Reading Objects in Special Collections

This resource introduces some of the ways researchers can analyse and interpret objects in Special Collections.

Objects in Special Collections can be used to provide all sorts of information. Using these objects for research can require a different approach than simply reading a book in a wider library context.

Objects in Special Collections might have complex values, with different meanings for different people. By understanding why these objects take the form they do and how they have ended up in Special Collections, researchers can gain a fuller understanding of the object, and, by implication, their area of research.

Specialised research skills are sometimes required to understand objects in these ways.