The library’s collection is strong in the following subjects: anthropology, vertebrate and invertebrate taxonomy and zoology, earth and environmental sciences.

The Natural History Collections Library is a major natural history resource in South Africa. Our objectives are to conserve, acquire, retrieve and disseminate information to support the work of the museum staff and to make the collections available for the scientific and educational activities of organizations and individuals.

Although no earlier reference is known, it is likely a small collection of books was available to scientific staff from the South African Museum’s inception in 1855, for when the museum was re-established in 1855, the South African Literary and Scientific Institution transferred its collections of books to the museum. This formed the nucleus of what, from the very beginning, was styled the Library. From the beginning, too, the necessity to build the collection up by donations, purchase and exchange was realised by the trustees and curators. The library was primarily intended for use by the museum staff.