Special Collections

Special Collections is the home of hundreds of thousands of rare books, manuscripts, archives, art and objects. Our collections offer a rich resource for staff, students, and the wider research community.

Our research centre has undergone significant improvements and you can now book to visit and consult material in the newly refurbished Brotherton Research Centre. Learn more about how to plan and book your visit.

Search the catalogue to find items of interest. Then you can order copies or add items to your basket to book an in-person visit or a virtual consultation.

Digitised parts of the collection are available online and can be searched, browsed and filtered through our advanced search.

The University Libraries strive to provide inclusive access to all. We are aware that there will be issues of bias and insensitivity within our historic collections, content and descriptions. Throughout 2022 we are developing approaches that will help us to address these concerns in a practical and balanced way. We are guided by archive and heritage sector development and University values.

Please see our guidance on donating to Special Collections and contact us before bringing any items to us, as we cannot accept ad-hoc donations.

You can also contact us with any enquiries.

Explore our collections

Find out about our most important collections, discover what we have to offer for students and researchers from various subject disciplines and explore our historic items in detail.

Our collections

Find out about our most important collections.

Using collections

Everyone is welcome to come to visit us and use our Special Collections. Find out what you need to know about visiting, handling materials and making use of our copying and digitisation services.

Plan your visit

Handling books and manuscripts

Opening hours

Protected access

Digitisation and copying

Family and local history research

More on Family and local history research

For staff

A man at a desk reading a from a piece of paper.

Teaching support

We support teaching through teaching sessions, research seminars, and group study sessions. You can also download one of our teaching packs or use our online resources in your teaching.

Galleries

Leeds University Library Galleries showcase the University’s remarkable collections of art and artefacts in two galleries: Treasures of the Brotherton and The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery. Located in the Parkinson Court, they are open to the public and free to enter.