Explore our collections
From medieval manuscripts to modern literature, our Archives and Special Collections span over 900 years of history and include archives, rare books and manuscripts that are of regional, national, and international significance.
Explore Special Collections Online to discover our collections which have been digitised.
Featured collections
Our catalogues
Our collection of manuscripts and printed rare books can be explored through Library Search. To limit your search to Archives and Special Collections choose the Special Collections filter on the on the search results page.
Many of our Archive collections can be searched via our Archives Catalogue. Not all of our of Archives are catalogued. If you are unable to find what you are looking for then please contact us and a member of the team will be happy to help. You can navigate directly to the catalogues of some of our most significant collections by following the links below.
Literary collections
- Joe Orton Collection
- Sue Townsend Archive
- Caroline Holden Collection of Adrian Mole artwork
- David Campton Collection
- Kevin Laffan Archive
- René MacColl Collection
- Laura Riding Correspondence with G. S. Fraser
- Andrew Waterman Collection
University archives
- University of Leicester Institutional Archive
- Vaughan College Collection
- W. G. Gibbs Collection
- Astley Clarke Papers
- R. F. Rattray Papers
- Jack Simmons Collection
- Joan Thirsk Collection
- Sylvia Dowling Letters
- H. J. Dyos Collection
History of Leicester
- Gorrie Collection of political memorabilia
- Leicester Medical Society Archive
- Leicester Mercury Archive
- Joan Skinner Archive