Manchester History Workshop: Using Special Collections at the John Rylands Library and the Main Library
This resource has been created for University of Manchester History students enrolled on the Manchester History Workshop module (HIST 10272). It gives an overview of relevant materials held at the University of Manchester Special Collections at both the historic John Rylands Library and the Main University Library, guidance on how to search the various catalogues and indexes, how to find digitised material and advice on how to access the collections in person or online. It also introduces you to some of the Curators and the Reader Services Team. If you require further information on Special Collections held at the Deansgate or Main Library sites please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
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What are Special Collections?
Modern History Collections at the John Rylands Library
Modern History Collections held at the Main Library
‘Made in Manchester’ resources
Manchester Migrations
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre
Searching Catalogues (including videos on Library Search and Elgar) and searching Special Collections A-Z
Accessing our digitised collections (including a video on Luna)
Using Images in your work
Accessing our Physical Collections
Virtual Appointments
What are Special 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.
Special Collections are a powerful tool for enhancing the learning experience. They offer glimpses into past worlds, ideas and beliefs which raise interesting questions around contemporary concepts and values.
As you might expect the collections at the University of Manchester Library are rich in the history of Manchester from its industrial past through its late twentieth century post-industrial reinvention. Within the records documenting trade and industrial enterprise you can catch glimpses of the lives of working people, many of whom arrived in the city from elsewhere in search of work and opportunity. Housing developments, maps, transport, societies and charity records also offer insights into the people who lived and worked in the city.
Modern History Collections at the John Rylands Library
Special Collections at Deansgate holds several hundred archives of companies, business associations, trade unions, charities, social organisations and religious institutions. Archives provide us with primary evidence of the transactions, processes and events. While they were created by a company or institutions to fulfil a specific business function they can often contain information on topics never considered by their original creators.
Archives and personal papers created by an individual can also be illuminating. For example, the Library has the papers of James Kay Shuttleworth (1804–1877), an educationalist and public health reformer who worked in the slum districts of Manchester. His archive and books document the dire living conditions of Irish workers in the mid-nineteenth century city.
Mid-nineteenth century Manchester attracted a large number of Irish workers fleeing extreme poverty in their homeland. These new arrivals congregated in the poorest part of the city where housing was cheap. This led to the area of the city near to Oxford Road station being called ‘Little Ireland’, a nickname that was recorded by contemporary map makers.
As the world’s first industrial city, Manchester’s rapid expansion in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries attracted workers from across the globe. Wage ledgers and employee records of cotton mills, engineering and chemical companies held in the Library offer clues to person’s place of origin. So while these business records primarily document industrial history with a little digging you can unearth clues about the people that operated the looms and kept the mills running. Unskilled manual work could also be found in transport, construction and the building trade.
By the mid-1890s Manchester’s long awaited Ship Canal opened allowing the city to compete directly with the nearby port of Liverpool. The building of the canal employed thousands of ‘navvies’ many of whom were Irish. Manchester’s inland dock would become a conduit for international trade facilitated by large numbers of West African seamen.
Another key driver positioning the City of Manchester on the world stage was the Manchester Guardian. Particularly under the editorship of C P Scott from 1872 until 1929. During his reign the Guardian went from a provincial publication to a newspaper with a global reputation. The Library holds the Guardian newspaper archive which is a key source for understanding Manchester as well as the key social, political and economic issues of the day.
The Library has a wealth of primary sources for the study of Britain’s economic, social, political and industrial past, many of which focus on Manchester. Below you can find links to the relevant Special Collection Subject Guides which give a detailed overview of both printed and archival collections.
· Economic and industrial history
· Social and political history
Modern History Collections held at the Main Library
The University of Manchester Archives which are located in the Main Library document the history of the University including the student body and academics. Many of those who arrived as students in Manchester stayed on and made the city their home. The University of Manchester Student Ephemera Collection is rich in protest and social movements, especially between the 1960s to 1980s. Causes espoused ranged from global issues like anti-apartheid and opposition to the Vietnam War to internal issues such as student participation in university government. The University of Manchester Students’ Union Archive will also hold relevant material on the history of the city.
From its earliest days the University of Manchester took a keen interest in the urban poor and sought to improve living conditions in the city. The University Settlement Archives hold information on early twentieth century social housing and urban poverty in the Ancoats area of Manchester.
For further information on archives relating to the University please contact: The University Archivist, James Peters
The other key resource at the Main Library for this module is our extensive Map Collection which includes historic and modern maps of central Manchester and the surrounding areas. For further information and assistance with map enquiries please contact the Map Librarian, Donna Sherman
‘Made in Manchester’ resources
A good way of finding more about Manchester’s recent history is to take a look at the collection of Medium blog resources created by Special Collections staff known collectively as ‘Made in Manchester’
These resources tell the story of Manchester from its industrial past through its late twentieth century post-industrial reinvention. The blog resources cover a wide range of topics from science and industry to political protest and travelling showmen. The stories are told through archives, photographs, maps, letters, minute books and other materials found in the University of Manchester Library. The blog below explains further
You will see that the ‘Made in Manchester’ resource is under construction. We would very much like to incorporate the work you create on your module here so it can be shared with other researchers. At present our section on Migration and Manchester is unpopulated and our ambition is to add a broader and more diverse range of people who shaped the city. See blog below
Manchester Migrations
The city of Manchester has been shaped by migrations. Over the centuries people have arrived in search of work and new opportunities. In the nineteenth century the thriving cotton trade attracted impoverished Irish migrants escaping the potato famine, Italians escaping political turmoil at home, followed by Jewish migrants fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe. ‘Cottonopolis’ also drew in rural migrants from across the United Kingdom. Despite all the squalor and social problems that accompanied Manchester’s economic success, the city was an exciting place to live with far greater opportunities for education, political activity and leisure than that found in the countryside or in a small town.
By the middle of the 20th century, the main immigrants were the Irish, Caribbean (particularly Jamaicans), South-Africans, East African Asians from Kenya and people from India and Pakistan. Most of these migrants settled around the city centre, with the Irish and Asian migrants choosing the north and east of the city centre in places like Cheetham and Ardwick. Black ethnic groups settled to the south, predominantly in Moss Side.
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre
The very best place to find out more about the diverse range of people who have made Manchester their home in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is at the RACE Centre located at the Manchester Central Library. Their collection are integral to this module and you will be receiving specific guidance from the RACE Centre itself on the collections they hold.
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’). Collections-level archive catalogues can also be accessed online via Archives Hub.
The blogs below also give a good sense of what the Centre does and its centrality to this module.
If you have any question on their holdings please contact them directly rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk
Please note that the bulk of modern and contemporary (late twentieth and early twenty-first century) collections relating to Manchester and Migration histories will be at the RACE Centre located at the Manchester Central Library. Most collections at the John Rylands Library and at the Main Library will typically be for earlier periods (eg nineteenth and early to mid twentieth century). Maps and the Archives of the University of Manchester held at the Main Library are the exception to this rule!
Searching Catalogues (including videos on Library Search and Elgar)
Once you have decided on your topic you will need to interrogate our catalogues. Unfortunately this is less straightforward than finding a regular book in the main library! During lockdown we have developed a series of short video guides on searching and finding material which you can work through in your own time. See below.
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. Catalogue records reflect the complexity and uniqueness of such material making it difficult for retrieval systems to combine the varied elements of each format (eg book, archive, image or map). It can be challenging to research a particular subject or theme, as you have to search across several types of collection. But once you master the basics it’s quite exciting to surface little known materials. Please do ask for help if you get stuck: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Library Search- how to maximise Special Collection search results
I am sure by now you are familiar with Library Search. There are several tips you can use to help you surface special collections materials which are explained by Julianne Simpson (Research Engagement Manager) in the video below. To access the video click on the caption link below
Elgar- how to search archive catalogues
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
Some other places to look for resources on Manchester
- A-Z of Special Collections: This is a central page which links to short descriptions of all the major collections (archival and printed) held at the Library
Try a key word search to search across all the collection descriptions as illustrated in the screen shot below.
It is definitely worth checking our blog to see if previous research has been done. I also recommend looking at the Rylands Reflects series which considers the origins of the John Rylands Library itself and connection between the cotton industry and slavery.
Searching across formats is complicated. Check out which person(s) might best be able to help you. If you are unsure use the generic email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Accessing our digitised collections
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 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. 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 information and tips on using Luna please see this post:
Anne Anderton, Curator of Western Manuscripts & Visual Collections has also created a useful video explaining how to maximise Luna searches. To access the video click on the caption link below
Manchester Digital Collections (MDC)
Manchester Digital Collections (MDC) is our newest platform, it allows enhanced viewing and manipulation of ultra-high quality images, with a parallel display of text, audio and video content. Unlike Luna it also includes material from other Manchester cultural institutions including the Whitworth Art Gallery and the Manchester Museum, this makes it valuable to students looking for visual content. We don’t yet have a video guide (sadly).
Using Library 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. When viewing an image on Luna, there will be an ‘Access Rights’ field on the left hand side with a Creative Commons logo beneath. Clicking on logo this will clarify the terms under which the image can be reused.
For further information on copyright and reusing our images in your work, please see the Specialist Library Support team’s guidance, or contact the Imaging team.
Accessing our Physical Collections
Service Update
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.
Appointments will be available:
- For collections held at Rylands: Mondays- Fridays between 10am and 4pm.
- For collections held at the Main Library: Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 4pm.
- Limited spaces are available, and you must give a minimum of one week’s notice when booking an appointment.
The majority of our collections are physical and you will need to visit in person. Reader Services have created two short videos explaining how Reader Service is operating during the pandemic. The John Rylands Library Reading room and the Reading Room at the Main Library are offering a limited service to those able to visit in person, find out more in the video below. To make an appointment to visit in person please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Virtual Appointments
Virtual appointments are now available to 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.
Appointments are available:
- For collections held at the Rylands: Mondays - Fridays between 10am and 4pm
- For collections held at the Main Library: Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 4pm
You must give a minimum of one week’s notice when booking an 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. To make an appointment please email: uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Short video explaining how virtual appointments work
And finally …
Remember Special Collections staff are always pleased to provide support and advice to undergraduate students. We know using archives can feel very daunting especially at the start. Don’t be shy, we would love to talk with you and support your research. You can reach us on:uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Other blogs you might like
Image in this blog post are 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 caption description.
