About the Society

Founded in 1788, the Society is named after the great Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), whose botanical, zoological and library collections have been in our keeping since 1829.

Vacancies and Volunteering

SiteMap

See a listing of all pages on the site.

Log-in to the Fellows' area

Royal Patrons and Honorary Fellows

The Linnaean Herbarium

The Herbarium held by the Linnean Society of London is the single most important Linnaean collection of plant specimens.

Linnaean Insect, Fish & Shell Collections

These collections of Insects, Fishes and Shells are of critical importance to the correct naming and identification of zoological specimens.

Smith Botanical Collections

The biological collections of Sir James Edward Smith, founder and first President of the Linnean Society. They include his Herbarium and his Carpological Collection.

View and Use the Collections

IMPORTANT NEWS: Due to essential building works, the Specimen Collections & Library will remain closed to all visitors and Fellows from December 2012 to end of July 2013. We will attempt to answer email and telephone enquiries, but it may not always be possible for us to access the necessary material. The majority of our collections can be viewed online.

The Linnaean Plant Typification Project

The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project has been working to establish type specimens retroactively for the 9,000 plant names of species coined by Linnaeus, so that the names can be correctly used.

Library and Collections of Linnaeus

The Society preserves the books, correspondence and manuscripts of Carl Linnaeus, collectively known as the Linnaean Library.

Use the Library or Visit Us

IMPORTANT NEWS: Due to essential building works, the Library will remain closed to all visitors and Fellows from December 2012 to end of July 2013. We will attempt to answer email and telephone enquiries, but it may not always be possible for us to access the necessary material.

Online Collections

To provide worldwide access to its priceless collections of specimens, manuscripts, letters and artwork, the Society is constantly adding to its Online Collections.

Conservation

The Linnean Society is privileged to have an in-house Conservation department to help preserve our outstanding collections.

Library FAQs

Everything you need to know about Library & Archives at a glance.

Who was Linnaeus?

Who was Linnaeus and what did he do that was so important? Look here for more information about his life, his work and why the study of taxonomy is so important.

Kids' Zone

Our Kids' Zone is being developed with some interesting and simple activities in mind. You'll be able to 'Ask Linnaeus' a question about the natural world, or download an activity to do at home.

Primary Resources

Currently in development, our Primary resources will be curriculum-based, looking at Linnaeus's floral clock and Darwin's scientific journey.

Careers Database

An ongoing project, this resource is under construction. We aim to provide a comprehensive database of the career paths of some of our Fellows, to provide inspiration for the next generation of biologists.

Educational Tours

Come and visit the Linnean Society of London's collections - tour our Library and see the Linnaean specimens. Researchers, scientists, artists, undergraduates and sixth formers reporting on a 'site of biological interest' are all welcome.

Glossary

The Linnean

The Linnean is the Society's biannual newsletter. It provides topical up-dates on recent activities and events, articles on history, science and personalities behind the Linnean Society. Also includes book reviews, reference material and members' correspondence.

PuLSe

Pulse is the Society's quarterly digital magazine for Fellows. Each issue is full of articles, news and updates from the Society.

Other Publications

The Lnnean Society also publishes Books, the Synopsis Series and Special Issues of The Linnean. Find out more about these publications and how to access them here.

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Linnean Society Library Contacts

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