The aim of this research is to understand and explore the ways in which sketchbooks are collected by and accessed in institutions in the UK. This is an under-researched topic in the UK and internationally, with previous sketchbook research focusing rather on articles and books about how particular artists use sketchbooks. As part of a qualitative mixed-method approach, four artists are interviewed to get an overview of the issues they faced when accessing sketchbooks in a variety of galleries, libraries, archives and museums. This approach is augmented by a questionnaire sent to institutions identified as holding sketchbooks. It covered topics relating to how sketchbooks come to be held by these institutions and how they are made available to the public, and it asked for ideas on how to improve the accessibility of sketchbooks in the future. The findings show a variety of perspectives and approaches, and a trend towards greater online access to sketchbooks through digitisation. While sketchbooks are generally available to be touched and examined closely in archives, digitisation broadens access and aids preservation by lessening physical handling of the books. The range and variety of the qualitative data that was collected from a diverse group of institutions, covering the arts, architecture, engineering, science and crafts, makes it difficult to offer specific recommendations, but the findings are useful for institutions that hold sketchbooks that are looking to bring them to a wider audience, and suggest routes towards making them more easily found, as well as raising their profile.