Archival Research for Modern History Students
A short guide to finding, using and analysing Special Collections material at the University of Manchester Library
Introduction
This resource will help you to navigate the wonderful world of Special Collections at the University of Manchester (UoM). Special Collections are valuable primary sources and using them effectively will enhance your research skills and help you to develop a critical approach to learning.
Content
What are Special Collections?
It isn’t easy to define ‘Special Collections’. It is a general term which usually refers to items which are unique or rare but it also includes items which have a particular association to people, places or events. Special Collections are not necessarily old. We do have clay tablets which date back to 2500 BCE but we also hold examples of modern fine printing, oral history recordings and email archives.
The Special Collections at the University of Manchester comprise rare books, manuscripts, archives, maps, visual materials, and film and audio recordings. To discover the characteristics of some of these and what makes them special, read the post below:
The challenges of using Special Collections
There is no single place you can find all Special Collections conveniently listed. Cataloguing conventions have historically been shaped by format and profession-specific methodology. For example, libraries (books), archives (documents), galleries & museums (visual collections and objects). So, the way in which a book is catalogued is different from how an archive is catalogued, and this might be different again to how an object such as a sculpture is described in a Museum catalogue.
Catalogue records reflect the complexity and uniqueness of such material making it difficult for search engines and retrieval systems to combine all the elements of each format. Furthermore, not all our collections are catalogued! It can be challenging to research a particular subject or theme, as you may have to search across several types of collection.
Much Special Collections material is unique or rare and can be extremely fragile. Items are usually stored in secure, temperature and humidity controlled storage areas and must be retrieved by specialist staff. The items must also be consulted in secure reading rooms and special care may be required when handling them.
Access to some archives may be limited due to the 2018 Data Protection Act and there may be embargos on using some material. Special permission may be required to consult some items.
These issues can provide barriers to access. It can be difficult to navigate catalogues and items need to be ordered in advance so that the condition of the material can be checked and any special access permissions can be arranged.
But don’t be deterred! The good news is that these barriers can be overcome and we will provide further guidance on this later on.
Archives, memory, absence and power
There are also more complex issues to consider when using Special Collections. Cultural institutions such as libraries, archives, museums and galleries act as society’s memory. It is therefore important to consider who compiled the archive or collection, what is included or absent, whose viewpoint it represents, and whose stories are told. Some of these concepts are explored in the resource below:
The University of Manchester Library is committed to engaging with issues such as colonial legacy, racism, absence and power and is working towards diversifying its collections. Regular discussions aim to inform effective action through professional practice.
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre is part of the University of Manchester Library Special Collections. Their library and archive collections relate to race and ethnicity, racism, race relations, and the histories and experiences of Black, Asian, global majority, refugee and migrant communities. You can find out more about their collections here:
A series of blog posts ‘Rylands Reflects’ explores the history of the John Rylands Library, our collections, and our current practice as heritage professionals in the context of racism, colonisation and representation of marginalised groups.
How to search UML Special Collections
There are a lot of different types of material included in Special Collections which vary in format. 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.
Our catalogues
Most of our catalogues can be accessed from this page. From here you can search printed materials, visual materials, archives, digital collections and manuscripts.
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 search for maps, use Library Search. Select the ‘advanced’ search function and refine your search to ‘Special Collections’. Type in your keyword and select ‘maps’ from the drop down menu under ‘material type’.
The Elgar archives catalogue can be found here. This short video describes how to search for archives:
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre archive and library collections are held and catalogued separately. Go to the AIU collections page to view their collections catalogues. 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’). Collections-level archive catalogues can also be accessed online via Archives Hub: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/locations/e5ae689f-20eb-32cc-b680-2ec6592659b4
Other ways to search
Our Guide to Special Collections provides an overview of our collections and the A-Z of our collections is a very useful resource, with each collection including a list of its finding aids. You can also find our collections grouped by subject here. The Library’s subject guide for History also has a page dedicated to Special Collections which may be useful to History students.
Ask for help
Curators are happy to help with your enquiries and support you with your dissertation topic. The subject lead for modern history is Janette Martin and you can learn more about Janette’s work here. You can contact Janette directly (janette.martin@manchester.ac.uk)or via the Special Collections email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
If you have any questions regarding collections at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre please contact them directly at: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk
Digital Collections at UoM
Many of our Special Collections are available to view online. The Library has two platforms for viewing these images:
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.
Library Digital Collections is our established image viewer, which hosts all of our digitised images on LUNA. This is more like an image bank which you can browse by collection or keyword. Please note that Luna is a database and does not operate on a ‘google style’ search. It will not second guess typos or spelling mistakes. For this reason, a simple word rather than a string will work best. For more detailed information, video tutorials and tips on using LUNA please see this post:
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre is a contemporary archive with many living donors, therefore some of the archive records within their collection have restricted permissions and are not suitable for open digital access. However, you can see a snapshot of some of their collections in our Library Digital Collections and a list in the Additional Resources section below provides a good snapshot into the themes, subjects and overall diversity of their collections.
Using our images in your work
The University of Manchester digitised Special Collections material is made available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 4.0) wherever possible. This license allows non-commercial reuse of the image, provided credit is given and other conditions are met. Clicking on the Creative Commons logo will clarify the terms under which the image can be reused.
Accessing and using Special Collections at UoM
Researchers can book appointments to access material in the Special Collections Reading Rooms at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library and the Main Library.
For the latest information on accessing our collections in person, as well as our remote visualiser service, please see the information here:
Once you have identified the material you wish to consult you will need to contact us to make an appointment to come and see it in person. This short video will help you to know what to expect when you visit us.
Membership
As students of the University of Manchester you are automatically registered as Special Collections readers. However, you will need to complete an online form here before your first visit and bring your ID card with you to any appointments.
Some items from the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre can be borrowed. To do this you will need to join Manchester Libraries — this is free to anyone living in the UK
Locations
The University of Manchester’s Special Collections are stored across three sites: The John Rylands Library in the city centre; the Main Library on the Oxford Road campus and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, located in Manchester Central Library, in the city centre.
Most Special Collections are held at The John Rylands Library and are consulted in the reading room on the 4th floor.
Collections held at the Main Library include the archives of the University of Manchester, Christian Brethren Archives, the Map Collection, many scientific and medical archives and post-1800 medical books. These are consulted in either the Archive Centre on Blue 4 or the Map Room on the ground floor.
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre is located on the ground floor of Manchester Central Library. Some special material may need to be consulted in the Central Library Search room on the ground floor. Please contact the centre directly at least one day in advance of your visit: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk.
We offer a closed-access reader service which means that items must be pre-ordered and can only be viewed in our reading rooms; you cannot request material on the day.
It is essential to contact us in advance of any visit. This allows us to check an item’s condition, arrange any permissions for access with its archivist or curator, and have it ready on your arrival.
When you arrive at your appointment, our friendly Reader Services staff will show you how to handle material and explain our reading room regulations. You may take photographs of most material for your work but please check with a member of staff beforehand.
If you are interested in using any material from Special Collections please get in contact with our reading room staff: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
Checklist:
Plan ahead and book in advance
Complete an online registration form prior to your first visit
Bring the following:
Your ID card
Pencils
Camera phone
LaptopBooking an appointment (Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre).
The AIU Centre falls under Manchester Central Library operations so for the latest updates on reopening see Central Library Manchester City Council
Please contact AIU directly to book an appointment to consult material held at the Centre: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk. More information about their access arrangements can be found here.
Digital Appointments
Digital appointments are available now for all readers. You can book a digital appointment to view a small amount of Special Collections material held at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library or the Main Library via a Zoom call.
Both the John Rylands Library reading room and the Main Library reading rooms 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. To make an appointment please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk
Additional Resources
- ‘Made in Manchester’ tells the story of Manchester using items from our Special Collections:
- The UoM Map Collection holds many historical maps of Manchester. A large number of these have been digitised and can be viewed in our Digital Collections. ‘Mapping Manchester’ explores urban growth and public health in industrial Manchester and examines some of the maps in more detail:
Please contact Donna Sherman (donna.sherman@manchester.ac.uk) for further information about our map collections.
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre has a number of online resources which provide an overview of the types of material in their collections.
- Extracts from some of our oral history collections can be listened to online via SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/aiucentre
- Publications of the Commission of Racial Equality (1976–2007) at: https://www.jstor.org/site/manchester/ahmed-iqbal-ullah-race-relations-resource-centre/
- Online publications that relate to our archive collections can be searched at: https://aiucentre.wordpress.com/ and https://www.racearchive.org.uk/blog/
Images reproduced with the permission of The John Rylands University Librarian and Director of the University of Manchester Library. All images used on this page are licenced via CC-BY-NC-SA, for further information about each image, please follow the link in the description.
