About the library

University of Birmingham Libraries operate across 6 sites:

• Barber Fine Art Library - contains materials covering the major European schools of painting from the early Renaissance to the 21st Century, the history of collecting and some Byzantine art
• Barnes Library – covers medicine, biochemistry, life sciences, health studies, and sports and exercise
• Dental Library
• Main Library – contains the majority of the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Science and Engineering collections
• Orchard Learning Resource Centre
• Shakespeare Institute Library - The library aims to collect every significant publication for the study of Shakespeare and Renaissance drama and the supporting collections cover literary, cultural, political, religious, and social history of the period

The special collections and archives of the University of Birmingham are housed with the Cadbury Research Library. They have been built up over a period of 120 years and consist of approximately 80,000 pre-1850 books dating from 1471 and some 3 million manuscripts.

The local library catalogue is available online.

The Cadbury Research Library also contributes to the Archives Hub. To browse descriptions of their archive materials, visit their Archives Hub information page.

British Library inter-library loan codes

Barnes Library

Library code: BH/M-1; policy code: G2

Main Library

Library code: BH/U-1 (Document Supply Team), BH/U-2 (External Loans); policy code: G2

Orchard Learning Resource Centre

Library code: QM/D-8; policy code: G2

For an explanation of these codes, and for more information on arranging inter-library loans, see the inter-library loans page on the British Library website.

Accessing materials

Can I see live document availability on Library Hub Discover? Yes.

Can I obtain items via inter-library loan? Yes - subject to the library's local lending policy. You must request an inter-library loan via a library of which you are a member. Talk to your own library staff for advice on ordering an item.

Can I visit the library to view materials? Yes - see the main library's website for access details, and the Cadbury Research Library's website for details of access to special collections. If you wish to visit it is advisable to contact the library in advance, to ensure that they can accommodate you and that the material you need will be available.

Location

Browse all of the University of Birmingham's records in Library Hub Discover here.