Over the summer we’ll be refurbishing the Special Collections Reading Room here at The John Rylands Library. The refurbishment will offer improvements to the reader experience together with enhanced security and care of the collections through a redesigned staff workspace.
– The Special Collections Reading Room, John Rylands Library as it appears today
About the Reading Room
The room, located on the fourth floor of our Deansgate site, is an air conditioned, quiet space where readers can make advance requests for a closer look at items from our world class Special Collections. These collections are available for anyone to access, whether academic or member of the public.
Improvements to the space
” When work completes this Autumn, noise in the Reading Room will be reduced through new design features and the space will offer more comfort and greater availability of reader spaces through adjustments to existing furniture and floor coverings. Temporary secure storage of rare and fragile collections will also be improved, making this a critical improvement to the long term preservation and enjoyment of our items.”
Rachel Beckett, Associate Director of The John Rylands Library
Christie Room interim arrangement
Exact dates for the start and end of the refurbishment will be confirmed in due course. Whilst the refurbishment is underway, the Reading Room will operate out of the Christie Room – a quiet space in the historic part of The John Rylands Library. Services and routes throughout the building may alter at various times during the refurbishment. Please check the Special Collections Reading Room webpages for any updates ahead of your visit.
Further details
If you would like any further details on this work, please contact: Dominic Marsh – Project Co-ordinator
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