A signed copy of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, and the first Latin translation of Ptolemy's Amalgest all go on display when the Library reopens on Tuesday 10 March 2008. For the first month after opening visitors will be able to see these icons of world science writing at first hand, and have tours of some of the other delights of the collection.

They will be shown at a new state-of-the-art facility near Swindon, which holds the Library's original works by great scientists and engineers from the fifteenth century to the present day. The Library's world-class collection on the history and biography of science and technology is held at a revamped space within Imperial College Library at South Kensington, London.

The reopening on two sites secures the long-term future for the collection, which was founded in 1883 and contains over 500,000 items. Funding for this £2.5m project came from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which paid for the building of the new facility in Swindon.

Rupert Williams, Head of Science Museum Library and Archives, said: "This collection is truly world-class and we are pleased that these great works have now got a permanent home. Academics and enthusiasts can be sure that our staff will help them get the most out of this outstanding resource."

A full library and archives service will be available both in Swindon and South Kensington. Academics will be able to order texts from the last 100 years and receive them within a working day. Rare and unique items can be viewed at the Swindon library by the general public on appointment.

The Library is a superb archive for family history enthusiasts, with London directories dating from 1776, alongside a host of other specialist directories. Those interested in the history of invention can consult the 1.25 million British patents from 1617-1992. Its journals are also unmatched for a free-to-enter library, and can boast information on almost any area of science and technology from the past 400 years.

Great works held by Science Museum Library and Archive

Ptolemy: Almagest, first Latin translation, Venice, 1496. This reintroduced theories of astronomy and planetary motion in a geocentric system to 15th-century Europe.

Andrew Snape: Snape's Purging Pill for Horses: with his Cordial Pouder, and Ointments . . . London, 1692. This is the only known copy in the world.

Sir Isaac Newton: Philosophiæ naturalis principia mathematica, London, 1687. The work in which Newton laid down his theory of gravity.

Albert Einstein: Über die spezielle und die allgemeine Relativitätstheorie: Gemeinverständlich, Braunschweig, 1917. Presentation copy of the General Theory of Relativity, inscribed by Einstein.

James Watt: Archive of 119 works owned by James Watt, spanning subjects from chemistry to Christianity.

Sir John Herschel: Laboratory notebooks of the 19th-century mathematician.

Nasa's final Apollo 11 flight plan, signed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Sir Frank Whittle's original thesis on the gas turbine.

Charles Babbage: Original drawings by the 19th century mathematician and grandfather of modern computing. -- www.sciencemuseum.org.uk