Special Collections

Leeds University Library’s Special Collections is the home of hundreds of thousands of rare books, manuscripts, archives and art. 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.

Special Collections is currently undertaking a major refurbishment and reorganisation of some of its stores. Many collections have moved into temporary storage and are temporarily unavailable, and Special Collections will be closed from 8th August to 23rd September. Our enquiry and copying service will not be available during this period either. Please check the latest situation with the Research Centre team when making a booking.

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.

We are pleased to consider offers of gifts of books, manuscripts, and objects. Please see our guidance on donating.

You can also contact us with any enquiries.