Exhibitions

29 March – 6 December 2025Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World

Fascinated by health and wellbeing? So were our medieval ancestors. Discover a time when unusual ingredients and questionable remedies mixed with genuine curiosity about how bodies function, creating a complex and intriguing world of ritual healing, herbal recipes, stargazing and surgery. Come and see what the doctor ordered...

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Past Exhibitions and Displays

Endless Stories: Manuscripts, knowledge and translation in the 17th century

In 1632, Cambridge University Library was transformed by an extraordinary collection of manuscripts in a dazzling array of languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Malay.

Murder by the Book: A Celebration of 20th Century British Crime Fiction

Celebrating the richness of twentieth century British crime fiction through a creative lens, from its origins to contemporary best sellers.

The Footlights Illuminated

Who are ‘The Cambridge Footlights’, anyway? A new exhibition explores the history and identity of the world-renowned student comedy group.

Spitting Image: A Controversial History

Savage, grotesque, hilarious: explore Spitting Image, the puppet show that became an icon of 20th century television.

Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective

Touring from the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, this exhibition highlights a selection of the illustrator Raymond Briggs’ most significant works.

Darwin in Conversation

Discover how Darwin’s global network of correspondents shaped his ideas around the evolution of life on planet Earth

Samurai: History and Legend

Samurai are a well-known image of Japan, but they are as much legend as history.

Ghost Words: Reading the Past

Medieval scribes used to recycle old books by scraping the parchment clean and writing a fresh text over the top.

Previous Exhibitions

Browse our past exhibitions: from the Great Collections to Lines of thought.

Upcoming Events

View all events

11 Feb

A person walks along the library corridor past two library users who are sitting at desks

IN PERSON EVENT | 11 Feb 5:15pm to 6:00pm

Taster tour

A 45 minute tour for those thinking of joining the University Library or who have recently joined

14 Feb

IN PERSON EVENT | 14 Feb 10:15-11:00

Taster Tour

A 45 minute tour for those thinking of joining the University Library or who have recently joined

24 Feb

BOOK CLUB | 24 Feb 7PM TO 8PM

The Really Popular Book Club: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

We will be discussing the novel with Dr Jenny Bavidge, Associate Professor in English at the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education.

Exhibitions

29 March – 6 December 2025Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World

Past Exhibitions and Displays

Endless Stories: Manuscripts, knowledge and translation in the 17th century

Murder by the Book: A Celebration of 20th Century British Crime Fiction

The Footlights Illuminated

Spitting Image: A Controversial History

Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective

Darwin in Conversation

Samurai: History and Legend

Ghost Words: Reading the Past

Previous Exhibitions

Upcoming Events

Taster tour

Taster Tour

The Really Popular Book Club: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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