Located on the ground floor of the Glucksman Library in the new extension, the Special Collections Reading Room is the dedicated space for consultation of Special Collections resources, including rare and antiquarian books, manuscripts and archival collections.

Limited access to the Special Collections and Archive Reading Room is currently available.
Readers can arrange an appointment by email to specoll@ul.ie
Readers must contact specoll@ul.ie at least 24 hours in advance of appointment with details of the material for consultation and date/time of appointment. This is necessary to ensure materials are retrieved and ready for viewing.

Special Collections, because of their age, rarity or value, benefit from careful handling and use. The following rules are in place in the Reading Room to ensure that our materials are available to you and to other readers into the future.

  • Photographic identification must be provided on entry (e.g. Student Card, Passport, etc.)
  • Readers must sign-in on entry.
  • Coats, bags, etc. may not be brought into the Reading Room; staff will store these for the duration of your visit.
  • Only 2B pencils may be used for note taking. These are available at the Special Collections desk.
  • No food or drink is permitted in the Special Collections area.
  • Mobile phones and other devices must be set to silent.
  • Requests for photocopying and/or use of digital camera MUST be made to Special Collections staff.
  • Items held in Special Collections are for REFERENCE ONLY and may not be taken outside the area.
  • Items must at all times be handled with great care and must not be marked in any way.

Search the Collections

The Library Search lists the books, journals, pamphlets and maps in Special Collections.

Before coming to Special Collections to consult the material, readers should complete a Request Form which is available in the main library. The information required for the form includes bibliographic details and a shelfmark.