About the library

The Cathedral Libraries database is not a current catalogue of the cathedral holdings. It represents an electronic version of the following book:

M.S.G. McLeod, ed., and completed K.I. James and D. J. Shaw. The Cathedral Libraries Catalogue: Books printed before 1701 in the Libraries of the Anglican cathedrals of England and Wales: Volume II (Books printed on the Continent of Europe before 1701 in the libraries of the Anglican Cathedrals of England and Wales). London: Bibliographical Society and the British Library, 1984.

This includes details of materials printed on the continent of Europe before 1701 and held in the libraries of 37 Anglican Cathedrals of England and Wales. Records for Cathedral Libraries books printed in the British Isles and British America and English books printed elsewhere are included in the English Short Title Catalogue.

The Cathedral Libraries catalogue is a 'historic' catalogue representing the holdings of the cathedrals during the mid to late twentieth century when it was first created, so there is no guarantee that all the books in the catalogue are still in their original location: notably the library of Ely Cathedral was sold in 1972. For access to materials recorded on the catalogue it is important to contact the relevant cathedral library to ensure the document is available and to check access arrangements.

Further details are available on the Cathedral Libraries Catalogue homepage, and on the Bibliographical Society's website which has additional information about the original publication of the Catalogue and links to the PDF files from the print version of the Catalogue.

Accessing materials

Can I see live document availability on Library Hub Discover? No.

For access to materials recorded on the catalogue it is important to contact the relevant cathedral library to ensure the document is available, and to check access arrangements.

Browse all of Cathedral Libraries Catalogue (pre-1701 European books) records in Library Hub Discover here.

More about Cathedral Libraries

Library Hub Discover also includes the current catalogues of some individual Cathedral Libraries, for example York Minster, and you will find more information on each library’s own information page. You may also be interested in the Cathedral Archives, Libraries and Collections Association (CALCA) website, which provides more information about current cathedral collections.