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In his latest blog post on the Frankland Family Archive, John Rylands archivist James Peters talks about Sir Edward Frankland's time analysing London waters, and how he indirectly paved the way for the public control of London’s water. Blog: ow.ly/9n3k50WYNVG

Great to see our founder Enriqueta Rylands getting a bit of attention... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Joint exhibition with www.stuartlindenrhodes.com and @jonshard on until October 5th at Manchester Spinningfields. Some the photography courtesy of @universityofmanchester @thejohnrylands.bsky.social

In our latest blog, senior photographer Tony Richards explains how the Imaging Team at the Rylands created a 3D representation of Cuneiform 931 (a tablet from the Old Babylonian period) for an exhibition by the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social in London. Blog: ow.ly/zS7B50WVCfk

We have just entered our third century of educating students. The social lives, fashions & cultures of today's students have changed over the past 200 years. Their curiosity, drive & desire to make the world a better place has not. Welcome to Manchester. medium.com/special-coll...

The John Rylands Library will be closed to the public for the rest of the day due to flooding. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Anti-colonialism. A decent living. Democracy. Anti-racism. Women's suffrage. For centuries, Manchester has been at the forefront of campaigns for social and political reform. medium.com/special-coll...

We are looking for a one-year full-time Research Associate to work on Coptic manuscripts in Manchester as part of a wonderful project that connects mss with local communities. Requires strong skills in Coptic, English, & Arabic. Deadline 31/10. Please share! www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

In the nineteenth century, Manchester's growth was fuelled by fortunes made in the cotton trade. Cotton merchants and manufacturers profited from the forced labour of enslaved people. Our own connections to cotton are explored here by Dr Natalie Zacek: rylandscollections.com/2020/09/07/r...

Do you know how many amazing people have lived and worked in Manchester? Take a look at our blog, 'The men and women who shaped the city', and we guarantee there will be some stories you've never heard of. medium.com/special-coll...

You're coming to Manchester to study and you want to know more about the city's history? We've got you covered. tldr; Manchester was the world's first industrial city, and you'll see that legacy all around you as you explore. medium.com/special-coll...

Come Out Tonight: queer 90s nightlife, a new exhibition in Spinningfields to mark Pride 2025 in collaboration with photographers Stuart Linden Rhodes and Jon Shard. Explore the energy and growth of the queer scene of the early 1990s. If you’re in Manchester for Pride, stop by and take a look. 🏳️‍🌈

🏳️‍🌈What’s on for Pride this week? 🏳️‍⚧️ 👀Collection Encounter: The Secret Public, Friday 22 August, 10.40-11.50am. Uncover Manchester’s queer culture, pop music and nightlife through collections featuring Buzzcocks, the Haçienda and City Life magazine. 📷Flesh, The Haçienda, Manchester, 1990s, Jon Shard

The Rylands is home to the Delia Derbyshire Archive. You can see items from the archive on display in the Collections Gallery. Or find out more about the archive here: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/spec...

US Fellowships available for researchers from the University of Manchester, to John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress and Huntington Library. For guidance and application details follow this link: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/rese...

⚠️ You've only got a few more weeks left! ⚠️ The Perspectivists, featuring beautiful architectural watercolours from our University Heritage Collection, is running at the Modernist Society until 30th August. Don't miss out! the-modernist.org/blogs/news/t...

Free event with Faith Network for Manchester 📖Collections and Storytelling: Exploring Personal and Collective Stories through Bibles and from Methodism and Non-Conformist Records 📅Thursday 14 August, 5pm-7pm 🆓 Free and open to all. 👉 Book your place here: 🔗 faithinthearts2025.eventbrite.co.uk

We are delighted to announce the first batch of the new Early European Print collection, now freely available to explore online here: www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/collections/... Read more about collection and some of its highlights in our latest blog post: ow.ly/g1MH50WxSmH

Dr. Hannah Yip is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow: "I specialise in book history and the cultural lives of English clergymen. With @benltjackson.bsky.social , I am editing Clerical Lives in England and Wales, c.1600-1800 for @manchesterup.bsky.social

We are delighted to announce the first batch of the new Early European Print collection, now freely available to explore online on Manchester Digital Collections! Read all about the collection and some of its highlights in our latest blog post: ow.ly/g1MH50WxSmH

From Manchester’s modernist university campus to Japanese maps from the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), you can explore special collections online through Manchester Digital Exhibitions. Browse the exhibitions here: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/resources/se... "

Why did readers write on or alter printed images? Our new online exhibition, 'Extra-Illustrations and Annotated Illustrations in Early Modern Books', explores how readers engaged with their books. Explore the exhibition here: ow.ly/VkF850WpQH5

In our latest blog, Prof. DeBernardi explores early 20th-century postcards from our Christian Brethren Archive and provides a window into how faith and visual media came together to share stories and connect local communities to global missions. Blog: rylandscollections.com/2025/07/04/m...

#OTD in 1928 the Equal Franchise Act was passed finally giving women the same voting rights as men. This mechanical card (c1912) shows a Suffragette and policeman with facial expressions that change as the wheel is turned. The Suffragettes campaigned for votes for women.

The Secret Public exhibition explores the influence of LGBTQ performers, artists and activists on mainstream pop culture. Drop into free tours with co-curator Mat Bancroft to discover more. Thursday 3 July 3-3.30pm Thursday 7 August, 3-3.30pm Thursday 4 September, 3-3.30pm

Discover the role of libraries in preserving and sharing sacred texts. With Faith Network for Manchester explore sacred texts as historical artefacts and as sources of dialogue across cultures and faiths. 🆓Sessions are free, open to all. 📅Registration required faithinthearts2025.eventbrite.co.uk

ICYMI you can still watch The Jazzie B Archives. Produced by Matt O’Casey & directed by Dr @Sophie Everest in association with the #BritishPopArchive

Now partly catalogued: University of Manchester Student Ephemera Collection (1952–1976) Materials include student-produced flyers, society publications, and documents on political activism (e.g. anti-apartheid, Arblaster affair, student occupations). 🔗 archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb133-sec

This illustration is from the author's copy of ‘A History of the Birds of Europe’ by Henry Dresser. The books provide a snapshot of 19th-century bird life, illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists. From Saturday 28 June you can see them at Manchester Museum.

Our Early Photography collection shows real fashions of the Victorian era. This book of early photographs dates all the way back to 1857. It features a view of Sydney and portraits of Charles Bolton, bottom right, and two unnamed women. www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/view/AR-JA-0...

#OTD 210 years ago in 1815, the Duke of Wellington defeated Emperor Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. This cartoon from our collection depicts the Duke duelling on Battersea Fields in 1829, the last duel fought by a sitting Prime Minister.

Did you know we hold Chinese books and manuscripts from the 16th-20th century? This portrait of Emperor Daoguang in iconic dragon robe is from a silk-covered book of watercolours for export, and dates to the Qing dynasty in the 19th century. www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/view/VS-CHDR...

In our latest blog post, Dr Sarah Parkhouse and Prof Peter Oakes write about their investigations into the Coptic manuscript collection held at the John Rylands and their aim to connect them with the local and wider UK Coptic Orthodox community. Blog: ow.ly/cYU450W8FLc

We're ready for Uncovering Injustice, a workshop exploring #InvestigativeJournalism including the work of #SirHarryEvans whose incredible archive is now at the Rylands. ‪ @sirharrysummit.bsky.social‬

Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not visit the University of Manchester campus on Oxford Road for the Universally Manchester festival? Featuring historic campus tours by Grant, the library's curator for University Heritage. universallymanchester.com/event/histor...

The Secret Public exhibition is based on Professor Jon Savage’s book of the same name. Now in out paperback ‪@faberbooks.bsky.social‬ hear more from Jon in conversation with author and broadcaster Emma Warren. Thursday 19 June, 6.30pm Book your free place here: ow.ly/l0NZ50W71pi

‪🚨Funding opportunity🚨 @britishacademy.bsky.social‬ Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025-26. Internal expression of interest application form and guidance available here: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/rese... Deadline for the Expression of Interest is 12noon, Wednesday 9 July 2025.

What do Joan of Navarre (c.1368 –1437), the importance of books in Late Medieval England, and a long-lost manuscript leaf that has finally been re-united with its original manuscript have to do with each other? Read all about it in our latest blog post: rylandscollections.com/2025/06/06/d...

Celebrate the 125th birthday of the Rylands with us on Saturday 7 June. There’s a jam-packed programme of free activities as part of Manchester #FestivalOfLibraries. From tours, print demos and music, there's loads to take part in. Stop by and help us celebrate! 🎉

The Langford Brooke Glass Plate Negatives collection consists of around 1000 digitised images which need to be described with metadata. Can ChatGPT assist us with this task, creating tailored descriptions for each photograph as a starting point for the editing process? Read the blog to find out.

The Bulletin of the John Rylands Library was founded in 1903. Today it's published by Manchester University Press. From the Spring 2025 issue (published in July), it will be Open Access and available for free to read. Find the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library on manchesterhive.com.

Our digital Rag Rag collection now includes all our published volumes from 1924 to 1967. The magazines show changing styles, attitudes and issues on campus from the interwar period through to the Cold War. Note: content warnings apply. www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/collections/...

Want to know more about The Secret Public? Join curator Mat Bancroft for a free exhibition tour. Explore the influence of LGBTQ performers and activists on mainstream pop culture. 📅Thursday 5 June, 3pm. No booking required. 📷Gay Power, cover photograph by Diana Davies, 1970

Want to know more about early exhibitions at the Rylands? Join curator Dr Elizabeth Gow for this fascinating event. Tuesday 3 June. In person @warburginstitute.bsky.social or online.

Manchester #FestivalOfLibraries is next week with 135 events across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. What’s on? We’re hosting @manmetuni.bsky.social Contemporary Gothic Reading Group with author Susan Barker on Wednesday 4 June, 3pm. Book a free place: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/contempora...

Free events exploring new exhibition The Secret Public: 📅In Conversation: Jon Savage and Richard Dyer, Wednesday 28 May 12.30pm. Part of @uniofmanchester.bsky.social Sexuality Summer School public events programme. 📅Curator tour with exhibition co-curator Mat Bancroft, Thursday 5 June 3pm.

New blog! Sophie Coulthard from the Collection Care team takes us behind the scenes, sharing how they conserved special collection items for display in the recently refurbished gallery spaces here at the Rylands. Blog: ow.ly/FzQn50VTMjy

In our latest blog, Sophie Coulthard from Collection Care takes us behind the scenes and talks about how they conserved special collection items for display in the recently refurbished gallery spaces here at the John Rylands. Blog: ow.ly/FzQn50VTMjy

New galleries are open! To celebrate we’re open until 6.30pm. Explore the Collections Gallery with over 40 rare items telling the story of the collections. Or explore the new exhibition The Secret Public examining the influence of LGBTQ performers on mainstream pop culture.