Frequently asked questions
- How can I receive a copy of the newsletter?
- How can I help the Unit in its work?
- I wish to study items from the Genizah, how can I gain access to the Collection?
- How can I visit the Collection?
- Is there a good general book about the Collection and its history?
- How do I obtain permission to publish an image of a Cambridge University Library Genizah manuscript?
- Can I use an image from the website in a PowerPoint presentation?
- How can I borrow a manuscript for an exhibition?
- Where is the University Library?
How can I receive a copy of the newsletter?
Send your name and postal address to the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR, England; or by email to: genizah@lib.cam.ac.uk and we will place you on the mailing list. Alternatively, you may like to receive an electronic copy emailed as a .pdf, in which case please state this in an email to us. There is no charge for this service, though readers not already supporting the Unit are asked to help ensure the continuity of the Unit's projects by making a small, regular gift. Contributions may be made to ‘University of Cambridge’ or to ‘Cambridge in America’, as explained below.
How can I help the Unit in its work?
The Genizah Research Unit relies upon external funding for most of its work of description, conservation, education and digitisation. We are grateful for any financial support that enables us to continue with our many projects, and if you would like to help please contact:
Dr Ben Outhwaite
Genizah Research Unit
Cambridge University Library
West Road, Cambridge
CB3 9DR
England
UK
Tel: (00-44-1223) 333129 (Genizah Research Unit office)
and (00-44-1223) 333000 (University Library switchboard)
Fax: (00-44-1223) 333160
Email: genizah@lib.cam.ac.uk
In the USA, ‘Cambridge in America’ supports the Taylor-Schechter Collection with its unfunded grant number 7/78. If you are interested in supporting this project, please contact the Director of the Annual Appeal at: Cambridge in America, 292 Madison Ave, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA, Phone: (212) 984-0960, Fax: (212) 984-0970, E-mail: mail@cantab.org, Website: www.cantab.org.
Cambridge in America is the alumni, development, and communications centre for the American constituents of Cambridge University (UK) and its member Colleges. Cambridge in America is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization and contributions are legally deductible for United States income tax purposes. They are similarly deductible in Canada even if made directly to Cambridge.
I wish to study items from the Genizah, how can I gain access to the Collection?
If you are a scholar from another university you will need to produce adequate evidence of academical status and a letter of introduction in order to obtain a reader’s ticket from the University Library’s Admissions Department, allowing you access to the Manuscripts Reading Room where you can consult Genizah items. Research students from other universities will require a letter of introduction from their Faculty Dean or equivalent. Please see the following link for further information.
Details of eligibility to obtain a Reader's ticket.
You can apply online for a reader's ticket or in person, though you should contact the Admissions Department before your visit to make an appointment. Once you have access to the Manuscripts Reading Room you can order any Genizah items you wish and they will be brought to you within a few minutes.
How can I visit the Collection?
Since the Genizah Unit is a research unit and lacks a permanent exhibition centre to display manuscripts, we are unable to host individual visitors to the Collection. We do, however, welcome organised groups (minimum 12 people; maximum 40 people) by prior arrangement. Please contact the Unit’s secretary, Mrs Sarah Sykes, tel: (01223) 333129; email:genizah@lib.cam.ac.uk
Is there a good general book about the Collection and its history?
There are a great many books about the Genizah and its manuscripts, but for those who are new to the subject or who are seeking a general, but thorough, overview of the Collection and its history, we would recommend the following three titles, each of whose strengths and weaknesses complements the others nicely:
M. Glickman, Sacred treasure — the Cairo Genizah: the amazing discoveries of forgotten Jewish history in an Egyptian synagogue attic (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2010), assumes no prior knowledge and is bang up to date.
A. Hoffman and P. Cole, Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza (Nextbook/Schocken, 2011), is described by Harold Bloom as ‘a small masterpiece’ and will enlighten even seasoned experts on the Collection.
S. C. Reif, A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo: the history of Cambridge University's Genizah Collection (Richmond, Surrey : Curzon Press, 2000), is written by the founding director of the Genizah Research Unit and has an excellent bibliography.
How do I obtain permission to publish an image of a Cambridge University Library Genizah manuscript?
Please visit this page for instructions on how to apply for reproduction rights.
Can I use an image from the website in a PowerPoint presentation?
Permission is not required to use an image in a PowerPoint presentation for teaching purposes or lecture handouts provided that it is correctly credited as Reproduced by kind permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and that the material is not subsequently distributed either in print or electronically. For permission to reproduce items in print and/or to obtain higher-resolution images, please contact Imaging Services.
How can I borrow a manuscript for an exhibtion?
Please see the Special Collections document The loan of items to external exhibitions: policy and guidelines for details of how to apply for an exhibition loan.
Where is the University Library?
The address of the Library is Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR. [Map]