Welcome
Welcome to the Special Collections Department of the University of St Andrews Library.
The Department is home to the Library's collections of rare and early printed books, manuscripts, photographs and the University's institutional archive (muniments). These form a superb resource for research and teaching in a wide variety of disciplines across the arts and science.
Our aims are:
- to preserve and develop the collections in our care
- to make the collections accessible to both academic and public audiences
- to market the Department's services and resources
- to support the Library's strategic mission, and the University's aims of excellence in teaching, learning and research.
How to use the Department
There is a supervised Reading Room that is open for use by visiting scholars and the general public as well as staff and students of the University.
Facilities include 24 reader places with power points for personal computers, microfilm and microfiche readers and printers, photocopying and photographic services.
To register as a reader:
You do not need to be a registered reader of the University Library. You will be asked to fill in a small registration form, and to provide identification, on your first visit to the department. Thereafter, the books or manuscripts that you request will be brought to you, and you must abide by the regulations for the use of the Reading Room. Follow the link for details of Opening hours and vacation closures.
Registration as a user of Special Collections does not give you borrowing rights in the Main Library, but you are welcome to use its reference facilities.
Access to any book or manuscript is at the discretion of the staff, but use of individual items would normally only be refused for reasons such as physical fragility, or their (rare) absence due to loan or exhibition.
Enquiries:
Postal and e-mail enquiries may be made to the Department, although we are limited in the extent to which research can be carried out on behalf of enquirers. There are no research or access charges.
Readers requiring research assistance, or those who wish to view items from the Photographic Collections, are advised to make prior appointments.
If you want to come to St Andrews to research your family history, the genealogy page will tell you whether we have material of relevance to you.
Location
The Special Collections department is situated on Level 1 of the University Library which is on North Street behind the Saltire building, formerly the Crawford Arts Centre. The entrance to the Library is from North Street, through a lane between Saltire and Registry, before Butts Wynd and the University Chapel. See University Map.