Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives | Cambridge University Library
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:36
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives | Cambridge University Library
skip to content
Study at Cambridge
About the University
Research at Cambridge
Search site
Home
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Undergraduate courses
Applying
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International
students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the
University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
History
Map
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
News
A global university
Events
Public engagement
Jobs
Give to Cambridge
Research at Cambridge
For staff
For Cambridge students
For alumni
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Give to Cambridge
Libraries
Museums & collections
Home
Collections
All collections & departments
Cambridge University Library
Home
Using the Library
Using the Library overview
Your library membership
Your library membership overview
Online resources and services
Remote services
Remote services overview
Visit the University Library
Visit the University Library overview
Library service updates
Accessibility and disabled library users
Accessibility and disabled library users overview
Research
Research overview
University Library Research Institute
University Library Research Institute overview
Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation overview
Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities overview
Open Research
Research Data management
Futurelib Innovation Programme
Futurelib Innovation Programme overview
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning overview
Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge
What's On
What's On overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
Events
Events overview
The Really Popular Book Club
Google Arts and Culture
Search and Find
Search and Find overview
LibGuides - Subject guides
eResources and eJournals
iDiscover
ArchiveSearch
Reference Management
Other catalogues
Collections
Collections overview
Special Collections
Special Collections overview
All collections & departments
All collections & departments overview
Recommend an item for our collection
Recommend an item for our collection overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
About
About overview
Governance
Governance overview
History of the Library
History of the Library overview
Statement of Collecting Policy
Prizes and Fellowships
Prizes and Fellowships overview
Library Storage Facility
Press and media
Support Us
Support Us overview
Ways to support us
Contact
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Access Policy
Search the Collections
Subject Guides
Significant archival collections
Contact us
Bible Society's library
Chinese collections
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
French collections
Germanic collections
Inter-Library Loans
Italian collections
Japanese collections
Korean collections
Latin American & Iberian Collections
Legal Deposit
Maps
Modern Greek collections
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Department
Official Publications
Open Research
Papyrus Collections
Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
The Department of Manuscripts and
University Archives
is home to a wide range of material, from important medieval manuscripts to collections of personal papers dating from the twentieth century. It includes scientific collections, business archives, the records of the University and political papers. Cambridge University PhD theses are also held by the department.
Consulting our Collections
All archives, modern and medieval manuscripts and University Archives are consulted in the
Special Collections Reading Room
on the first floor of the Library. To order material for consultation, please email
specialcollections@lib.cam.ac.uk
.
Bible Societ
y manuscripts and archives, manuscript items and photographs from the
Royal Commonwealth Society
collections and
Near and Middle Eastern
and
South Asian
manuscripts are also consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room Room, though these collections have their own specialist curatorial departments.
Searching our Collections
You can find online catalogues to many of our collections on our
ArchiveSearch
database, whilst details of how our holdings are arranged and how to search our collections are available on our
Search the Collections
page. We also have a set of
subject guides
offering overviews of our material and a listing of some of our most
significant archival collections
with links to more detailed information.
Imaging Services
It is possible for our Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory to make copies of manuscripts and archives, depending on the physical nature of the material. Details for their services are available on their
web pages
. There also is an
online order form
.
Contact us
Archives and Modern Manuscripts Department
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9DR
Email:
specialcollections@lib.cam.ac.uk
Phone: 01223 333117
Special Collections Reading Room Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 9:30am to 6.50pm
Saturday: 9:30am to 4.30pm
Sunday: closed
Related links
Visiting Special Collections
ArchiveSearch
Special Collections blog
Cambridge Digital Library
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Social Media
Library blogs
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Join us
Job opportunities
© 2026 University of Cambridge
Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the University
and Colleges work
Give to Cambridge
Jobs
Map
Visiting the University
Research at Cambridge
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Public engagement
Spotlight on...
skip to content
Study at Cambridge
About the University
Research at Cambridge
Search site
Home
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Undergraduate courses
Applying
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International
students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the
University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
History
Map
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
News
A global university
Events
Public engagement
Jobs
Give to Cambridge
Research at Cambridge
For staff
For Cambridge students
For alumni
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Give to Cambridge
Libraries
Museums & collections
Home
Collections
All collections & departments
Cambridge University Library
Home
Using the Library
Using the Library overview
Your library membership
Your library membership overview
Online resources and services
Remote services
Remote services overview
Visit the University Library
Visit the University Library overview
Library service updates
Accessibility and disabled library users
Accessibility and disabled library users overview
Research
Research overview
University Library Research Institute
University Library Research Institute overview
Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation overview
Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities overview
Open Research
Research Data management
Futurelib Innovation Programme
Futurelib Innovation Programme overview
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning overview
Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge
What's On
What's On overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
Events
Events overview
The Really Popular Book Club
Google Arts and Culture
Search and Find
Search and Find overview
LibGuides - Subject guides
eResources and eJournals
iDiscover
ArchiveSearch
Reference Management
Other catalogues
Collections
Collections overview
Special Collections
Special Collections overview
All collections & departments
All collections & departments overview
Recommend an item for our collection
Recommend an item for our collection overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
About
About overview
Governance
Governance overview
History of the Library
History of the Library overview
Statement of Collecting Policy
Prizes and Fellowships
Prizes and Fellowships overview
Library Storage Facility
Press and media
Support Us
Support Us overview
Ways to support us
Contact
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Access Policy
Search the Collections
Subject Guides
Significant archival collections
Contact us
Bible Society's library
Chinese collections
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
French collections
Germanic collections
Inter-Library Loans
Italian collections
Japanese collections
Korean collections
Latin American & Iberian Collections
Legal Deposit
Maps
Modern Greek collections
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Department
Official Publications
Open Research
Papyrus Collections
Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
The Department of Manuscripts and
University Archives
is home to a wide range of material, from important medieval manuscripts to collections of personal papers dating from the twentieth century. It includes scientific collections, business archives, the records of the University and political papers. Cambridge University PhD theses are also held by the department.
Consulting our Collections
All archives, modern and medieval manuscripts and University Archives are consulted in the
Special Collections Reading Room
on the first floor of the Library. To order material for consultation, please email
specialcollections@lib.cam.ac.uk
.
Bible Societ
y manuscripts and archives, manuscript items and photographs from the
Royal Commonwealth Society
collections and
Near and Middle Eastern
and
South Asian
manuscripts are also consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room Room, though these collections have their own specialist curatorial departments.
Searching our Collections
You can find online catalogues to many of our collections on our
ArchiveSearch
database, whilst details of how our holdings are arranged and how to search our collections are available on our
Search the Collections
page. We also have a set of
subject guides
offering overviews of our material and a listing of some of our most
significant archival collections
with links to more detailed information.
Imaging Services
It is possible for our Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory to make copies of manuscripts and archives, depending on the physical nature of the material. Details for their services are available on their
web pages
. There also is an
online order form
.
Contact us
Archives and Modern Manuscripts Department
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9DR
Email:
specialcollections@lib.cam.ac.uk
Phone: 01223 333117
Special Collections Reading Room Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 9:30am to 6.50pm
Saturday: 9:30am to 4.30pm
Sunday: closed
Related links
Visiting Special Collections
ArchiveSearch
Special Collections blog
Cambridge Digital Library
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Social Media
Library blogs
YouTube
Join us
Job opportunities
© 2026 University of Cambridge
Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the University
and Colleges work
Give to Cambridge
Jobs
Map
Visiting the University
Research at Cambridge
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Public engagement
Spotlight on...