- university home
- a-z index
- help
- terms and conditions
- privacy and cookie policy
- © 2002-2013 University of Bristol
The Special Collections of the University Library comprise a rich and diverse range of printed books and journals, archival resources and artefacts in support of the academic work of the University and the wider scholarly community. To view some examples from the Special Collections visit the 100 Treasures from Special Collections page, made possible by a University of Bristol Alumni Fund grant.
The online exhibition, Atlases: Poetics, Politics, and Performance celebrates the first four hundred years of the history of the atlas.
The Graduate School of Education has made a video about the history of teacher training at the University of Bristol which used materials from its archive in Special Collections.
Special Collections is located in the Arts and Social Sciences Library, Tyndall Avenue (number 11 on the map).
Our normal opening times are:
Special Collections will be closed on the following University closure dates.
Please check the individual branch libraries for details of their holdings and opening times.
Please contact Special Collections to make an appointment to use the collections:
Researchers need to bring with them a recognised form of identification, such as a university library card, a driving licence or passport.
There is no charge for using Special Collections, but researchers are asked to abide by the Reading Room rules.
Laptops may be used in the Reading Room, but due to the limited number of power sockets available researchers are advised to ensure that their laptop batteries are fully charged.
Further details of our archives and special collections can be found on the following pages:
All of the book collections are included in the Library Catalogue, which is in two parts:
Broad descriptions of the main collections are available on the Rare book collections page. Some also have additional catalogues or handlists of their own, and this is indicated in the collection descriptions when appropriate.
The Special Collections Online Archive Catalogue is newly available. Please note that this is at a pilot stage of development, and we welcome your comments. This contains descriptions of many of our archive collections, both at collection level and down to a detailed file level; also images of the Brunel Collection, some of our medieval manuscripts, and University-related archives. There are also detailed lists of the Penguin Archive.
Catalogues and indexes to the archival collections are available in Special Collections, Arts & Social Sciences Library, and collection level descriptions of the principal collections can be found on the Archival collections page. Collection level descriptions and a number of detailed catalogues can also be found on the following websites: Archives Hub, the A2A: Access to Archives, the National Register of Archives (NRA) and The National Archive (TNA).
Staff can photocopy and scan materials from the collections for personal research use only. Researchers will be asked to complete a form to agree with these conditions and a fee will be charged. However, documents that are too large or fragile cannot be photocopied or scanned, but may be photographed. The use of digital cameras by researchers is permitted on request.
Images intended for use in publications must first be cleared with Special Collections. Please ask Special Collections staff for further information and current charges.
Acquisitions are mainly by donation or deposit, to strengthen existing specialisations and to support the University's academic mission. Items are occasionally purchased to enhance a collection or to fill gaps.
For enquiries about the collections, please contact: