The Office for Open Research is inviting applications for the 2026–27 cohort of the Open Research Fellowship Programme.

The Fellowship gives colleagues dedicated time, funding and support to develop their Open Research expertise, enhance their career development and contribute to the University’s wider Open Research Programme.

Up to six Fellows will receive 0.2 FTE salary buyout for ten months, from January to October 2027. Applications are welcomed from colleagues across the University, including academic, professional and technical services staff and early career researchers, working in posts up to and including Grade 7. Applicants must hold a University of Manchester employment contract that continues until at least 31 October 2027. Head of School, Service or equivalent approval is required before submission.

Applicants should propose an activity that responds to an Open Research skills, practice or community need and leads to high-quality, relevant, accessible and reusable outputs, such as training resources, guidance, toolkits, online materials or live activity.

Key dates

• Applications open: Monday, 7 September 2026.
• Applications close: Friday, 23 October 2026.
• Register for the Information session: Wednesday, 7 October 2026 at 2pm

For full details, including eligibility, selection criteria and the Expression of Interest Form, visit the Open Research Fellowship Programme webpage.

Contact us

Questions can be sent to openresearch@manchester.ac.uk

Our new showcase, ‘The Student Team Takeover’, is on display at Main Library from Tuesday, 1 September 2026. 

This fifth Main Library Showcase has been curated by members of the Library Student Team; an award-winning staff-student group consisting of undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research students who work collaboratively with Library staff to produce digital resources and deliver and facilitate workshops. 

Choosing items from our University Heritage Collections and the Student Ephemera Collection that resonated with them, Student Team members have created a unique display, including items representing the expression of sexuality, experiences of racism, and the celebration of heritage and identity in cultural events.  

‘The Student Team Takeover’ will also display two 1969 copies of the student magazine, ‘EAR’: edited and written by students, it published all items submitted. Current students will have a chance to recreate this – look out for our submissions box next to the display case, from which the Student Team will produce an issue of ‘EAR’ that will be added to the display later in the exhibition period.  

• The showcase runs from September 2026 – February 2027, at Blue Ground in Main Library. 

• Entry is free.  

• Community expertise
• Best practice guidance
• Reviewing titles on Open Textbook Library,
• New publishing platforms
• Tools to demonstrate the impact of open education initiatives

For teaching staff, membership brings new opportunities to explore and adopt high-quality open textbooks and OER, connect with colleagues across the global open education community, and access training and support to develop and publish their own openly licensed teaching materials. 

Our membership will help colleagues to develop flexible, accessible and inclusive learning experiences, ensuring students have free and immediate access to learning resources whilst supporting the University's ambitions for personalised, digitally enabled education, outlined in Manchester 2035. 

We’re looking forward to connecting with the global OEN community, sharing best practice and learning from colleagues across the world as we develop our OER offer.

• To find out more about how the OEN can support your teaching, please contact uml.oer@manchester.ac.uk

The refurbishment was informed by feedback from students, who told us that access to power, accessibility and comfortable study environments are among the most important features of Library spaces. As a result, Blue 1 has been upgraded to better support a wide range of study needs and ways of learning.

What's new?

The refurbished Blue 1 space now includes:

• More height-adjustable desks, providing flexible and accessible study options
• Additional plug sockets
• Laptop docking stations
• New desks

Together, these improvements create a more accessible and flexible study environment that works for a wider range of students and study styles.

Your voice, our Library

The Blue 1 refurbishment is part of the Library's wider commitment to improving spaces and services in response to student feedback. From accessibility and power provision to layout and comfort, student perspectives continue to influence how Library spaces evolve to support learning and wellbeing.

Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback and helped shape these improvements. We look forward to welcoming students to the refreshed Blue 1 space this academic year.

Press release written by the Open Journals Collective and originally posted on their website:

• University of Manchester Library joins the Open Journals Collective — Open Journals Collective

Announcement

We are delighted to announce that the University of Manchester Library has joined the Open Journals Collective. The University of Manchester Library has invested in our Multidisciplinary collection of journals, and we are very grateful for their support. The OJC is dedicated to transforming the way that academic research is supported and disseminated, and the support of Manchester will be instrumental in helping us achieve our objectives of making journals free to read and publish in, offering a viable alternative to commercial transformative agreements, and empowering journals to flip to diamond open access. 

The University of Manchester Library is a powerful advocate for open research and open access. Through its Imagine2035 strategy, the Library is committed to building an open research environment that enables knowledge to be shared for the benefit of society. Its Office for Open Research plays a key role in supporting this ambition, providing leadership and practical support to turn commitment into action. We are thrilled that they have chosen to partner with OJC as part of their strategic approach.

Mass Observation Project Online Archive IV (2010–2019) 

The Mass Observation Project Online Archive extended access now includes material from the 2010s, capturing perspectives on social media, immigration, human rights, climate change, Brexit and US Presidential Elections. The archive also supports comparison with earlier Mass Observation studies, including the 1938 and 2013 directives on What Makes You Happy? 

Cambridge Companions Online  

Cambridge Companions Online offers extended access to its full collection of more than 900 volumes published between 1986 and 2025. Complementing Cambridge Histories Online, the collection provides authoritative introductions to key topics, authors and themes across the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

ProQuest One Anthropology 

ProQuest One Anthropology brings together field notes, draft manuscripts, published ethnographies, video ethnographies and ethnographic films, providing rich primary source material for the study of cultures and societies worldwide. Representing more than 1,000 cultural groups, it supports teaching and research across anthropology and related disciplines. 

National Theatre Collections Volume IV 

National Theatre Collections Volume IV adds six productions to the Library's existing access to the National Theatre Collection: Ballet Shoes, Kin, Nye, The Boy With Two Hearts, The Importance of Being Earnest and Blues for an Alabama Sky. The collection explores themes including politics, family, immigration and identity, supported by learning resources and behind-the-scenes content to enhance teaching, study and research. 

Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain (c.1714–1832) 

Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain (c.1714-1832) features more than 90,000 primary source images documenting political dissent, activism and unrest from the Jacobite rebellions through to the 1832 Reform Act. The collection supports research into protest and reform and complements our Special Collections material on the Peterloo Massacre. 

Perdita Manuscripts 

Perdita Manuscripts provides digitised access to manuscripts written or compiled by women in the British Isles during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The collection includes poetry, religious writing, autobiographical works, household accounts, recipes and remedies, helping to uncover voices and perspectives that have often been overlooked in the historical record. Detailed catalogue descriptions, contextual essays and biographical resources support further exploration and research. 

Discover Our Collections 

These collections span a wide range of subjects and may be particularly useful for research and teaching in anthropology, history, literature, drama and performance, politics and gender studies. Access via Library Search or explore our relevant subject guides. 

• View post from Universal Studios 'The Odyssey' Instagram page

Copied in Egypt in the 3rd century CE, when readers were beginning to abandon scrolls for bound pages, this rare, 1,700-year-old parchment manuscript tells the story of Odysseus’ homecoming and the long-awaited reunion with his family. The manuscript has recently been showcased internationally through a unique collaboration with Universal Pictures, bringing the Library's special collections to a global audience in an unprecedented way.

Professor Christopher Pressler, University Librarian and Director of The John Rylands Library, and Dr Jeremy Penner, Curator of African and Near Eastern Manuscripts, travelled to New York and London to participate in international press junkets for The Odyssey, presenting the manuscript alongside the film's cast and filmmakers. The collaboration marks a groundbreaking moment for a university library, placing a 1,700-year-old manuscript at the heart of a major contemporary cultural event.

The public display in the Collections Gallery at The John Rylands Library will allow visitors to explore the story of the manuscript, its extraordinary survival across seventeen centuries, alongside other rare and fascinating items that tell the story of the Library’s unique collections.

The Manchester Odyssey project is the latest example of The University of Manchester Library's commitment to sharing its Special Collections with international audiences. Earlier this year, the Library opened Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt at the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, the first major international exhibition from The John Rylands Library to be staged in North America. The exhibition showcases one of the world's most significant collections of ancient Egyptian papyri, including the world's earliest known New Testament fragment and a remarkable collection of manuscripts illuminating everyday life in the ancient world.

Meanwhile, in New York, Ian Curtis: Insight has brought archival material from the internationally acclaimed Ian Curtis Archive in the British Pop Archive at The John Rylands Library to audiences in the United States for the first time. The exhibition presents handwritten lyrics, photographs, letters and artefacts from the archive of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, highlighting Manchester's continuing influence on global music and culture.

Together, these projects demonstrate the growing international profile of The University of Manchester Library's Special Collections and their role in advancing the University's vision of sharing knowledge, culture and research with the world. The initiatives span ancient manuscripts, popular culture archives and internationally significant literary treasures, connecting Manchester's collections with audiences across North America and beyond.

Visiting information

• On display from: 15 July 2026
• The John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester
• For visitor information, please visit the dedicated project website.
• For media enquiries, contact: hannah.goodwin@manchester.ac.uk
• Press Images available to download.

Notes to editors

• Visit The Manchester Odyssey website

The John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester

Located in the heart of Manchester, The John Rylands Library boasts world-leading special collections housed within a magnificent Grade 1 Listed neo-Gothic building. For 125 years, this distinguished institution has brought together leading researchers, curators, imaging specialists and conservators. Their collaborative efforts are dedicated to exploring and preserving the human experience across five millennia.

The free VLeBooks App was created in-house by Browns Books UK-based team to adhere to modern accessibility standards. Users will no longer need to install Adobe Digital Editions.

How to access VLeBooks

After logging in to your VLeBooks account and searching for and finding your e-book, please:

• Select the download button, choose your loan period and then select ‘VLe App’ as the application you would like to use.
• When you click download again you will be instructed to ‘Generate new access code’, a link which, when selected, will provide you with an access code that you should copy.
• Once you have installed the VLeBooks App please select the option to ‘Continue with access code’ and then paste in your access code. Your title will then display on the VLeBooks App home page and you can click this to opt for online or offline reading.

A short guide to downloading is available in the ‘VLeBooks App User Guides’ section of the VLeBooks help pages.

Further information

• You will only need to enter your access code the first time you use your device.
• VLeBooks App works on Windows (Windows 10 minimum), MacOS (10.15 minimum), iOS (iOS 15, iPhone 11 or later), and Android (Android 13 minimum)
• Although VLeBooks will support the option to download using Adobe Digital Editions until the end of December 2026 we recommend that all our users switch to the VLeBooks App immediately. If you choose to use Adobe Digital Editions after 23 June 2026, both existing users and new users must create a new ByteBooks ID and account; full instructions are available here:
  • Full instructions - VLeBooks App (PDF)

The University of Manchester Library today publishes Imagine2035, its ten-year vision for the period 2026 to 2035. Developed over a year of engagement with almost 200 colleagues, Imagine2035 has been shaped by listening to students, researchers and partners across the University and beyond. 

It sets out how Britain’s third-largest academic library system intends to deliver the University’s Manchester 2035 strategy and to contribute to the international conversation about the future of research libraries.

Imagine2035 commits the Library to six fundamental transformations by 2035: from service to engine of student success; from collection to world-class knowledge infrastructure; from neutral platform to truth-teller; from local service to global cultural force; from reactive to architect of our future; and from workplace to community where people thrive. These transformations will be delivered through five strategic themes and twenty-five anchor initiatives, each mapped directly to the University’s five Manchester 2035 Leaps.

Among the anchors are the international launch of the British Pop Archive in New York, London and Berlin in 2026 and 2027; major exhibitions of the Library’s manuscript holdings in North America in 2026 and 2029; the development of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre as the national reference point for anti-racist scholarship; the establishment of the Humanitarian Archive in partnership with The University of Manchester Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute; a complete reimagining of the Main Library as a flexible learning ecosystem; 100% validated Open Access compliance by 2029 through the Manchester Open Research Environment; and a sector-leading AI Accelerator Programme delivered through the world’s first Directorate of AI within a major research library.

The Library serves almost 50,000 students and thousands of researchers today, with the University projected to reach 100,000 students on campus and online during the lifetime of the strategy. Imagine2035 will be delivered with full transparency: progress against every anchor will be published annually through a public-facing dashboard, alongside the headline targets; top-quartile Russell Group performance for student experience, 100% validated Open Access compliance by 2029, foundational AI and digital training for every staff member by 2027, and full carbon literacy across the Library by 2035.

• Take part in focused writing retreats or join workshops covering topics such as academic writing, GenAI Tools and Learning, reference management, systematic searching, literature reviews, and critical reading & analysis techniques.
• Access online training and guidance, including Library support for assessment and Library support for Dissertations.
• Speak to a member of staff directly via our regular drop-in support. 

Full range of our training and support, please visit the Library website: 

• Library Training and Support  

Need help or have a question?  Chat with us directly via Library Chat: 

• Library Help & Support 

Please be aware that the Library opening hours may vary over the summer, and some sites may be closed. For the most up-to-date information, please check: 

• Library locations and opening hours 

The Forgotten Library: Enriqueta Rylands and her books 20 May

31 October 2026, The John Rylands Library, Manchester

The Forgotten Library: Enriqueta Rylands and her books (20 May – 31 October 2026) explores the books Enriqueta Rylands kept at her Manchester home, Longford Hall, and the volumes she chose to give to the city through her founding of The John Rylands Library. Visitors will be able to see how her private reading life and her public legacy are closely intertwined. 

Enriqueta Rylands filled Longford Hall, in south Manchester, with books of every kind – from medieval manuscripts and finely bound editions to practical, well‑used volumes. In her will, she donated all the books, manuscripts and engravings from her home to The John Rylands Library. Although Longford Hall no longer stands, the contents of its shelves live on in Manchester, where her treasured personal possessions sit alongside books she deliberately bought for public use. 

A lasting gift to Manchester

This exhibition places that local story front and centre, tracing how one woman’s private collection became a lasting cultural gift to the city. Through ledgers, lists and letters, visitors can discover which books Enriqueta Rylands treasured at home, which she selected for the Library, and why she believed access to books mattered. 

The exhibition also reveals her passion for collecting first editions and autographed works by much-loved authors including Charlotte Brontë and William Makepeace Thackeray, as well as her appreciation for books that may appear ordinary but carried personal meaning. From intricately decorated medieval manuscripts to striking modern fine bindings, The Forgotten Library invites visitors to experience the beauty of this once‑hidden collection. 

Festival of Libraries programme

As part of the exhibition, The John Rylands Library will take part in the Manchester Festival of Libraries, a city‑wide celebration highlighting the role of libraries across the community. A programme of public activities inspired by Enriqueta Rylands’ legacy will run alongside the exhibition, inviting audiences to engage with Manchester’s shared literary heritage in new ways. 

On Friday, 12 June 2026, members of the public are invited to take part in Books That Matter, a free book exchange at The John Rylands Library. Books That Matter is based on an idea by atrapavientos and is a collaboration between Manchester City of Literature and Creative Manchester at The University of Manchester. Visitors can bring a book that has personal meaning to them to donate and, in return, select a book gifted by another reader. The exchange offers an opportunity to share the pleasure of reading and discover new titles recommended by the community. 

• Register for Books That Matter 

Located on Deansgate in the heart of Manchester, The John Rylands Library is one of the city’s most iconic cultural landmarks and part of the University of Manchester. The Forgotten Library offers visitors a chance to rediscover the woman behind the building, and to see her books not as static objects, but as a living legacy shaped by place, purpose and a commitment to public good. 

For media enquiries, additional images or interview requests, please contact: 

Hannah Goodwin, Engagement Manager at uml.engagement@manchester.ac.uk

The CNKI E-Books collection covers a variety of specialised topics, such as: 

• Rare Editions Series of Individual Collected Works from Qing Dynasty Authors 清人别集善本丛刊
• Chinese Classical Popular Fictions Series 中国古典通俗小说系列
• Fun Insights into the Chinese Language Series 汉语趣说丛书
• The Northern Warlords Historical Archive Series 北洋军阀史料
• Series of Rare Historical Materials from the Republic of China 馆藏民国珍贵史料丛刊
• Old Shanghai Film Magazine archive 老上海电影画报
• Corpus of contemporary Chinese Thinkers 中国近代思想家文库
• The People's Republic of China Local Gazetteer Series 中华人民共和国地方志丛书
• The Journal of the Geographical Science Archive 地學雜誌
• The Collected Works of Dai Yi 戴逸文集 

As one of only two UK libraries with full access to all 10 subjects of the China Academic Journals via CNKI, organised into 168 subject-specific areas, we provide access to over 8650 journals worldwide, anytime, anywhere. 

These invaluable resources enhance access to authoritative Chinese scholarly content, significantly enriching China-related studies. It is also essential for students working on dissertations and theses that require Chinese-language sources. 

• Access the CNKI E-books service

We ask academic colleagues to take a moment to review our guidance and send us their requirements as early as possible to guarantee access to the recommended readings and resources that students rely on.

• How to Prepare your Taught Course Materials 2026/27

Existing lists in Reading Lists Online will roll over on Wednesday 10 June 2026 and will be available to edit for 2026/27 from Friday 12 June 2026.

Please note the deadline to notify the Library of your core eTextbook selection for 2026/27 via our eTextbook programme is Friday, 19 June 2026.

Published reading lists will automatically be submitted for review when changes are made. If your list is in Draft, please remember to click ‘Submit changes to Library’ after editing your list.

Contact the Reading List team If a course has changed codes or is no longer running in 2026/27:

• uml.readinglists@manchester.ac.uk

Help and support

• Library Reading Lists Service
• Reading Lists Online User Guidance

IAN CURTIS: INSIGHT

Voltz Clarke Gallery, New York City
25 June – 22 July 2026

A major exhibition exploring the life and creative legacy of Ian Curtis will open in New York this summer, bringing rare archival material from the iconic Joy Division frontman to the United States for the first time.

Ian Curtis: Insight presents an intimate and revealing selection of handwritten lyrics, photographs, personal letters, ephemera and artefacts drawn from the Ian Curtis archive, held by The John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester as part of the British Pop Archive. The exhibition offers a new perspective on an artist whose work continues to shape global music and culture.

Curated with full access to the Ian Curtis archive, the exhibition reveals the tension, tenderness, and raw creative energy that defined his, and Joy Division’s short life and enduring legacy. It also evokes the environment that shaped him: late‑1970s Manchester, with its industrial landscapes, DIY urgency, stark textures and the energy Curtis carried with him both on and off stage.

Insight situates Ian Curtis not only as a musical icon, but as a writer and observer whose words captured a particular time and place while speaking to universal themes of alienation, vulnerability and connection. Many of the materials included will be shown publicly in the United States for the first time, offering audiences an unprecedented encounter with the human story behind the music.

By bringing these materials to New York, the exhibition traces the journey of a creative voice rooted in Manchester and carried across continents, reflecting the enduring international reach of the city’s music, ideas and cultural identity.

About the archive

The Ian Curtis Archive forms part of the British Pop Archive, held within The University of Manchester’s Special Collections at The John Rylands Library. The exhibition follows recent international collaborations that have shared the Rylands’ special collections with new audiences abroad, reflecting its ongoing commitment to cultural exchange and public access to globally significant archives.

Visiting information

Ian Curtis: Insight
Voltz Clarke Gallery
195 Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
25 June – 22 July 2026
Free admission

Notes to editors

• The British Pop Archive is a national collection dedicated to the preservation of popular culture, youth culture and counter‑
• The John Rylands Library is one of the world’s leading research libraries and a major cultural institution based in Manchester, UK.
• Download lead image for exhibition here. Credit: Handwritten lyric to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, Ian Curtis, c 1979. Image courtesy The University of Manchester

Find out more

For more further media, information, images and interviews contact:

• Hannah Goodwin, Engagement Manager (hannah.goodwin@manchester.ac.uk)

• access workshops and online guides including our Library support for assessment guide for support throughout the period
• speak to Library and student team staff via our roving service throughout Main Library and the AGLC
• get wellbeing support by accessing helpful resources and workshops via the Mental Health Support Team
• get advice from Library staff and student team members at our regular drop-in sessions
• attend our Show up and Study, Calm your brain and have a croissant and our Relax and recharge sessions throughout the exam period, facilitated by the Library. Listen out for announcements for extra support during this time 

To find out more about how the Library can help you, visit our exam and assessment support page:

• Exam and assessment support

The Library is pleased to highlight Overton, the world’s largest searchable database of policy documents and grey literature (information produced outside traditional academic and commercial publishing, including government papers, NHS reports, and think‑tank publications). Overton brings these diverse sources together in one easy‑to‑use platform, connecting them directly with academic research. 

Drawing on material from more than 188 countries, the database offers an international perspective, not limited to the Global North. This breadth of coverage allows students to enrich their literature reviews with current and relevant policy documents, develop critical analytical skills, and explore the real‑world influence of research. Overton includes over 28,000 articles from The University of Manchester, showcasing how local scholarship shapes policy conversations worldwide. 

For academic and professional services staff, the platform provides essential tools for tracking research impact. It can also support the development of grant applications, REF impact case studies, annual reporting, and personal research portfolios by evidencing where and how university research informs public policy. From a teaching and learning perspective, it illustrates how academic work directly influences professional practice and public decision‑making. 

Overton has cross-discipline appeal. Although it has particular value as a resource for policy@manchester, it is also useful for colleagues in Law, Politics, and the Health Sciences, where it is already featured as a grey literature spotlight on our Library subject guides. Users can create personal accounts to save searches, organise tags, and access the database off‑campus. The platform also maintains an active blog featuring global case studies and examples of best practice, offering further insight into how universities worldwide use Overton to understand and expand their policy influence.  

• Access Overton via Library Search. 

EBSCO are switching to the free Thorium Reader app as it is compatible with screen readers and adheres to modern accessibility standards. After logging in to your MyEBSCO account and searching for and finding your e-book, please click the download button and ‘Full eBook’ tab before selecting your download length and format. You will then be provided with a Thorium Reader passphrase. Please copy the passphrase. Once you have installed the Thorium Reader and entered the passphrase you will be able to download the e-book for offline reading.

A demonstration of the new workflow and FAQs are available:

• View a demonstration of the LCP & Thorium Workflow for EBSCO e-books
• EBSCO e-books - LCP & Thorium – Frequently Asked Questions

Please note

• You will only need to enter your passphrase once on each device that you use.
• Thorium Reader does not currently have a mobile app available: the iOS version is currently in development and Android is next on EDRLab's roadmap.
• Thorium Reader is not natively available for ChromeOS. It is a desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• The online reading experience will not change; the e-book chapter download experience will not change.
  Thorium Reader supports both DRM-free content and DRM-protected files.

Opening in April 2026, Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt is an immersive exhibition that brings to life the voices of the multilingual, multicultural society of Greco-Roman Egypt. This exhibition features rare papyrus manuscripts - fragile, handwritten documents rarely seen by the public. One key item on showcase is the world’s earliest known New Testament fragment – the St. John fragment – on view in North America for the first time, alongside rare papyri and artifacts from Greco-Roman Egypt. These humble sheets of papyrus revolutionized communication in the ancient world, preserving personal letters, legal petitions, magical spells, medical recipes, and early religious texts.  

The John Rylands Library holds one of the finest collections of ancient Egyptian papyri in the world – an outstanding collection that has never been exhibited at scale. This exhibition will bring these remarkable artifacts to North American audiences for the first time supported by key objects from Manchester Museum, together offering an extraordinary glimpse of daily life, revealing the lives of ordinary people and their vibrant cultures along the Nile. 

The project aligns with the recent signing of a strategic alliance between The University of Manchester and The University of Texas at Austin, as well as the formal Friendship Cities agreement signed in March 2025 between Greater Manchester and Austin. This partnership connects the two fastest-growing cities in the UK and US respectively, highlighting the shared commitment to innovation, education, and cultural exchange that defines both metropolitan areas. 

The John Rylands Library in Manchester will also host a version of this exhibition in Autumn 2027. 

Main Library will close Thursday, 2 April at midnight, reopening Tuesday, 7 April at 8am, while AGLC remains open over the Easter weekend but unstaffed.

Full information on opening hours is available on each of the Library sites on the Library’s locations and opening hours page.

Library Chat

Library Chat will be available 24/7 during the Easter period. It will be staffed by third-party partner institutions.

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library  will be closed on Friday, 3 April. The Library will be open to the public on Saturday, 4 April, and remain closed on Easter Sunday, 5 April until Wednesday, 8 April in line with regular opening hours. More information can be found on the Visitor Information page. 

Creative Manchester were delighted to host ‘Unlocking Historical Archives with AI', an event addressing the opportunities and challenges that AI presents to researchers and practitioners working with archives, how AI can drive greater accessibility and utility of archives for new groups of users, and what future archives might look like as a result of further developments in AI.  

Hosting speakers from The University of Manchester, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester Histories and The University of Glasgow, the event aimed to generate interdisciplinary and cross-institutional conversations about AI’s place in the present and future of the archival sector. 

With the University celebrating 75 years since Alan Turing’s seminal paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence this academic year, Creative Manchester also hosted the ‘AI at Manchester’ exhibition in the Samuel Alexander Glass Corridor. Attendees of ‘Unlocking Historical Archives with AI’ were invited to attend a private viewing of the exhibition, which spotlighted 20 early career researchers from across the University exemplifying creative research approaches to AI.  

The event began with an introduction by Creative Manchester Deputy-Director, Dr Constance Smith. A round of lightning talks commenced with Dr Benjamin Wiggins (Senior Lecturer of History and Library & Archive Studies), who provided an overview of how AI-powered tools such as Transkribus, a cooperatively run transcription tool, are transforming the accessibility of archives, though with significant consequences for climate, data scale and research practice. 

Subsequently, Dr Riza Batista-Navarro (Senior Lecturer in Text Mining and Creative Manchester Theme Lead for Creative Industries and Innovation/CreaTech) presented her research on how natural language processing (NLP) can help to make ‘community-generated digital content’ (CGDC) more searchable and queryable. Focusing on the UKRI-funded ‘Our Heritage, Our Stories’ project, Dr Batista-Navarro presented an approach to CGDC which uses NLP to recover valuable information often lost in its metadata. 

Prof Hannah Barker (Professor of British History) then gave a historian’s perspective by highlighting the work of the OHOS/Manchester Histories Champs Camp Archive Project. The ongoing project seeks to reinstate Moss Side’s Champs Camp, the UK’s first Black-led boxing gym, as a significant chapter in Black British history. Prof Barker highlighted the ethical considerations of using AI in approaching CGDC, with there being both opportunities to uncover hidden histories alongside ethical risks regarding copyright and data protection. Overall, Prof Barker concluded that researchers must take an informed, empathetic approach to using AI in archives.  

An interdisciplinary perspective was once again provided by Dr Thomas Flavel (Creative Manchester Research Associate), who gave a demonstration of the methodological approach used in the Creative Manchester-supported MediaQuery reseach project. Dr Flavel gave insight into how AI models can be used to annotate multimodal data in the form of TV shows. By analysing audio, video and subtitles, researchers can conduct large-scale analysis of on-screen representation (such as Bechdel tests) with greater accuracy than simply analysing screenplays.  

The round of presentations was concluded by Prof Guyda Armstrong (Professor of Italian and Director of the John Rylands Research Institute and Library), Principal Investigator of ‘Envisioning Dante, c. 1472-c. 1630: Seeing and Reading the Early Printed Page’. Prof Armstrong presented takeaways from this ongoing project, which uses cutting-edge machine learning computational technologies and image matching to study the material features of the early printed page for almost the entire body of prints of Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. 

The lightning talks were followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr Ben Wiggins, Dr Riza Batista-Navarro, Prof Hannah Barker, Prof Lorna Hughes (The University of Glasgow) and Rachel Hetherington (Manchester Histories), chaired by Dr Constance Smith. The panellists responded to some of the provocations raised in the lightning talks and further discussed what the future of archives might look like. An audience Q&A followed the panel discussion.  

Dr Gail Millin-Chalabi (Head of Digital Reach, The University of Manchester Library) concluded the day’s programme with a talk on how the Library’s digital archives and digitisation services could enable further research innovation in this rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. 

To stay informed about Creative Manchester’s work in the CreaTech theme and our other events and activities please sign up to our mailing list. 

• After logging in to your Ebook Central account and clicking the download button and loan length for your chosen title you will be given a seven digit registration code and then prompted to download the Ebook Central Reader App.
• After installing and opening the App and entering the code, your device will be registered.
• You can then download the book to your Bookshelf for offline reading.

Full details for installing the app and FAQs are available here:

• Downloading using the Ebook Central Reader App

Please note

Chapter downloads will continue as they do currently. DRM-free titles are not currently supported by the new App but they can still be downloaded and opened in your preferred software.

Although bookmarking is supported by the App, highlights and notetaking will not be available in this release. If you have annotations for expired Ebook Central titles in Adobe Digital Editions that you want to capture please download the item again before Wednesday, 11 March 2026 and follow this workaround:

• Ebook Central: Adobe Digital Editions notes and highlights

This new digital collection compiled from the institute’s comprehensive archives provides access to more than 150 years of materials from the world’s longest-established anthropological association. It contains nearly one million unique items, including research data, scholarly papers, field notes, drawings, photographs, and a substantial body of previously uncatalogued material. A major highlight is its library of approximately 150,000 ethnographic images dating back to the 1860s, created by anthropologists, ethnologists, and early ethnographic photographers. 

The archive constitutes a major resource for scholars working across anthropology, history, colonial and postcolonial studies, visual studies, and related fields. The diversity of regions, topics, and disciplinary approaches represented in the archive also supports comparative learning and encourage critical reflection on the discipline’s entanglements with empire, representation, and cross-cultural interpretation. Access via Library Search or our Library Subject Guides.

Bringing together items from our University Heritage Collections and donated archives, such as the Owens College constitution; Robert Dukinfield Darbishire portrait; Iris magazine for women students; and printed notices from the Women’s (student) Union; the display will create a broadly chronological narrative relating to the long struggle for women’s education at (and equal participation in) The University of Manchester. 

Reflecting the social, economic and political pressures of the time, our show cases will highlight the origins of The University of Manchester itself, including the restrictions preventing women from accessing higher education at Owens College. Once women were admitted for education, these pioneers nevertheless remained in separate spheres, even taking classes on different premises. The breaking down of remaining gender barriers, the rise of feminist activism, and of representation for women of colour, will be highlighted in our final show case, regarding the fight for equality in the 20^th century.  

There will be two women’s education history tours, taking place at 12pm on Monday, 9 March and 1pm on Tuesday, 10 March. The tours last one hour tour and attendees should meet at the Main Library Reception desk. 

The showcase runs from February – July 2026, at Blue Ground in Main Library. Entry is free.  

A key University system that staff use behind the scenes to support student services will be temporarily offline from 10am, Thursday, 26 February until 10am, Tuesday, 3 March. This outage is for an essential upgrade that keeps University systems secure and running smoothly. 

What this means for you

While the upgrade is happening, staff won’t be able to look up student ID or community membership details to print any ID cards. This includes:

• Student ID cards
• Library ID cards

Because of this, the Library and Student Hubs will not be able to print new, reprint or replace student ID cards during this period.

What you should do

• Bring your student or Library ID card with you if you're coming onto campus between 26 February and 3 March — you will not be able to get a replacement on these dates.

Why this is happening

The University is carrying out an important upgrade to keep its systems secure and ensure they continue to run properly. While this is happening, staff won’t be able to access or update student information. Normal service will resume once the upgrade is complete. 

The Library’s Open Access monograph competition 2025/26 closes in one week on Friday, 27 February 2026:

• Open Access monograph competition 2025/26 and 2024/25 winners announced

If you’re an unfunded monograph author who will soon publish a monograph, or who published one on or after 1 January 2025, enter for your chance to win funding to make your monograph Open Access.

How to enter

To enter, authors need to fill out this application form by Friday, 27 February 2026. The Library’s Open Access Team will contact successful applicants in early May 2026.

If you have a question about the competition, please email libraryresearch@manchester.ac.uk

We are really proud that the majority of students agreed that the Library plays a positive role in their wellbeing and helps them feel part of the wider University community. The collective efforts our of staff, whether through welcoming interactions, maintaining calm and comfortable spaces, or ensuring students feel supported contribute directly to this sense of connection. We’ll continue building on this feedback as we develop our spaces and services, making sure the Library remains a place where students can feel part of a community.

Students continue to express strong satisfaction in our physical and digital resources, recognising the Library provides the resources they need for their programme. This reflects the expertise and care that goes into acquiring, managing and supporting access to such a wide range of materials.

Our focus over the last year on students’ awareness and satisfaction of Library Subject Guides and the Order resources has also contributed to positive results this year.

Students also responded with positive feedback when asked how our study spaces they meet their needs. This improvement speaks directly to the major improvements as part of the Main Library Redefined project, including 36 new bookable study spaces in the redeveloped Muriel Stott Building, toilet refurbishments and a new Cosy Campus space in Library Lounge with additional furnishings added to the Library Living Room.

Student feedback also highlighted that finding help, both in person and online, can sometimes feel unclear. This gives us a valuable opportunity to strengthen how we support students across all our spaces and services.

We are looking at ways to respond to this feedback, including increased promotion of how to access help and support, to raise students’ awareness of the improvements we’re making to facilities and services.

We will continue to invite student feedback and make sure they feel genuinely listened to, with clear and visible actions that show how their voices shape our improvements.

Together, these results show the value of the work happening in every part of the Library. We would like to thank our staff for their continued dedication and care that make the Library a place where students can study confidently and feel supported throughout their time at Manchester.  

It has been brilliant to get feedback from our students and we will continue to do this with annual surveys and prize draws.  

Items from The John Rylands Library’s Arabic manuscripts collection are available online for the first time via our Manchester Digital Collections (MDC) platform. 

Explore fully digitised copies of Quranic manuscripts, in particular a 14-volume trilingual muṣḥaf (written copy of the Qur’an, Arabic MSS 760-773), as well as codices containing poetry and animal fables, calligraphy, science, ethics, Arabic Christian works and a curious text relating the (imaginary) disputation between a coffee-drinker and a smoker.  

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library’s Arabic manuscript collection comprises nearly 900 codices covering roughly 1,000 years and a wide range of subjects. These include many Qur'anic codices, other religious works, and texts across subjects such as history, medicine, geography, cosmography and literature. Though most of the collection is Islamic, it also features a handful of Christian religious texts.

The majority of the Arabic codices were acquired by Enriqueta Rylands in 1901 with the purchase of the Earls of Crawford collection, the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, rich in Islamic volumes. Further codices were acquired by the Rylands Library via gift and purchase, and through merger with the University Library in 1972. These later acquisitions include manuscripts formerly belonging to Syrian and Arabic scholar Alphonse Mingana (1878-1937), Chetham’s Library and to Dr Moses Gaster.

This digital collection is the start of the Arabic manuscripts collection being made available virtually and to all, and will be added to as part of the Library’s continuing digitisation and retrospective cataloguing programme. Read Curator Zsófia Buda's blog to learn more.

• Explore the collection

We are pleased to announce the expansion of our Oxford Research Encyclopedias collection, featuring additional content to supplement and complete our existing holdings.

New subject areas added include African, American, Latin American and Asian History, Business and Management, Communications, Food Studies, Neuroscience, Physics, Planetary Science, Psychology and Social Work.

Why use Oxford Research Encyclopedias?

Oxford Research Encyclopedias is a dynamic and diverse reference source providing up-to-date authoritative, peer-reviewed articles. Written by leading experts, including University of Manchester contributors, these articles offer critical perspectives across a range of disciplines, grounded in the latest and most significant insights.

Content is enriched with citations and multimedia resources and can be searched by subject area or across the entire collection. This is an invaluable teaching and research resource and can be used alongside Oxford Bibliographies Online for impactful scholarship across the Sciences and Humanities. 

Access the collection

The full collection, and individual titles, can be accessed via Library Search and is highlighted on relevant subject guides.

The Library is here to support you during your studies and research. Our year-round training and support provides a flexible blend of workshops, online guides and drop-in support to develop the necessary skills, and knowledge, at a time and pace that suits you.  

• My Learning Essentials: Our flagship skills programme, aimed at all levels, provides a selection of workshops and online guides to support your academic skills, study strategies and wellbeing. Including our new workshop GenAI tools and learning.
• My Research Essentials: Designed to support researchers at all stages, our researcher programme provides workshops and online guides focused on raising your research profile, dissemination of research, open research, publishing insights and dedicated writing time.  
• Specialist Library Support: Access expert support in specialist areas such as copyright, referencing, advanced searching, systematic reviews and business data.  

Got a question? Come along to our regular drop-in support sessions. Our friendly Library experts are on hand to guide you on any aspects of using our resources and services.  

Academic writing support

If you would like support to improve your academic writing, you can book a one-to-one appointment for an on-campus or online consultation with our Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Carys Bray. 

Library Subject Guides: our guides are here to help you find information and resources tailored to your course. We regularly update our eBook, eJournal and Database spotlights, so you can discover new and essential materials to support your studies quickly and easily.  

Order a Book, Order a Chapter, Order an Article

If you need research resources that the Library does not currently hold, then the Library will get them for you (electronically wherever possible). The service is free, quick and easy to use. Use the Order a Book, Order a Chapter and Order an Article services on the Library website. For any issues regarding availability of reading list items, please contact your module leader.  

Embedding Training and Support in your Programme  

The Library can work with staff to embed training and support within your programme. For further information and to request support see:  

• My Learning Essentials for Staff  

For further help on Library support for your teaching and/or research contact your dedicated Engagement Librarian. 

Professional certifications

Students are being provided with the chance to study for and sit Microsoft 365 Fundamentals and Office Specialist certifications exams for free. These exams, when passed, award the students with professional certifications in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook and more specialist certifications in AI Fundamentals, Azure Fundamentals, Azure Data, Power Platform, Security compliance and identity. Follow this link to find out more: Specialist Library Support workshops. 

For details of all our training and support please visit the Library website: 

• Library Training and Support 

Contact us or speak directly to a member of the Library team via Library Chat:  Library Help & Support  

We’re improving our Digital Collections and value your input. Re:Collect is a new Library project focused on enhancing how our digital collections are discovered, accessed and used.

You can currently browse our collections, comprising of material from our special collections and contemporary research projects, via Manchester Digital Collections, Manchester Digital Exhibitions, Library Digital Collections, and Georeferencer.

We aim to make these collections more accessible, user-friendly, and responsive to your needs whether you’re a student, researcher, or member of the wider community.

Let us know your thoughts on how we can improve your experience. There are several ways you can take part and help shape future improvements.

Complete a short survey

Tell us what works and what needs improving by completing our short survey (closing date 28 February 2026)

• Take the survey

Join a usability workshop

Participate in a session at the Behavioural Research Lab, Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS).

Dates

• 10 February 2026: 11.00am – 12.00pm
• 17 February 2026: 11.00am – 12.00pm

For further details, and to request to take part, contact the AMBS Behavioural Research Lab.

Participants will receive a £10 Amazon Voucher.

Volunteer for an interview

Share more detailed feedback to inform future developments.

Contact Dr Gail Millin-Chalabi, Head of Digital Reach, The University of Manchester Library.

Your feedback will directly influence how our Digital Collections develop, helping ensure they remain accessible and responsive for your learning, teaching and research needs.

The Library's fifth Imagine2030 annual report is now available.

Find out more about the Library's services, physical and digital resources, which support and advance research, teaching and learning across The University of Manchester. 

Sourced from major cultural institutions from across the United States, Australia and the UK - including, as a key guarantor of worth, a selection digitised from the Rylands’ considerable materials on the performing arts, the collection contributes further to the library’s extensive reserves in a fertile area of study.

For more information see the 'Spotlight' feature on this new purchase on the databases section of the Library’s Drama and English Literature subject guides.

What Is the Open Research Fellowship Programme? The Fellowship Programme is funded via the University's Research Culture and Environment Framework and is part of the University's commitment to enhancing Research Culture. This initiative seeks to champion open and reproducible research practices and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive community at our University. The Programme offers financial support covering salary costs, this year for one day a week for up to 7 months, allowing Fellows to focus on their own Open Research interests.  

Goals and Benefits: The Fellowship Programme aims to cultivate a new generation of Open Research champions at the University. Fellows become part of a network of champions and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and best practices in Open Research within their disciplines and across the University.  

Introducing the 2025/2026 Open Research Fellows and their projects: 

Ashma Krishan, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health: IMproving the usefulness and impact of research Pre-REGistration (IMPREG). 

Danna Gifford, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health: Building capacity for open research with large-scale microbial genomics data. 

Guilherme Fians, Faculty of Humanities: Recognising wiki contributions as co-produced research outputs: A toolkit for open scholarship.

Phil Reed, Faculty of Science and Engineering: Continuing digital research technical professional (dRTP) career development at Manchester, nationally and beyond. 

Ramiro Bravo, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health: Enhancing Collaboration in Research Projects and Data Management. 

Zewen Lu, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health: INSPECT-JR: A tool to check trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials in journal reviewing process. 

Zuzanna Zagrodzka, Faculty of Science and Engineering: Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) as Catalysts for Open Research. 

Open Research at The University of Manchester: Last year, Professor Duncan Ivison (President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Manchester) was in conversation with Swara Patel (PhD student, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute) and Dr Cathal Rogers (Research Culture and Assessment Manager, The University of Manchester) regarding Open Research at The University of Manchester. This video highlights how Open Research reflects our values as an institution, enhances the impact of our research and the importance of programmes such as the Open Research Fellows to progress Open Research at The University of Manchester. 

• Duncan Ivison in conversation: Open Research at The University of Manchester 

Stay Updated: We’ll share news and updates from our Open Research Fellows as they progress their projects. Subscribe to the Open Research Digest and check out our Open Research News and Events blog to stay updated. If you have any questions, please email us at openresearch@manchester.ac.uk. 

The Library has acquired the first part of Gale’s Global Development and Humanitarian Aid Collection, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 1919-1997, strengthening the University’s longstanding commitment to furthering the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and also our role as a Northern humanitarianism powerhouse. 

This newly compiled digital archive contains two core resources from the IFRC’s holdings: The Central Registry comprises correspondence and reports exchanged by the League of Red Cross Societies from 1919 to the early 1970s. A selection of digitised files cover topics such as League organisation, conferences, disaster relief, and aid to war victims, along with more specialised material on epidemic diseases. 

Items from the Non-Registry collection include non-centralised material from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent departments, alongside Coordinated Relief Bulletins and Relief Bureau Circulars (c.1940s-1980s). These documents report on the activities of both the National Societies and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provide updates on ongoing disasters, specific needs, and appeals. 

Additionally, this database also provides students, researchers and academic staff with access to over 2,000 files from the Relief Operations Bureau (1970s–80s) and Thematic Operational Files, covering major conflicts such as Vietnam, Korea, and the Middle East. 

Access the collection via Library Search or see our Library Subject Guides for Humanitarian and Conflict Response, Global Development, Geography, History and Public Health. 

• Locations and opening hours

Library Chat

Library Chat will be available 24/7 during the vacation period. It will be staffed by third-party partner institutions.

The John Rylands Library

The John Rylands Library will be open to researchers with appointments on Monday, 22 and Tuesday, 23 December 2025. 

It will be closed Wednesday, 24 December 2025 to Sunday, 4 January 2026 inclusive, reopening to researchers with appointments on Monday, 5 January and to the public on Wednesday, 7 January 2026.

2025/26 Open Access monograph competition – now open

Unfunded monograph authors from any University Faculty can enter the Library’s Open Access monograph competition 2025/26, as long as they will soon be publishing a monograph or published one on or after 1 January 2025.

Winners will receive funding from the Library to make their monographs Open Access and the Library will arrange this directly with the winners’ publishers. Authors publishing trade books should check with their publisher before submitting an application, as Open Access is often not possible for these kinds of titles.

Please note: authors acknowledging UKRI funding in books and book chapters may be eligible for separate Open Access funding.

How to enter

To enter, please provide a short response to the following questions: 

• What is the expected reach of your monograph?
• What are the benefits of your book being Open Access for your intended audience, and The University of Manchester?
• How does your monograph contribute to research in your field?
• Given limited resources, are there any other reasons to fund Open Access for your monograph that we should take into account?

Please submit your answers through this application form by Friday, 27 February 2026. 

After the closing date, entries will be judged by a representative panel led by Professor James Evans, Associate Dean for Research in Humanities. The Library’s Open Access Team will contact successful applicants in early May 2026.

If you have a question about the competition, please contact openresearch@manchester.ac.uk.

2024/25 Open Access monograph competition winners

Last academic year, we received 34 entries from various Schools across the University covering a diverse range of topics. The entries were considered by Professor James Evans, Associate Dean for Research, Faculty of Humanities, together with a representative panel, who selected the 4 winning titles. 

The following titles will be published Open Access with costs covered by the University Open Access Fund:

• Yusra Suedi - The Individual in the Law and Practice of the International Court of Justice (Cambridge University Press)
• Erica Burman - Child as Method: Othering, Interiority and Materialism (Routledge)
• Stephen Scott-Bottoms - Incarceration Games: A History of Role-Play in Psychology, Prisons and Performance (University of Michigan Press)
• Ed Pulford - Past Progress: Time and Politics at the Borders of China, Russia and Korea (Stanford University Press)

Maurice Nagington (School of Health Sciences) received funding through the 2023/2024 competition for his book The Moral Lessons of Chemsex (Routledge), published at the end of 2024. He believes making the book openly available has helped it to reach a much wider audience, accelerate its impact and spark interest in the broader research agenda. The book has been downloaded almost 10,000 times and been featured in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Congratulations to all the winning entrants to the competition.

The Open Access monograph competition is made possible through collaboration between the Library’s Office for Open Research and Engagement Team and staff from various Schools across the University.

The John Rylands Library, part of The University of Manchester Library, has been awarded the FX Award for Museum or Exhibition Space 2025, triumphing in a highly competitive international category.

International competition

The Library was recognised alongside an exceptional field of global institutions including The Long Museum (Shanghai, China), The Florence Nightingale Museum (London, UK), Übersee Museum (Bremen, Germany), National Maritime Museum (London, UK), Missoni Sky (Toronto, Canada), KINCANG Lounge (Shaoxing, China), Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK), Perth Museum (Perth, Australia), Rapt Studio (Milan, Italy), Toyota City Museum (Toyota, Japan), and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Antwerp, Netherlands).

About the winning project

The award recognises the successful completion of The John Rylands Library Next Chapter project, delivered through a collaboration between the University Library, architects Donald Insall Associates, and designers Nissen Richards Studio. The achievement is particularly fitting as The John Rylands Library celebrates its 125th anniversary year, having first opened to readers and visitors on 1 January 1900.

Leadership and vision

Professor Christopher Pressler, University Librarian, and his senior team at the University of Manchester have been working for five years through the University Library's Imagine2030 vision to deliver this transformative project. The work focused on the sensitive upgrade to key areas to enhance visitor engagement and to ensure that the Grade I-listed building can respond to and cater for the challenges of the next generation.

Key improvements delivered

The project included the total refurbishment of the main exhibition spaces, the development of a state-of-the-art advanced imaging laboratory, the creation of a flexible event and teaching space, and a complete reimagining of the main entrance, retail and welcome areas.

One of the key elements of the brief was to create new display possibilities, so that more of the remarkable treasures from the Rylands' collection could be put on display at any one time. The temporary gallery was already working as an exhibition space but had not been upgraded for many years. It now features new exhibition furniture that underwent rigorous testing with different materials and light conditions.

The John Rylands Library, one of the acknowledged great libraries of the world, is part of The University of Manchester Library, the third largest academic library system in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge and is at the heart of the largest single-site University in Britain.

Find out more

• FX Design press release
• FX Design Awards website

Develop your digital communications skills and explore the online world with Digital Society, the UCIL course unit run by the Library. Studying entirely online, you’ll explore the relationship between digital technology, society, and you, from the connectedness of our lives and the machines around us, to how we communicate with each other.

The examples below showcase the kind of exciting learning and engagement you can expect from the unit:

• The Internet: How have key developments in the history of the internet made us more connected to information, and each other?
• Digital Engagement: What is digital engagement, who do we engage with, and how is it recorded?
• AI, ethics and us: How does the rise of AI affect us and our lives in the digital society?
• The Internet of Things: What is it and what does it mean for you?
• Critical analysis in a digital world: Why is critical analysis important in the digital society and how can you develop your critical skills?
• Reflecting on your employability for a digital future: How do changing skills/society affect your future employability?

Upcoming courses

Digital Society runs in Semester 2 and is worth 10 credits. The course start date is 2 February 2026, and registration is open until 16 February 2025.

To find out more and sign up, visit the UCIL website.

You can also read more about the course topics and delivery on the Digital Society Medium pages.

• Aging in the Modern World

This collection constitutes a critical component of the Global Issues Library, addressing some of the most significant and complex challenges confronting contemporary societies. 

Aging in the Modern World completes this series by offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted dynamics associated with global population aging.

Exploration of aging

Presented through a multimedia framework, the collection investigates a range of interrelated themes that highlight the social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of aging. These include cross-cultural perspectives on the experience of aging, governmental policies and institutional responses, technological innovations and evolving societal attitudes toward older adults from 1900–2020.

By integrating scholarly research, policy analysis, and diverse media sources, Aging in the Modern World provides an interdisciplinary platform for understanding how demographic transformations are reshaping societies worldwide.

Access the collection

Access via Library Search or our Library Subject Guides.

The exhibition explores how the city’s explosive industrial growth depended on links to India, Africa and America that inspired, supplied and provided markets for its machine-made cotton goods. Read letters, factory plans and ledgers that were working documents in Manchester cotton mills. See Indian fabrics that were admired by the British cotton industry and learn how these fabrics drove innovation. Examine a rediscovered cotton sample book that traces a world of exchanges that connected Manchester to markets in Africa and the Caribbean. 

The exhibition is curated by Professor Edmond Smith as part of his research for his new book Ruthless: A New History of Britain’s Rise to Wealth and Power, 1600-1800.

Entry to the John Rylands Library and all exhibitions is free.

This national charity works to ensure every child has access to their own books at home, redistributing thousands of pre-loved children’s books each year to families with few or none.

Donate a book

We’re inviting colleagues across the University to donate good-quality children’s books suitable for ages 0–14 years. 

Your generosity will help spark curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of reading in young people.

Please note, we can’t accept:

• Old or tatty books
• Encyclopaedias, textbooks, revision guides or religious texts
• DVDs or CDs
• Ex-library or reading scheme books

Where to donate

Books can be dropped off at the donation point in the foyer of Main Library.

This outdoor space offers a mix of study and social areas which have been designed with student feedback in mind - perfect for quiet reading, collaborative work, or simply taking a break in the fresh air. 

Courtyard redeveloped

The courtyard marks the next phase in the Library’s ongoing redevelopment, following major refurbishments across the Main Library over the summer. 

These improvements include upgraded facilities, accessible study upgrades, and enhanced study spaces, with sustainability practice at the core of the project. 

Further improvements and new furniture will arrive in the New Year, continuing our work to create welcoming, flexible spaces that support study, wellbeing, and community on campus. 

Find out more

• For further information about Main Library Redefined and the Muriel Stott re-development project, see our previous update.

As a consequence of ongoing mapping activity relating to our position as National Research Library in the North the Library has significantly boosted its holdings from British Online Archives.

About the collections

A number of the 21 new primary source collections acquired therefore align directly not only with existing online digital reserves, but also with particular strengths at Rylands.  

As an example, our extensive women’s suffrage collections have now been strengthened by a specifically Scottish archive of further material to assist researchers in compiling a more expansive picture of the movement.

Access the British Online Archive

The entire BOA platform can be cross-searched thematically and a comprehensive index of all accessible individual collections housed within the database is listed under ‘Related titles’ on the Library Search entry. 

More details can be found on the History subject guide.

As the exam and assessment period approaches, the Library is here to support you every step of the way. You can:

• access workshops and online resources for revision, exam and assessment support
• speak to Library and student team staff via our roving service throughout Main Library and the AGLC or at our assessment support stand in Main Library
• get wellbeing support by accessing helpful resources and workshops via the Mental Health Support Team
• get advice from Library staff and student team members at our regular drop-in sessions
• attend focused, structured revision sessions facilitated by the Library

Find out more

To find out more about how the Library can help you, visit our exam and assessment support page: 

• Exam and assessment support

After this date, University of Manchester staff and students will no longer have unrestricted access to Scite’s research discovery and analysis tools.

In December 2023, the Library’s Office for Open Research agreed to support a two-year trial of the Scite platform to provide additional context around research publications. 

Following a review of usage and value across Library services, we have decided not to renew the subscription. 

We will continue to explore other tools and data sources to support responsible and contextual use of research metrics.

Research metrics support

If you need research metrics support, our Research Indicators Team can help you to understand the reach and impact of research outputs by providing comprehensive citation analysis, a suite of research intelligence analysis tools, and guidance on the responsible use of research metrics.

Find out more

Please contact the Office for Open Research with any questions or if you would like advice on alternative sources of citation information.

The renovation has introduced a fresh modern environment to reflect evolving student needs. Features include a wider range of soft seating to suit different study styles and clearly defined study areas including a quiet zone, four meeting rooms and two meetings pods for collaborative work.  

As part of these changes, a selection of core textbooks remain available ensuring continued access to key reading. The majority of other books previously housed in this space have been relocated to the Main Library. Students are advised to use Library Search, our subject guides or their online reading lists to find materials for their studies. 

The Stopford Student Hub and Library is open Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm, staff are available 9am–5pm. 

Students can also access Library support at any of our other Library sites across campus or contact us online anytime. 

Prize draws will take place on Monday, 27 October 2025, Monday, 3 November 2025 and Monday, 10 November 2025. 

All completed surveys will be entered in each prize draw so the earlier you complete the survey, the more chance you have of winning. 

Take the survey

Take this short, 10-minute survey:

• Library Student Sentiment Survey