Durham University Library

54°46′5″N 1°34′24″W / 54.76806°N 1.57333°W / 54.76806; -1.57333

Durham University Library
The Bill Bryson Library in 2007
Map
LocationDurham, England, United Kingdom
TypeUniversity Library
Established1833
Branches6 (excluding college libraries)
Collection
Items collectedBooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, Parliamentary papers, Mediaeval Seals, European Union Papers, Ecclesiastical Records, Middle East Papers, drawings and manuscripts
Size>1,637,000 printed items, 25,000 e-journals and more than 850,000 e-books. (Excluding college libraries).[1]
Access and use
Access requirements
  • Open to all students of Durham
  • Students from universities within the SCONUL Vacation Access Scheme.
  • NHS Staff (Northern Region).
  • Certain external borrowers, alumni and fee-payers.
Other information
DirectorStuart Hunt
Websitedurham.ac.uk/library

The Durham University Library is the centrally administered library of Durham University in England and is part of the university's Library and Collections department.[2] Its two main libraries are Palace Green Library and the Bill Bryson Library. It was founded in January 1833 at Palace Green by a 160 volume donation by the then Bishop of Durham, William Van Mildert, and now holds over 1.6 million printed items.[3] Since 1937, the university library has incorporated the historic Cosin's Library, founded by Bishop Cosin in 1669. Cosin's Library and the Sudan Archive held at Palace Green Library are designated collections under Arts Council England's Designation Scheme for collections of national and international significance; two collections at Durham University Oriental Museum (also part of Library and Collections), the Chinese collection and the Egyptian collection, are also designated.[4]

The library is a member of the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), Research Libraries UK and the Association of European Research Libraries. It partners with Durham Cathedral Library, Ushaw College Library and other Durham University collections in the Durham Residential Research Library.

  1. ^ "About the University Library and Heritage Collections". Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Library and Collections". Durham University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. ^ University Library. "University Library : Library History". Durham University. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. ^ Designated Collections. Arts Council England. April 2019. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7287-1099-3.