Collections on tour and research centre stage
Cambridge University Libraries Annual Review 2022-23
Foreword by
Dr Jessica Gardner
Here we are again at the end of another remarkable period in the life of Cambridge University Libraries – the diverse family of libraries and library services across this beautiful, venerable, world-leading University.
As you scroll onwards, you’ll witness just some of the vast array of activity that takes place in our libraries every single day that our doors are open (as well as digitally 365 days of the year).
I suspect you’re reading this because you, like me, share a fundamental belief in the remarkable power of libraries wherever and however they can be found.
Our buildings and our collections – digital and physical – open up new worlds, new ideas and new discoveries. Libraries are gateways and powerhouses of knowledge, whether you’re a family historian, author, undergraduate or a world-leading academic in your field.
In our Annual Review, you’ll read stories about the launch of the University Library Research Institute – and the flagship Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project that takes place through the Institute’s vital work.
The Research Institute was established to showcase, deepen and enrich collaboration, regionally, nationally and internationally, helping us do even more to make the collections we hold on behalf of the nation more accessible, equitable, visible and more diverse.
The wonderful Curious Cures project is a brilliant example of libraries, researchers and collections coming together to examine the past, and by doing so, telling us something about ourselves as well.
You’ll also read about other stories that made headlines nationally and internationally, including the discovery of fragments written by Maimonides in the 12th century – and a long-lost, forgotten poem, potentially penned by a former Queen of England.
These and all our other stories speak to the richness of our collections and the fact that many centuries later, we’re still making new discoveries and sharing knowledge that has sometimes been hiding in plain sight.
The formats we hold keep advancing through time, but whether it’s writing on stone, bone, papyrus, parchment, paper or computer bytes, our job is to preserve wisdom and make it accessible to anyone who can benefit from it.
As we look forward to next year, an increasing focus of my work – and the work of many of my excellent colleagues – is to continue to reimagine the library services of the future in an age that is as much digital as physical, where we want to ensure our amazing libraries continue to meet the needs of our communities.
We look forward to conversations that help explore the sustainable future of library spaces and digital environments, as we shape our libraries for this and future generations.
Happy reading!
Dr Jessica Gardner
Cambridge University Librarian
Making the news
Do not try this at home:
Medieval medicine under the spotlight in major new project
What remedies were available to the medieval sufferer of toothache, gout, fever or trembling hands? Cambridge University Library finds out, with a Wellcome-funded project called Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries.
The project will digitise, catalogue and conserve over 180 medieval manuscripts. Most date from the 14th or 15th centuries, and the oldest is a thousand years old.
It will focus on manuscripts containing approximately 8,000 unedited medical recipes and will bring together unique and irreplaceable handwritten books from across the world-class collections of the University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and Cambridge colleges.
The manuscripts include recipe compilations and medical texts, but also scientific, alchemical, legal, literary, liturgical and devotional books, illustrating the many different routes by which medical knowledge of this kind was recorded, shared and transmitted during the medieval period.
Dr James Freeman, who is leading the team of project cataloguers, said: "These recipes are a reminder of the pain and precarity of medieval life: before antibiotics, before antiseptics and before analgesics as we would know them all today."
The story had several hundred high-profile pieces of media coverage across the globe and was one of the University's most-read stories of recent years with nearly 150,000 pageviews of the story from around the world.
The results of the project (high-resolution digital images, detailed descriptions and full-text transcriptions) will be made freely available on Cambridge Digital Library, with part of the collection already available.
We are grateful to the Wellcome Trust for funding this project.
Drawings of urine flasks, illustrating different colours and describing the ailments. 15th century (Credit: The Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge)
Drawings of urine flasks, illustrating different colours and describing the ailments. 15th century (Credit: The Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge)
Zodiac Man: a diagram illustrating which signs of the zodiac governed which parts of the body. (Credit: Cambridge University Library)
Zodiac Man: a diagram illustrating which signs of the zodiac governed which parts of the body. (Credit: Cambridge University Library)
Media coverage of the Curious Cures project in The Guardian newspaper: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Media coverage of the Curious Cures project in The Guardian newspaper: Saturday, 20 August 2022
The British Monarchy at war: archive available after more than two centuries
The Library is now home to what was a little-known private archive, which reveals fascinating first-hand insights into the ‘Delicate Investigation’ of 1806 – one of the most scandalous episodes in the history of the UK monarchy.
The Massy-Beresford archive lays bare the dismay and anger the Princess of Wales felt towards the Prince of Wales and the wider Royal Family over her banishment from life at court and potentially treasonous charges of adultery (which were later discredited). The collection includes a heartbroken poem – possibly composed by the former Queen of England.
Caroline of Brunswick, known as ‘The Injured Queen’, was barred from her husband’s and her own Coronation – with the Queen infamously turned away from both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall by servants of the King – just weeks before her death in 1821.
John Wells, Senior Archivist at Cambridge University Library, explains: “The outline of the story is well enough known to historians, but these personal letters – sent directly to and from the Princess and other leading participants – reveal more about the calculations and sensitivities of those most intimately involved. They give scholars insights that can’t be gleaned from the official public record."
Satirical cartoon showing Sir John and Lady Douglas being led to the pillory outside Montagu House, Blackheath, after being discredited in giving evidence against Caroline. Credit: Wikipedia Commons.
Satirical cartoon showing Sir John and Lady Douglas being led to the pillory after being discredited Credit: Wikipedia Commons.
The handwritten poem (right) believed to have been written by Queen Caroline, and a 20th century transcription by a member of the Massy-Beresford family.
The handwritten poem (right) believed to have been written by Queen Caroline, and a 20th century transcription.
Satirical print featuring King George IV and Queen Caroline slinging mud at one another. 'Which is the dirtiest, so foul the stains will be indelible'. Credit: British Museum
Satirical print featuring King George IV and Queen Caroline. 'Which is the dirtiest, so foul the stains will be indelible'. Credit: British Museum
New, handwritten Maimonides texts discovered at Cambridge University Library
A scrap of 900-year-old paper has been identified as containing the handwriting of the legendary Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.
What makes this fragment unique is that Maimonides has added the translation in a Romance dialect below some words. It is the first evidence for Maimonides knowing Romance, an evolving dialect version of Latin that is a pre-cursor to what would eventually become modern-day Spanish dialects and language. The discovery was covered widely in the Spanish media.
The pages are a glossary of basic terms relating to herbs, foods and colours and were identified by José Martínez Delgado, a visiting professor to Cambridge University Library’s Genizah Research Unit, from the Department of Semitic Studies at the University of Granada.
A fragment from the Mishneh Torah, also in Maimonides' hand, part of the Cambridge Genizah archive.
A fragment from the Mishneh Torah, also in Maimonides' hand, part of the Cambridge Genizah archive.
Maimonides was born in Cordoba in 1135 and his codification of Jewish law (the Mishneh Torah) is still considered a cornerstone of Jewish law and ethics.
The fragment is part of Cambridge’s Cairo Genizah collection of more than 200,000 fragments of writing chronicling life over 1,000 years in Egypt and the Middle East.
Student solves Sanskrit’s 2,500-year-old algorithm with manuscripts at the Library
A grammatical problem, which has defeated Sanskrit scholars since the 5th Century BC, has been solved by University of Cambridge PhD student Rishi Rajpopat – with the help of the University Library's collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, some of the oldest in the world.
His discovery makes it possible to derive any Sanskrit word – to construct millions of grammatically correct words including ‘mantra’ and ‘guru’ – using Pāṇini’s revered ‘language machine’ which is widely considered to be one of the greatest intellectual achievements in history.
Dr Rishi Rajpopat decoded the 2,500-year-old algorithm while researching for his PhD thesis (published on 15th December 2022), and he explains how in this video.
Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, and also the medium through which much of India’s greatest science, philosophy, poetry and other secular literature have been communicated for centuries. As Dr Rajpopat said, “Some of the most ancient wisdom of India has been produced in Sanskrit and we still don’t fully understand what our ancestors achieved. Perhaps now we will."
Cambridge University Libraries hold a significant collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, including the Pārameśvaratantra, a scripture of the Śaiva Siddhā; written on palm leaf around 828 CE, it is one of the oldest known Sanskrit manuscripts.
Page from an 18th-century copy of the Dhātupāṭha of Pāṇini (MS Add.2351) held by Cambridge University Library
Page from an 18th-century copy of the Dhātupāṭha of Pāṇini (MS Add.2351) held by Cambridge University Library
Rishi Rajpopat learnt Sanskrit in high school and Pāṇini's Sanskrit grammar informally from a retired Indian professor at no charge whilst pursuing his Bachelors in Economics in Mumbai, near where he was born. The Cambridge Trust and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation funded his PhD scholarship at Cambridge.
The story gained the attention of the world: with over 800 pieces of international media coverage, plus hundreds of blogs and YouTube videos. The University of Cambridge YouTube film has had over 294,000 views. Social media reached millions. Dr Rajpopat was congratulated on Twitter by politicians in India and invited to meet the Director of the Nehru Centre in London.
Sharing our collections with the world
Charles Darwin in New York
Charles Darwin: A Life in Letters and Charles Darwin: Off the Page at The New York Public Library, in partnership with Cambridge University Library.
Following the huge success of our Darwin in Conversation exhibition at the UL, the vast majority of the show – as well as Leonara Saunders' outstanding portraiture exhibition – went on tour and display in New York, with more than 300,000 visitors engaging with our priceless Darwin collections.
Darwin’s prolific correspondence – around 15,000 letters over his lifetime – reveals the rich tapestry of his global network, including a taxidermist who was previously enslaved, and an American pioneer of women’s suffrage.
Through their letters to him, and his responses, Darwin’s many correspondents contributed hugely to his exploration and intellectual development. They taught him, argued with him, challenged him, and shared their own work and specimens with him. Yet they are largely forgotten and unacknowledged by the world – until now.
The exhibitions featured the correspondence, as well as accompanying photographs by Leonora Saunders, posed by modern-day contemporaries, each with their own link to these histories.
The Darwin in Conversation: Off the Page exhibition first ran at the University Library, unravelling some of the fascinating stories to be found among the Darwin Correspondence Project archives, and exploring the lives and work of the unknown people who corresponded with Darwin.
Charles Darwin: A Life in Letters helped to celebrate the completion of the Darwin Correspondence Project, a 45-year endeavour to publish all of Charles Darwin's letters – one of the longest-running humanities projects of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Charles Darwin: Off the Page exhibition at The New York Public Library
Charles Darwin: Off the Page exhibition at The New York Public Library
Darwin omitted discussion of human evolution from Origin and only tackled it much later. Darwin's aim was to establish not only the unity of the human species, but also continuity between humans and other animals.
Darwin omitted discussion of human evolution from Origin and only tackled it much later. Darwin's aim was to establish not only the unity of the human species, but also continuity between humans and other animals.
Charles Darwin: A Life in Letters at the New York Public Library
Charles Darwin: A Life in Letters at the New York Public Library
Cambridge University Librarian, Dr Jessica Gardner, giving a speech at the opening of the exhibitions in New York
Cambridge University Librarian, Dr Jessica Gardner, giving a speech at the opening of the exhibitions in New York
Creating new connections: southern African collections
Shared digital curation of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) southern African collections at Cambridge University Library, generously funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The Royal Commonwealth Society collection is an enormous repository of information, pictorial and written, print and manuscript, on the Commonwealth and Britain's former colonial territories.
The project set out to address the intrinsic problem that for the most part the collection represented the perspective of the coloniser, and the majority of the RCS holdings relating to southern Africa were accessible only to those able to physically visit Cambridge.
The project aims to develop and promote engagement with groups or individuals in or closely related to southern Africa, whose local and personal knowledge will enhance and examine understanding and interpretation of the RCS collections.
The project will soon be complete and freely available globally on Cambridge Digital Library.
Cambridge University Library RCS pamphlet collection
Cambridge University Library RCS pamphlet collection
Examples from RCS Lovedale Press collection to be digitised on Cambridge Digital Library
Examples from RCS Lovedale Press collection to be digitised on Cambridge Digital Library
Reports and minutes of evidence of the South African Native Affairs Commission, which are now digtised and available on Cambridge Digital Library (RCS.Case.a.152-156)
Reports and minutes of evidence of the South African Native Affairs Commission, which are now digtised and available on Cambridge Digital Library (RCS.Case.a.152-156)
Isaac Newton’s early scientific notes and letters now available
Major archive of Newton’s early scientific correspondence made available for the first time ever, by Cambridge University Library.
Cambridge University Library purchased The Macclesfield Collection – one of the most important collections of scientific papers previously still in private hands – thanks to generous philanthropic support. Since then, a conservation and digitisation project has been underway and is now complete. Funding for the conservation work undertaken was generously provided through a grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation project.
The collection was assembled by mathematicians John Collins (1625-1683) and William Jones (1675-1749), who was a tutor in the house of Thomas Parker, the first Earl of Macclesfield (1667-1732). As well as being mathematicians in their own right, both men corresponded with leading scientific figures of their day: the collection includes autograph material by Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley, Henry Briggs, Roger Cotes, Henry Oldenburg and Robert Hooke.
There are around 500 documents written by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) in the collection, which contains his early mathematical and technical correspondence and major sources for his work on Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) and after.
Newton's observations of the comet of 1682. Cambridge University Library.
Newton's observations of the comet of 1682. Cambridge University Library.
The project created digital surrogates of 981 items, totalling more than 30,000 images. Forty items in the collection received conservation treatment and conservators advised on handling for photographers and readers. The whole collection, amounting to 49 archive boxes, was rehoused to protect it in storage and during on-site access.
The collection is accessible online worldwide through Cambridge Digital Library.
Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective
Rarely seen original illustrations went on display at Cambridge University Library, touring from the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.
The multi-award-winning author and illustrator, Briggs, who passed away in 2022, at the age of 88, is best known as the illustrator behind much-loved children’s classics including Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), Father Christmas (1973) and The Snowman (1978), as well as bestselling graphic novels for adults including Ethel & Ernest (1998), When the Wind Blows (1982) and The Tin Pot Foreign General and The Old Iron Woman (1984).
Born in London in 1934, he was inspired by illustrations in newspapers and Punch magazine and applied to art school at the age of 15. His interviewer was appalled by his desire to be a cartoonist, however Briggs' illustrated stories have become enduring works. His books have inspired, challenged and entertained readers around the world, and some have been the source of controversy.
His best-known work, The Snowman (1978), has sold more than 5.5 million copies in 21 countries and the animated film of the same name has been broadcast every Christmas Eve by Channel 4 since its first transmission in 1982.
The exhibition ran from Saturday 29 April 2023 to Saturday 26 August 2023, and tickets, as with all our major exhibitions, were free.
Window page spread, The Bear © Raymond Briggs 1994
Window page spread, The Bear © Raymond Briggs 1994
Buckingham Palace page spread, Father Christmas © Raymond Briggs, 1973
Buckingham Palace page spread, Father Christmas © Raymond Briggs, 1973
Art School page spread, Ethel and Ernest © Raymond Briggs, 1998
Art School page spread, Ethel and Ernest © Raymond Briggs, 1998
Cambridge Digital Library
Total Number of Collections (as of 31 Jul 2023) = 84
Total Number of Items (as of Oct 2023) = 40,007
Total Number of Images (as of Oct 2023) = 909,809
Users = 224,673
Page Views = 4,357,180
Pages per session = 13.04
Top 10 Items (by page views)
Newton's Principia (Adv.b.39.1) = 164,341
Nuremberg Chronicle (Inc.0.A.7.2[888]) = 164,148
Codex Bezae (MS Nn.2.41) = 94,276
Newton's College Notebook (MS Add. 4000) = 76,681
Shi zhu zhai shu hua pu (FH.910.83-98) = 63,303
ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt - "The cosmography of Qazwini" (MS Nn.3.74) = 62,886
Book of Deer (MS Ii.6.32) = 58,187
Newton's Trinity College Notebook (MS.Add.3996) = 55,619
Newton's Early Papers (MS Add. 3958) = 52,345
Samaritan Pentateuch (MS Add.1846) = 45,998
New collections on Cambridge Digital Library
Royal Commonwealth Society pamphlet collection at the Library
Royal Commonwealth Society pamphlet collection at the Library
Southern African Collections
By creating and developing new connections with southern African communities, it is hoped this project will facilitate a better overall understanding of the collections and inform decision-making about the future care of this material. The selection of material for digitisation and prioritisation will be actively informed by these new partnerships.
Flora in Calix Light (DJ 5). Artist David Jones. Credit: Kettle's Yard
Flora in Calix Light (DJ 5). Artist David Jones. Credit: Kettle's Yard
Kettle's Yard
Kettle’s Yard is a beautiful house with a remarkable collection of modern art and a gallery that hosts modern and contemporary art exhibitions. Kettle’s Yard was the home of Jim and Helen Ede. Jim kept ‘open house’ every afternoon of term. In 1966 he gave the House and its contents to the University of Cambridge.
The Unicorn Binder, ca. 1485-90. Credit: Cambridge University Library
The Unicorn Binder, ca. 1485-90. Credit: Cambridge University Library
Cambridge Bookbindings
This collection illustrates and describes 45 bookbindings made in Cambridge during 1450-1770, from the collections of the University Library. It is part of a project connected with the 2023 Sandars Lectures, aiming to help everyone who works with books like this to recognise and date Cambridge bindings when they encounter them.
A French medical treatise, owned by Henry VII and Elizabeth of York: CUL
A medical manuscript owned by Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
Medieval Medical Recipes
A Wellcome-funded project to conserve, catalogue and digitise 186 medieval manuscripts that contain over 8,000 unedited medical recipes. Handwritten Text Recognition technology will be used to produce full-text transcriptions, enabling keyword and faceted searching and detailed comparative analysis on a scale not possible before.
Thomas Gray and Jacob Bryant, ‘Tripos verses’: Cambridge University Library
Thomas Gray and Jacob Bryant, ‘Tripos verses’: Cambridge University Library
Thomas Gray Manuscripts
Thomas Gray (1716-1771) has primarily been celebrated as a poet in the 250 years since his death, especially for his Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard (1751). While he lived, he was equally renowned for his scholarship. He had a significant influence on intellectual as well as literary life in the mid-eighteenth century.
Arabic Poetry in the Cairo Genizah on tour
Arabic Poetry in the Cairo Genizah (APCG) toured the United Arab Emirates, showcasing the Libraries' collection of poetry manuscripts to scholars and the public in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Dr Ben Outhwaite is part of the collaborative APCG project team, funded by the European Research Council, and is Head of the Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library.
The tour highlighted the significance of the Cairo Genizah as a repository of Arabic literature and an important, but little known, resource for Arabic textual history.
Dr Solomon Schechter with the Genizah collection in the old University Library at the Old Schools, Cambridge University.
Dr Solomon Schechter with the Genizah collection in the old University Library.
The tour included New York University Abu Dhabi, with the 'Geniza in the Gulf' exhibition on public display for a month. The exhibition showcased some of APCG's discoveries in the Arabic poetry corpus, such as medieval Jews reading poetry by the Islamic thinker and jurist Al-Shāfiʿī and attempting to emulate the works of Al-Maʿrrī.
Dr Mohamed Ahmed, from Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Ben Outhwaite gave the opening lecture for the ‘Geniza in the Gulf’ exhibition in New York University, Abu Dhabi.
Dr Mohamed Ahmed, from Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Ben Outhwaite gave the opening lecture for the ‘Geniza in the Gulf’ exhibition in New York University, Abu Dhabi.
The exhibition also featured some of the most famous fragments in the collection, including petitions to Saladin and the Caliph Al-Mustansir, the letter of Maimonides, and the first leaf of Ben Sira. Finely crafted facsimiles were produced for the exhibition to display these valuable items in public areas without the constraints of climate control and security. They are also available on Cambridge Digital Library.
Undergraduates viewing Arabic poetry from the Cairo Genizah at Dubai International Academic City.
Undergraduates viewing Arabic poetry from the Cairo Genizah at Dubai International Academic City.
The next stop was Dubai for a two-day event titled 'Hidden Literature'. The event was in co-operation with Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, Dundee, and held in Dubai's International Academic City. Visitors included Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Hind Al Mualla, Chief of Creativity, Happiness, and Wellbeing for KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority).
The project is producing a database of Arabic poetry fragments — with visual presentation, transcription and English translation.
Transforming research
Cambridge University
Library Research Institute
The Cambridge University Library Research Institute launched on 23 May 2023.
As a beacon of good practice in a diverse community of thinkers and researchers, the mission of the new Cambridge University Library Research Institute is to enhance international scholarship by connecting people and collections.
Through innovation and partnerships, the Research Institute will collaborate with institutions locally, nationally and internationally to set the agenda for collections-led research, generating opportunities across and beyond disciplines.
Dr Amelie Roper, Head of Research and Research Institute Manager at Cambridge University Library, said: "As a vibrant, inclusive community of researchers and practitioners at all career stages, its possibilities are limitless. I am committed to making the Research Institute a space that fosters collaborations that will make a difference to culture and society."
The Research Institute will draw on the foundations of the Library's world-leading collections and infrastructure, collected over six centuries and spanning some four thousand years of recorded thought.
This includes over 10 million physical collection items, growing at a rate of over 100,000 items a year – through an active programme of purchase and donation, and status as one of the UK’s six legal deposit libraries – as well as rapidly growing digitised collections.
Cambridge University Library main reading room (Photo by Alice the Camera).
Cambridge University Library main reading room (Photo by Alice the Camera).
The core values of the University Library Research Institute and those of our partners are grounded in open, collaborative and ethical research for the advancement of knowledge and the public good.
Illustration of the ultra-structure of coronaviruses. Alissa Eckert, MSMI; Dan Higgins, MAMS © Public Health Image Library. Used in the Documenting the role UK science in the Covid-19 pandemic project.
Illustration of the ultra-structure of coronaviruses. Alissa Eckert, MSMI; Dan Higgins, MAMS © Public Health Image Library. Used in the Documenting the role UK science in the Covid-19 pandemic project.
Dr Jessica Gardner, University Librarian and Director of Library Services, said: "Launching the Research Institute is a source of great pride for the Library and an important part of our new strategy. It’s a mark of the depth and significance of the research through our collections and a testament to the long-standing role of library staff in helping to facilitate scholarship and contribute through their skill and expertise to the making of new knowledge."
Cambridge University Library Research Institute supports a portfolio of collections-based research projects: about 35 active projects at any one time.
Libraries sign East Asian partnership agreement
The University of California San Diego Library and Cambridge University Libraries launched a multi-year partnership that aims to broaden the awareness, access and use of the extensive East Asian collections held by both institutions.
With the sponsorship of the Avery-Tsui Foundation, the two universities will foster interlibrary collaboration, initiate and support research visits by scholars seeking to use the respective collections, as well as create and promote activities that highlight the collections and expertise held within the libraries.
The collections at each institution are unique. Established in 1987, the East Asia Collection at University of California San Diego, focuses on collecting modern and contemporary Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language materials in the humanities and social sciences, including literature, history, sociology, linguistics, art, film studies, philosophy, economy business, political science, and international relations pertaining to each region.
The strengths of the Chinese collections at Cambridge lie in traditional culture, history, literature and the arts. Of late, more attention has also been paid to modern history and politics. The Chinese collection of Cambridge University Library is among the finest of its kind outside of China.
Dr Jessica Gardner, Cambridge University Librarian, commented: "By coming together and collaborating on this endeavour, we will not only amplify the reach of these world-renowned collections of East Asian materials, but we will also celebrate the rich history of Chinese language and culture across the centuries."
A print from the Manual of Calligraphy and Painting.
A print from the Manual of Calligraphy and Painting.
Objects drawn from Cambridge's world-class East Asian collections were on display during the signing ceremony.
Objects drawn from Cambridge's world-class East Asian collections were on display during the signing ceremony.
A banknote from the Cambridge collections, first issued in the 1380s, printed on mulberry paper from a cast metal plate.
A banknote from the Cambridge collections, first issued in the 1380s, printed on mulberry paper from a cast metal plate.
Services at Cambridge University Libraries
Publishing open access made easier for University of Cambridge researchers
The new Self-Archiving Policy gives Cambridge researchers a cost-effective route to make the accepted version of their papers open access without embargo – something that is now required by almost all research funders.
University of Cambridge researchers may now retain their rights over their paper rather than signing them over to a publisher.
Researchers can self-archive their work in Apollo, making the work available via the ‘green route’ to open access. Apollo is the institutional repository of the University of Cambridge, managed by the Open Research Systems team based in Cambridge University Library.
Photo by Alice the Camera.
Photo by Alice the Camera.
Niamh Tumelty, former Head of Open Research Services at Cambridge University Libraries, said: "This policy really has been moulded by our Cambridge community. The hundreds of researchers who took part in our Rights Retention Pilot have helped us understand the implications of this approach across a wide range of disciplines.
"We’re delighted that, with this Self-Archiving policy, the University of Cambridge can further support our researchers in making the accepted version of their papers open access without embargo."
Thank you
Supporters of Cambridge University Libraries become a part of our history, helping to preserve and enhance our collections for future generations.
Every donation counts and we are so grateful for the incredible network of individuals, trusts, and foundations who share our commitment to education, learning and research of the highest quality.
We are grateful to all our supporters, including: Avery-Tsui Foundation, Bank of America Art Conservation Project, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ann D Foundation, Dr Chris Dobson, Evolution Education Trust, Nigel Grimshaw, The Howard Foundation, Judy and Andrew Innes, Korea Foundation, The Second Joseph Aaron Littman Foundation, Stuart Lochhead, Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation, The John R Murray Charitable Trust, National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, The Penchant Foundation, Sara and Douglas Reid, Steve and Rachel West, and other generous donors who wish to remain anonymous and those who have pledged a legacy.
We also want to thank Cambridge University Library's Patrons, whose contributions enable the Libraries to grow, share, and care for our collections. We extend our sincere thanks to Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, Nigel Grimshaw, Gurnee Hart, Rabbi Aubrey Hersh, Dr Martin Heyworth, Stephen Irish, Chris Jones, Professor Jean-Michel Massing and Ann Massing, Professor Eric Nye and Professor Carol D. Frost, Cliff Webb, and those who wish to remain anonymous.
We are thankful for the ongoing generosity of the Friends of Cambridge University Library, which provides vital support towards securing new acquisitions, conserving and digitising our collections, and supporting our public programmes. Our Friends enjoy a programme of special events, exhibition previews, copies of our annual Bulletin with news and stories from the library, and more.
Donations to Cambridge University Libraries
Special Collections
Archives and Modern Manuscripts
Roger Law, Peter Fluck & Spitting Image Productions Limited. Spitting Image archive. Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government and allocated to Cambridge University Library, 2023.
Archive of the Africa Inland Mission. Donated by Africa Inland Mission International.
Literary papers and correspondence of Stephen Romer. Donated by Stephen Romer.
Seventeenth-century medical commonplace book, variously titled 'Chiefe Receits of Quintin Pye' and 'Booke of choise secrets'. Donated by Dr Ann Ruel.
Scrapbook relating to the Cornford family, with drawings by William Rothenstein and illustrated letters from Albert Rothenstein [afterwards Albert Rutherston]. Donated by Ludo Chapman.
Notebook of Henrietta Emma Litchfield, titled ‘Copies of Charles Darwin and of Memoranda by Mrs. Darwin. Copies made 1897 / Originals in possession of W.E.D.’ Donated by Ludo Chapman.
Diary of Mary Howard. Donated by Professor Deborah Howard.
Papers, printed materials and artwork of or relating to Alwyn Faber Scholfield. Donated by Shelley Baxter.
Papers of Frances Crofts Cornford and members of her family. Donated by Jane Firman.
Literary correspondence and papers of Ruth Padel, together with printed books containing work by Padel (MS Add. 10444). Donated by Ruth Padel.
Hena Maes-Jelinek Papers relating to Sir Wilson Harris (MS Add.10459). Donated by Dr Michael Mitchell.
Sir Wilson Harris Papers (MS Add.10458), along with some 1,200 books from his library. Donated by Denise Harris, daughter of Sir Wilson Harris, through Dr Michael Mitchell.
George Howard Darwin, photograph album relating to his trip to Africa in 1905 (MS Add.10457). Donated by Professor Simon Keynes.
Herbert Kretzmer Papers (MS Add.10454). Donated by Sybil Kretzmer.
Family Papers of George Biddell Airy. Donated by Elizabeth Amati.
Rare Books
22 printed books donated from the Blavatnik Honresfield Library by the Friends of the National Libraries, ranging in date from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth centuries. Among this varied selection are several fine bindings, including a 1785 Almanach de Versailles in scarlet morocco with the arms of Marie Antoinette, and a group of nearly four hundred Cruikshank illustrations, assembled by an unknown nineteenth-century collector and pasted into a large album.
England's remarques: or, A view of all the counties of England and Wales … (London: printed for W[illiam]. Jacob at the Black-Swan next Bernards-Inne in Holborn, and L[angley]. Curtis in Goat-Court upon Ludgate-hill, 1676). A very scarce broadside, donated by Michael Laird in honour of David McKitterick.
Royal Commonweath Society Library
Brian Mull collection relating to rally racing in East Africa (RCS/RCMS 411). Donated by Virginia Mull.
Photographs of Wilfred Court relating to India, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria. Donated by Judy Innes.
John Edward Pepper Collection relating to the Malayan Civil Service. Donated by Jennifer Kyte.
Correspondence of Robert Hall and Ione Minnie Hall (née Varley), Kenyan settlers (RCS/RCMS 413). Donated by Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM) per Mrs Barbara Abensur.
Modern Collections
541 volumes of chiefly pre-1945 works by or about the Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler (whose archive the University Library holds). Donated from the library of the late Professor Jeffery Berlin of Pennsylvania by his widow Anne Berlin.
200+ volumes, chiefly of or about Russian literature, donated by Professor Catriona Kelly.
88 Soviet Bloc volumes of works, chiefly in Russian, about archaeology behind the Iron Curtain, donated by Dr Philip Allsworth-Jones.
64 further volumes donated by Professor Paul Joannides, chiefly history of art.
Ongoing donations from Professor Jean Michel Massing and Ann Massing, running into hundreds of titles.
Further donations from Dr Robert Howes: 221 Brazilian books and journals to add to his LGBT+ collection, accompanied by some archival material, and 130 books also chiefly in Portuguese on Brazilian history and politics.
552 books in Spanish from the library of the late Professor Trevor Dadson, a specialist on the Spanish Golden Age.
Approximately 1,500 car brochures from the 1970s to 2000s. Donated by Heon Stevenson.
5 additional books donated by Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey for the Liberation Collection.
56 largely Slavonic books on Central/East European archaeology donated by Professor Anthony Harding.
24 German philosophy and literature titles donated by Professor Barry Nisbet.
80 theology titles donated by Dr Philip McCosker.
28 American history titles donated by Professor Gilbert Bonifas.
New Nigerian, 1965–1969. Donated by Stephen Sharp (son of the founder/editor of the newspaper).
25 titles in 93 volumes were donated jointly by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China and the National Library of China as part of the ‘Window to China’ scheme.
2 editions in 5 volumes of the Rahasya Traya Saram by Vedantadesika in a mixture of Sanskrit and Tamil, written by two ashrams in the religious tradition of Sri Vishnavism following Vedantadesika. Donated by Simon Atkinson.
Major Acquisitions
Special Collections
MS Add. 9958 (additional): Literary correspondence of the poet Clive Wilmer (b. 1945), alumnus of King’s College, Cambridge and Emeritus Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, including a group of almost 150 letters, 36 cards and nearly 200 typescript copies of poems by Thom Gunn.
Sukhavativyuhasutra (in Sanskrit); [Ch. Fo shuo wuliang shou jing; K.: Pulsol muryangsu kyong; The Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra], translated by Samghavarman(?). Konbong-sa (or Geonbongsa) Temple, 1861. A rare edition of The Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra, one of the three most important Mahayana sutras of the Pure Land tradition, printed at the Geonbongsa Temple in northeastern South Korea. The temple was founded in 520 ce and has remained a major centre of Korean Buddhism.
Breviary, Use of Fontrevault. Diurnum [sic] officium ad usum sacri ordinis Fontebraldensis (Paris: Jérôme de Marnef et Veuve Guillaume Cavellat, 1595). Contemporary ‘fanfare’ style gilt-tooled binding with name of Sister Anne de Mauroy.
Tablature spirituelle des offices et officiers de la couronne de Jesus ... Nouvelle edition (Paris: chez J. de Laize-de-Bresche, 1685). Extremely rare later edition (first printed in 1619) of this devotional 'Christmas game' by a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis, dedicated to the Franciscan nuns of St Elizabeth at the convent of Our Lady of Nazareth in Paris, and comprising seventy-eight meditational 'billets' intended to be cut up and distributed on Christmas Eve.
Deposits
Special Collections
Near & Middle Eastern
King’s College Massing Collection of Oriental Manuscripts. The collection consists of manuscripts acquired by Professor Jean Michel Massing, including Quranic texts, commentaries on Islamic theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, personal notes, poetry, and Persian calligraphy. They are mostly written in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish.
Public Engagement Events Calendar
4,020 people attended our public events between August 2022 and July 2023.
As well as events at Cambridge University Library there was a wider programme delivered in partnership with other institutions across Cambridge.
Darwin in Conversation events
Darwin in Conversation opening reception at Cambridge University Library
Darwin in Conversation opening reception at Cambridge University Library
Guided Tours of Darwin in Conservation
August-December 2022
Members of the Darwin Correspondence Project led two tours a month of the exhibition, Darwin in Conversation.
Butterfly Time Machine
Thursday 4 August
The team at the Museum of Zoology and Emergency Exit Arts explored butterflies past and present with fun family-friendly activities. Hosted at the Museum of Zoology.
The Ghost in the Garden with Jude Piesse
Thursday 11 August
Writer and academic, Jude Piesse, gave this talk on Charles Darwin’s lost childhood garden. This event was hosted by the Friends of Cambridge University Library, all were welcome to attend.
Behind-the-Scenes of the Historical Printing Room
August-September
Colin Clarkson, the curator of the room, demonstrated techniques of letterpress printing and drew links to the Darwin family. Attendees also had the opportunity to print a commemorative keepsake from a replica printing block of a Charles Darwin letter.
Bitch: On the Female of the Species with Lucy Cooke
Wednesday 7 September
In this talk, Lucy focussed on her recent best-selling book ‘Bitch’ in which she re-evaluates sex roles, sexual identity and sexuality in animals by comparing recent discoveries with assertions made by Darwin. Hosted at the Museum of Zoology.
Open Cambridge
Conserving Darwin
Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 14 September
The public were invited to gain an insight into the inventions and innovations used by the Conservation and Collection Care team to prepare the Darwin in Conversation exhibition.
Open Cambridge
Innovation & Invention Across the Ages
Friday 16 September
This pop-up exhibition featured some of the Library’s rich special collections, exploring human ingenuity and invention over the centuries.
'I hate clover & I hate Bees': The Unexpected Darwin
Friday 23 September
In this talk, members of the Darwin Correspondence Project explored the crucial role Darwin’s global correspondence network played in his scientific work.
George Howard Darwin and the ‘Public’ Understanding of Nature
Wednesday 28 September
Dr Edwin Rose gave a new account of George Howard Darwin’s scientific work through examining his attempts to adapt this for broader audiences.
The Platypus, Cambridge, and the Animals Darwin Thought Were Strange
Thursday 29 September
Jack Ashby, Assistant Director of the Museum of Zoology, gave this talk on the extraordinary world of Australian mammals.
The Life of Darwin’s Letters
Tuesday 11 October
This talk hosted at the Cambridge University Press Shop discussed the importance of Charles Darwin’s letters to his work, with many illustrations from the Darwin collections in Cambridge.
The Return of the Notebooks
Thursday 13 October
University Librarian, Dr Jessica Gardner, in conversation with Master of Selwyn College, Roger Mosey, discussed the search for the Darwin notebooks, their unexpected but welcomed return to the library, and lessons learnt from their disappearance.
British Sign Language Exhibition Tour
Saturday 15 October
Supported by the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association, we provided a BSL interpreted tour of the Darwin in Conversation exhibition.
Darwin’s Barnacles
Wednesday 26 October
Families were invited to explore the amazing world of barnacles, how they live and what they are related to with family-friendly activities at the Museum of Zoology.
Darwin in 3D
Thursday 27 October
Guests were invited to discover the animals, plants and rocks Charles Darwin collected on the Beagle voyage and the apparatus and specimens he used in his experiments that have been imaged in 3D.
The Darwins and Music: A Concert
Saturday 29 October
This unique concert hosted at Darwin College included pieces the Darwin family engaged with and premieres some of those composed about their work.
The Darwins and Cambridge
Thursday 3 November
Through the wealth of material in the University Library’s collections, this talk explored the enduring importance of Cambridge connections to Darwin’s life and career.
Charles Darwin: Life, Work and Family with Ruth Padel
Wednesday 16 November
Charles Darwin's great great grand-daughter, the poet Ruth Padel, joined us for an illustrated talk on Darwin’s life and work, and reads poems based on his writings from her acclaimed book Darwin, A Life in Poems.
Mr. Darwin’s Tree
Thursday 23 March
Hosted during the Cambridge Festival, Mr. Darwin’s Tree was a one-man play about Charles Darwin written and directed by Murray Watts and starring Andrew Harrison, which was staged at Emmanuel College.
Other public events at Cambridge University Library
The Really Popular Book Club
August 2022-July 2023
Our monthly, online book group continued. Sessions included The Snowman, Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday by Raymond Briggs with Nicolette Jones, and The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman with the author Jim Kelly.
Heritage Open Days
Heritage Tours of Cambridge University Library
Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Friday 16 September
Our guide took groups on a tour of our Art Deco building, going into some of the Library’s most exquisite spaces and giving our visitors an insight into our 600-year-old history.
Liberation Literature Lecture 2022
Volia: Defiant Freedom and Liberation at the Centre of Ukraine's National Identity
Thursday 17 November
Dr Rory Finnin explores the concept of volia, or defiant freedom, in Ukraine's modern history and culture. The Liberation Literature Lecture is generously supported by Charles Chadwyck-Healey.
Sandars Lectures 2022
Professor Cristina Dondi was the Sandars Reader for 2022, providing three lectures on the subject of ‘Incunabula in Cambridge: European heritage and global dissemination’, delivered to an in-person audience at Robinson College and live streamed online around the world:
Books from the suppressed religious institutions of Europe: Mapping the dispersals
Tuesday 22 November
Samuel Sandars as a collector of incunabula
Wednesday 23 November
Reassessing the European Printing Revolution, forty years after Eisenstein
Thursday 24 November
Friends Christmas Party
Thursday 8 December
Dr Christine L Corton gave a festive talk on the subject of ‘Charles Dickens: The Man Who Invented Christmas?’, accompanied by a display and followed by wine and minced pies. This event was hosted by the Friends of Cambridge University Library, all were welcome to attend.
Treasures of the Map Room
Monday 6 February 2023
Members of the Friends were invited to a show and tell with Anne Taylor, Head of the Map Department, who showcased some of the Library’s highlights from the collection.
Laureate's Library Tour with Simon Armitage and Imtiaz Dharker
Wednesday 8 February
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and special guest Imtiaz Dharker, the Library’s former poet-in-residence, celebrated historic poetry archives in this special event hosted as part of the Laureate’s Library Tour C-D.
Cambridge Festival
Over 8 Million Books and Counting
Tuesday 21 and Tuesday 28 March
Members of our Legal Deposit team took groups guided tours of the library to learn about how we process such vast numbers of new material.
Friends Summer Party
Thursday 22 June
Friends and guests enjoyed a Show & Tell with curators and conservators working on the Curious Cures project, followed by drinks and canapés. This event was hosted by the Friends of Cambridge University Library, all were welcome to attend.
Giving Cromwell His Voice Back
Thursday 6 July
Professor John Morrill joined us online to discuss his publication of the complete edition of Oliver Cromwell’s writings with Oxford University Press, which offers the most complete and user-friendly edition produced of the letters, writings and recorded speeches of Cromwell. This event was hosted by the Friends of Cambridge University Library, all were welcome to attend.
Raymond Briggs events
The Elephant and the Bad Baby page spread © text Elfrida Vipont Foulds, illustrations Raymond Briggs, 1969
The Elephant and the Bad Baby page spread © text Elfrida Vipont Foulds, illustrations Raymond Briggs, 1969
Means & Ends? How Images Convey Emition in the World of Raymond Briggs
Thursday 11 May
Professor Karen Coats from the Centre for Research in Children’s Literature, and Dr Dmitrii Sergeev from the Faculty of Education, discussed how Briggs’s use of shape, line, colour, and composition communicate so much more than words alone ever could.
Raymond Briggs and the New Picturebook Makers
Thursday 18 May
Professor Martin Salisbury explored the legacy of Raymond Briggs and his influence on today's visual storytellers. This event was hosted by the Friends of Cambridge University Library, all were welcome to attend.
Christmas with Raymond Briggs
Thursday 25 May
This talk from Eugene Giddens, Skinner-Young Professor at Anglia Ruskin University, took an out of season look at children’s Christmas books and illustrations from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.
Rooftop page spread, Father Christmas © Raymond Briggs, 1973
Rooftop page spread, Father Christmas © Raymond Briggs, 1973
Giants Take Over the Library
Tuesday 30 May
Storyteller Marion Leeper invited families to invent their own giant adventure based on Briggs’s book, Jim and the Beanstalk.
British Sign Language Exhibition Tour
Saturday 17 June
We provided a BSL interpreted tour of the Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective exhibition.
Curator Tour
Thursday 29 June
Nicolette Jones, co-curator, gave a guided tour of the Raymond Briggs exhibition.
Curator Talk
Thursday 29 June
Nicolette Jones’s illustrated talk considered the themes, techniques and importance of Briggs’s work, his sense of fun, and her own memories of working with him.
Fun with Fungus the Bogeyman!
Thursday 27 July
Families were invited to celebrate the slimy world of Briggs’s much-loved character, Fungus the Bogeyman, and to create their very own version of Fungus complete with unsavoury snacks!
Fellows' talks
A series of talks from current the Munby and Oschinsky Fellows 2022, sharing the innovative research happening at Cambridge University Library.
The Medieval Arabic and Persian Manuscripts in Cambridge University Library: Exploring a Connected Corpus
Thursday 1 June
With Dr James White, Oschinsky Research Fellow 2022
The Endless Story of an Old Oriental Collection at Cambridge University Library
Thursday 8 June
With Dr Majid Daneshgar, Munby Fellow 2022
Rare Books and Anglo-Irish Collecting in Nineteenth-Century Cambridge
Thursday 15 June
With Dr Nora Moroney, Munby Fellow 2022
Cambridge University Libraries
A network that includes Cambridge University Library on West Road and 34 Faculty and Departmental libraries across Cambridge.
The African Studies Library
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