American Studies: Using Special Collections at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library
This resource has been created primarily to support University of Manchester American Studies students undertaking their long essay (AMER30002). It is also suitable for all students of American Studies as it provides guidance into subjects and themes within relevant collections held at the University of Manchester Special Collections at the historic John Rylands Research Institute and Library, the Main University Library, and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Library.
Guidance is provided to support students undertaking independent research and contains advice on how to search the various catalogues and indexes, how to find digitised material and who to contact for advice and access to the collections in person or online.
It also introduces you to the Curators and the Reader Services Team who are happy to talk to you about using primary source materials in your own projects. If you require further information, please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
Menu
- What are Special Collections?
- American Studies at the UOM
- How to search items in Special Collections
- Using catalogues to find items in Special Collections
- Accessing our digitised collections (including a video on Luna)
- Accessing our Physical Collections
- Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre
- Tips for choosing material
- Further reading
What are Special Collections?
A general description of Special Collections would be that they contain material which is rare or unique. This can include printed works, manuscripts, archives, maps, works of art and visual collections.
The University of Manchester Library’s world renowned Special Collections span five millennia and cover topics from Gilgamesh to Ginsberg. The collections are a unique resource of rare books, manuscripts, maps, archives, video and audio recordings, oral histories, art works and objects which lend themselves to research and learning across the spectrum of subjects.
To discover more, read the post below
American Studies Collections
Our Special Collections encompass a vast array of material relevant to American Studies, from examples of early American printing to recent and contemporary literary archives.
The printed collections include works on American social and political history including narratives of enslaved people, natural history, travel and topography, illustrated works and literature, from tracts campaigning for independence to contemporary poetry published by Carcanet Press. The library has a number of periodicals covering a number of subjects and some of these can be accessed electronically.
In the video below, archivist Elizabeth Gow talks about John James Audubon’s massive elephant-folio Birds of America (1827–38).
Private Press Books
The Library includes examples of printing from 72 American private presses, operating in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Presses include John Updike’s Merrymount Press; Thomas Bird Mosher’s press; Elbert Hubbard’s Roycroft Press and Henry Morris’s Bird & Bull Press. A list of presses and titles can be provided upon request.
Archives
Archives pertaining to American Studies illuminate such issues as the growth of Methodism in North America, the American War of Independence, the operation of slave plantations in the Caribbean and the Civil Rights Movement.
Walt Whitman, Wallace Stevens, the Black Mountain Poets and Beat writers such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso are among the subjects of our extensive literary archives.
Further individual items with relevance to American Studies are scattered across miscellaneous autograph collections or form part of other archives. Examples include single letters from significant historical figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln; letters home from men seeking their fortune in the California Gold Rush; and a scrapbook documenting the British tours of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in the late 19th/early 20th centuries which can be accessed digitally. (Also see the nation
Sources for Wild West Shows
Other sources for Wild West Shows can be are listed in the following medium post. Make sure you know where the archives are held and that you contact the repository and receive confirmation that any material is ready for you to view before you make a trip.
Our subject guide (due to be updated soon) gives more information about some of our key holdings. Special Collections — English and American Studies — Subject guides at University of Manchester
Relevant subject databases pages can be accessed from the Library web page American Studies
Subject groups
The Guide to Special Collections contains summary descriptions of the majority of the outstanding Special Collections held by the Library. In almost all cases more detailed finding aids to individual collections are available from the Library: these are cited in the Guide.
How to search UML Special Collections
There are a lot of different types of material included in Special Collections which vary in format. There is no single place you can find all Special Collections conveniently listed. Different formats have different cataloguing requirements and standards, which make it difficult to search for them in one place. This means that you may have to consult several different types of catalogue to search across collections. But once you master the basics it’s quite exciting to surface little-known materials.
We have developed a series of short video guides on searching and finding material. working through the videos in your own time will provide you will the tools to undertake your research.
Please do ask for help if you get stuck: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
Using catalogues to search Special Collections
Most of our catalogues can be accessed from from this webpage. From here you can search printed materials, visual materials, archives, digital collections and manuscripts.
Library Search
Library Search is particularly strong for printed materials (including rare books and maps). The advanced function allows you to search for items in Special Collections only. The short video below provides a brief introduction. To access the video click on the caption link below.
A-Z of Special Collections
The A-Z of our collections is a very useful resource. The central page links to short descriptions of all the major collections (archival and printed) held at the Library. You can also find our collections grouped by subject here.
Elgar
Most of our archival collections are listed in a specialist cataloguing platform called Elgar. Jess Smith (Creative Arts Archivist) has created a short video explaining how to search Elgar effectively. To access the video click on the caption link below.
Accessing our digitised collections (including a video on Luna)
Some, but certainly not all, Special Collections can be viewed online. Digitised material can be accessed online using two platforms: Luna and Manchester Digital Collections (MDC).
Luna
This is our established image viewer, hosting all of our digitised images. To find out whether an item has been photographed and is available online, it’s recommended to check first on Luna which currently has more material.
Anne Anderton, Curator of Western Manuscripts & Visual Collections has created a useful resource explaining how to maximise Luna searches.
Manchester Digital Collections (MDC)
Manchester Digital Collections is our newest platform and presents collections by research theme. It allows enhanced viewing and manipulation of images and rich descriptive content. It also includes material from other Manchester cultural institutions including the Whitworth Art Gallery and the Manchester Museum.
John Rylands Special Collections blog
It is definitely worth checking our blog to see if previous research has been done, for example there are many blog posts on counter culture written for the major exhibition Off Beat: Jeff Nuttall and the International Underground which was at The John Rylands Library from Sept 2016 to March 2017.
Accessing our Physical Collections
Special Collections items can only be studied in the reading room and can’t be borrowed. To make an appointment please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk. For details of opening times and to book a date, please look at their web pages:
Access to Special Collections material is open to all. As students at the University, you already have a library card to access our reading rooms you just need to fill out a short form, which can be done online, and produce your student cards to register as a reader in our reading rooms.
Once you have narrowed down what you want to see send an email to special collections giving at least a week’s notice. Restrictions may apply to some manuscripts and archives and a curator may need to be contacted before your visit.
Virtual Appointment
Both the John Rylands Library Reading Room and the Main Library Reading Room are offering one hour ‘virtual’ appointments for those wishing to access analogue materials but who are unable to visit in person. Find out more about how these appointments work in the video below.
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre
An introduction to the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre, part of the University…
medium.com
The RACE Centre located at the Manchester Central Library and is a specialist library focusing on the study of race, migration and ethnic diversity.
Do note that their collections are catalogued separately. You can view their collection catalogues here. For their publications go to the Manchester Libraries search page to search for their publications (you can use the ‘advanced search’ function and refine your search by selecting ‘Race Relations Research Centre’ in ‘location’). Details of the archive and oral history collections and how to access them can be found on the RACE Centre’s website. Collections-level archive catalogues can also be accessed online via Archives Hub.
If you have any question on their holdings please contact them directly rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk
Planning your research
- Study the catalogues online or in print form first
- Search for material that have been digitised
- Is there any material at other repositories? (Search Archives Hub)
- Are there any blog posts written on the material?
Think about the items you have found
- Are they catalogued (in sufficient detail)?
- Are they accessible? Are they online?
- What are the logistics and costs of accessing them?
- How much time can you afford to spend on them?
- Do they add real value to your dissertation?
Searching across formats is complicated. We have many curators who have specialised areas, and whilst we cannot do your research for you, we are happy to help and advise and point you in the right direction.
If you are unsure who is best able to help you, use the generic email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
Further reading
As more resources are created relating to American Studies we will link to them here.
The University of Manchester digitised Special Collections material is made available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 4.0) wherever possible. For further information on digital images and to request high resolution copies please contact our imaging team.
