Access25

Access25 is the M25 Consortium’s scheme that allows mutual access to the teaching and research collections at more than 50 libraries in London and south east England.

Who can use the scheme?

Postgraduate research students and staff in the member libraries of the M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries are eligible to join the scheme. View the participating member libraries.

This scheme is particularly beneficial for scholarly/specialist libraries looking to access the collection of a HE Institution. If you belong to an HE institution in the M25 Consortium and wish to access another HE institution’s library, you are recommended to use the SCONUL Access scheme instead.

Value of Access25

It’s a very beneficial service for members’ library staff to have access to other member institutions’ resources.

The Science Museum issued 32 cards in 2024-25: 27 to staff and five to post-graduate students. Katie Flanagan, Group Head of Archives and Libraries at the Science Museum, tells us how they have increased awareness of the Access25 scheme:

“The library at the Science Museum is open to all staff and external users. We’ve had an active engagement programme to increase library usage. When colleagues sign up for a library card, they are told about the M25 access scheme and invited to join – having the form available for them then is a big help with this. The intranet page for our library service also includes details of the M25 scheme and a link to the form to fill in.”

How to get started

Use the links on the left to read the user’s guide and view a list of participating libraries. You can also download an application form which you should return to your home library to obtain an Access25 card.