How do I find out more about the Special Collections?
There are several ways to find out about our amazing Special Collections.
General
The best way to get an overview is to look at the online Guide to Special Collections. It contains summary descriptions of hundreds of collections, with links to more detailed catalogues.
Many of the Library’s Subject Guides also include sections on Special Collections.
We are developing an online Image Collection containing many thousands of high quality digital images of books, manuscripts and archives.
Rare Books and Maps
The majority of Special Collections rare books and maps are recorded in Library Search. Advanced Search gives you more search options.
However, there are some collections that are not yet fully catalogued. For advice on material not covered by the online catalogue, or for any other enquiries relating to the printed book collections, please contact us.
Archives and Manuscripts
Most archives are listed on Elgar, the Electronic Gateway to Archives at the Rylands. However, some archives and most manuscript collections are still recorded in manual catalogues, at varying degrees of detail. For more information and advice, please contact us.
Visual Collections
Many of our visual collections are as yet uncatalogued. Visual material within our printed collections is recorded in Library Search, while most of our archives are catalogued on Elgar.
Our Image Collection contains digital surrogates of many individual visual resources.
For advice on material not covered by the online catalogues, or for any other enquiries relating to the visual collections, please contact us.
What are the Special Collections?
There is no simple, catch-all definition of Special Collections. However, at the University of Manchester Library our Special Collections consist of several categories of material.
Assisting with your learning and research
If you are looking for source material for an undergraduate essay, a PhD thesis, or an academic publication, you will find an extraordinary range of rare books, journals, manuscripts, archives and visual material within our Special Collections.