Manuscripts and archives
Use our special collections to conduct primary research.
Go to: What are manuscripts and archives? | Searching national archives | Searching UoN collections
What are manuscripts and archives?
Manuscripts and archives are unique items and collections, created or collected by a person or an organisation, which have been retained as evidence of their activities, or because of the information they contain.
The content may be written by hand, but might also be printed or digital.
Manuscripts and special collections are useful because they:
- are primary source materials that provide an authentic glimpse into the past
- require you to piece together evidence to interpret their content
- can be used for original research
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Searching national archives
Use the links below to search the UK National Archives and other UK repositories.
Archives Hub will enable you to more effectively search the British Library collections, while the institution continues to recover from a major cyber attack.
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Searching University of Nottingham collections
Manuscripts and Special Collections
Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham holds:
- archive material dating back to the 12th century
- rare books published from the 16th century onwards
- research collections on specific themes
Because these resources are often unique, and can be fragile, they are stored in controlled conditions, and can only be consulted in the reading room (King’s Meadow Campus, UK).
The contents of over 600 collections held at the University of Nottingham are described in the Manuscripts Online Catalogue. There will be an entry giving an overview of the whole collection, and further entries providing details of sub-sections and individual documents.
The video below will guide you through the search process on the Manuscripts Online Catalogue:
Archive catalogues do not include digital images or full transcripts of the documents they describe. They are a tool to help you decide if you want to see the original item. You can also find information about manuscripts and archives in NUsearch, but it is easier to search for them in the Manuscripts Online Catalogue.
Manuscripts and Special Collections also provide research guidance for searching the collections, as well as guides to specific subject areas.
Using NUsearch to find rare books and printed materials
Items from the rare book collections are catalogued on NUsearch. They will be shown with the location as King’s Meadow Campus, and will be part of a named collection.
To see the books and other printed material in the Special Collections, switch to an Advanced Search on NUsearch, type KMC as your search term, and change ‘Anywhere’ to ‘Library’.
Finding documents online
Items from the collection are increasingly being digitised and put online in subject galleries.
Online versions of exhibitions that have been curated with academic staff can be viewed in the Exhibitions and gallery section of the Manuscripts and Special Collections page.
Viewing available items in person
When you find something you’d like to see, and it’s not available online, you can contact Manuscripts and Special Collections to make an appointment to visit the reading room at King's Meadow Campus.
Visit the Manuscripts and Special Collections webpage for more information on visiting the reading room.
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