The University of Manchester Library

The John Rylands Library was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband John Rylands, who died in 1888. The following year Enriqueta commissioned the architect Basil Champneys to design the Library, which took ten years to build and opened to readers and visitors on 1 January 1900. Enriqueta was closely involved in the design and construction of the building, and in the simultaneous development of the collections. In particular, she was personally responsible for purchasing the two foundational collections: the incomparable collection of printed books assembled by the 2nd earl Spencer (which she bought for £210,000 in 1892) and the earl of Crawford’s collection of manuscripts (costing £155,000 in 1901). Both The John Rylands Library and Victoria University of Manchester Library had built up outstanding Special Collections. They merged in 1972. The John Rylands Research Institute was created in 2013. Since its inception, the Institute has gained both national and international recognition. It has been involved in attracting grants to support research on the collections from funders including the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, British Academy and Marie Curie Foundation. In addition, generous philanthropic donations from Amin Amiri, David Shreeve, The Soudavar Memorial Foundation and Mark Younger, amongst others, have helped to support a range of important projects. In March 2021 The John Rylands Research Institute and the University’s iconic John Rylands Library forged an exciting new partnership as the John Rylands Research Institute and Library. The renaming signalled much closer collaboration between researchers and Library staff, in order to promote more effectively world-class research and public engagement with research, based on the remarkable special collections of The University of Manchester Library.  

The Library holds several hundred archives of companies, business associations, trade unions, charities, social organizations and religious institutions, as well as landed families. Particular strengths include Nonconformist archives (especially of Methodism); archives of recent and contemporary literature and drama; the archives of the University of Manchester; and the papers of individual scientists and academics. 

The Library’s manuscripts and archives are internationally important. Their subject range is extraordinarily diverse and the collections span many centuries, from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 21st century. There is also a very wide range of formats. European manuscripts include hundreds of medieval codices, and there are major collections of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew manuscripts. The Library holds the archives of hundreds of companies, trade unions, charities, social organizations and religious institutions, as well as individuals. Particular strengths include Nonconformist archives, modern literary archives, archives of The University of Manchester, and papers of individual scientists and academics from Manchester. The rare book collections are amongst the finest in the world. They encompass almost all the landmarks of printing through five centuries, including magnificent illustrated books. Examples of fine printing, landmark works in typography, key historical texts and exquisite bookbindings. They cover a wide range of subjects: theology and philosophy; economic, social, political and military history; travel and exploration; literature, drama and music; art and archaeology; science and medicine. Highlights include: over 4,000 incunables; a remarkable collection of 16th-century Italian books; one of the greatest collections in the world covering the entire history of the printed Bible; internationally important collections of French Revolutionary material, Nonconformist literature, and scientific and medical texts. The Library’s significant Visual Collection comprises: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, glass, archives, manuscripts, prints, papers, illustrated and painted books, and associated objects. Dating from the ancient world to the present, its representation of visual culture is excellent, of international scope, importance and interest. OPenn includes some of the items from the Hebrew Collections. The Hebrew manuscripts comprise over 400 items, dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries and ranging geographically as far afield as Morocco, Yemen and Honan in China, as well as Europe; they include magnificent Torah scrolls, prayer-books, apocryphal writings, commentaries, treatises, letters, marriage contracts and piyyûtîm. 

Researchers can book appointments to access material in the Special Collections Reading Room at the JRRIL by emailing uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk. Limited spaces are available, and you must give a minimum of three days notice when booking an appointment. The Library offers a closed-access reader service which means that items must be pre-ordered. They are then retrieved by staff and brought to your desk in the Reading Room. Special Collections items cannot be borrowed.