able to accept books about the South West if we do not have them already. We can occasionally accept books for our heritage collections if they are in keeping with our existing collections and fill a particular gap.

If they are not suitable for our collections, you might like to consider donating books for our next second-hand book sale. These take place around 4 times a year. If it is just a bag or two, please just drop these to the front desk. If it is a larger collection, please email ahead before bringing them in.

Is it OK to talk in the library?

Yes, our library is not a silent space, although we do ask for consideration to be shown to researchers, especially in the Inner Library.

Can I use my laptop in the library?

In the Inner Library, desk space is primarily reserved for members who are using the collections. These members are welcome to use laptops while consulting books, as long as this does not cause any damage. There are spaces to use laptops throughout the building, including the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Parlour and the Outer Library. When the desk spaces in the Inner Library are not needed for research on our collections, you are welcome to work on a laptop.

Can I take photographs?

You are welcome to take photographs of our collections, and we do not charge for this. We ask that you do not use flash when photographing our historic collections. Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Please feel free to photograph our beautiful historic library, but please be careful not to photograph individuals without their permission.

If posting on social media, you can tag us @dexinstitution

Can you send me photographs of a page or pages in a book?

We can photograph collections for you, and this is charged at £10 per 20 minutes of staff time. Please be aware that photographs will be taken on a phone. Please email [email protected] with your request.

Can I publish images from your collections?

Please email [email protected] if you are interested in using our images in any public way. The Devon and Exeter Institution is not the copyright holder for the vast majority of images within its collections. It is the responsibility of the person using the image to seek permission from the rights holder and to ensure that their use does not infringe copyright.

Are there computers I can use at the DEI?

Yes, there are two computers for members to use in the Inner Library. These are accessed on a first come, first served basis. We have access to Ancestry and to a large number of online databases through the London Library, including the British Newspaper Archives, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, JSTOR, and Eighteenth Century Collections Online.

Is it OK to bring food and drink into the library?

We ask that you do not bring food and drink into the Libraries, to protect the historic book collection.

Do I need to book an appointment?

We recommend booking an appointment in advance by emailing [email protected] with details of what you would like to look at, and when you would like to visit.

If you have not made an appointment, we will do our best to accommodate you on the day. We are a small staff team, so it is possible that there may be a delay in dealing with your request.

There’s just one book I need to look at, so it’s not really worth my becoming a full member. Can I just come in for a day?

You can purchase Day Membership for £10. We would recommend emailing ahead of your visit and we will make you an appointment. The payment can then be made at the front desk.

Am I able to take conference calls / phone calls at the DEI?

No, we do not welcome Zoom, Teams or other conference calls anywhere in the building. This is for the comfort of other users, the availability of Wi-Fi for all and the atmosphere in the libraries and reading rooms.  We are not a co-working office space, but a quiet space to read, write, create and think. Phone calls may be taken off site or – on a quiet day – in the garden room.