Collections and Catalogues
The University Library has been actively collecting manuscript and archive material for almost a century and there are now over 3.5 million records in over 800 archive and manuscript collections. The University also has a number of named special collections of rare books and published works, ranging in size from under fifty volumes to several thousand.
Some of the collections are being regularly added to, to support current research interests, although others remain as discrete, closed collections. New collections are actively sought, to build on strengths and in support of research and teaching.
The manuscript and archive holdings include:
- the papers of leading Nottinghamshire families and their estates
- the records of local businesses and organisations, including those the Archdeaconry of Nottinghamshire
- the papers of political, diplomatic, literary, scientific and academic figures, including D.H. Lawrence
- some of the historical records of the University and its predecessor, University College Nottingham
The named special collections of published works include:
- collections relating to 18th to 19th century drama
- children’s educational literature
- the history of medicine
- Icelandic literature
- the French Revolution
- rare books and pre-1850 stock transferred from general library holdings
Many subject areas, such as the study of the life and works of D.H. Lawrence, feature in both the manuscript and printed book collections.