Cambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library Billions of words, millions of books, thousands of years of human thought and discovery. We are one of the world's great libraries.
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Exam season = locked in at the UL.Here are the study spots we keep coming back to:📚 Commonwealth Room – quiet, focused e...
01/06/2026

Exam season = locked in at the UL.

Here are the study spots we keep coming back to:
📚 Commonwealth Room – quiet, focused energy
☀️ South Reading Room – cosy rainy day vibes
❄️ West 4 – beloved for its good air conditioning
🏛️ Main Reading Room – the undisputed GOAT of study spaces

Which one’s your favourite?

📷Photos by Alice the Camera

How to stay sane in a heatwave, Medieval-style:1. Sit on the riverbank with your legs in the water and leeches on your l...
29/05/2026

How to stay sane in a heatwave, Medieval-style:

1. Sit on the riverbank with your legs in the water and leeches on your legs
2. Eat all your meals in a canopied bath full of ice
3. Keep hydrated

All images are from a fifteenth-century illustrated copy of a household health text commonly known as the Régime du corps (CUL MS Ii.5.11).

🔗View it here: https://loom.ly/JWKrRD0

✍️ Ever wanted to write poetry?Led by novelist Dr Yvonne Battle-Felton, Academic Director of Creative Writing at Cambrid...
28/05/2026

✍️ Ever wanted to write poetry?

Led by novelist Dr Yvonne Battle-Felton, Academic Director of Creative Writing at Cambridge, this fun introductory workshop is perfect for poetry beginners.

📅Saturday 6 June
⏰10:00am–11:30am
🎟️Tickets: £10 I Suitable for ages 18+
📍Cambridge University Library
Spaces are limited to 12 people, so book early to avoid disappointment: https://loom.ly/EEyYdSQ

Your ticket also includes an optional place on a walking tour with Water Sensitive Cambridge, taking place on Sunday 31 May from 11am–3pm.

🎤 Participants are invited to return for our Library Late on Thursday 18 June to share their work with a live audience!

This event is inspired by Cambridge University Library and Pembroke College Cambridge's exhibition, Living Water: Poetry, Art and the Fight for Clean Rivers.

🌿 This sprig of wild mignonette (Reseda lutea) was picked from a cornfield near Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, in 1784 – an...
27/05/2026

🌿 This sprig of wild mignonette (Reseda lutea) was picked from a cornfield near Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, in 1784 – and it still survives today in a remarkable two-volume herbarium compiled by Edward Hanmer.

Containing almost 300 pressed plants, the collection has now been digitised and can be explored online in the : https://loom.ly/Nf6YOy8

(MS Add.10547)

Eid Mubarak 🌙We are marking Eid al-Adha by sharing this remarkable copy of the well-known Islamic prayer-book, the Dalāʼ...
26/05/2026

Eid Mubarak 🌙

We are marking Eid al-Adha by sharing this remarkable copy of the well-known Islamic prayer-book, the Dalāʼil al-khayrāt.

It is written in Maghribi script, which first developed in North Africa and Spain and subsequently spread to West Africa.

This is a prayer-book meant for travelling, probably across desert regions. The unbound leaves are wrapped in animal skin covers and housed in a finely crafted leather satchel to protect the sacred text during travel.

MS Add.3500
Dalāʼil al-khayrāt
The original work is attributed to Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Jazūlī (d. 1465)
West Africa, 19th century

Industrial action at the University of Cambridge is taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week (2...
26/05/2026

Industrial action at the University of Cambridge is taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week (26, 27, 28, 29 May).

We aim to maintain services at University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives during the strikes and minimise disruption to study wherever possible.

However, as changes may be necessary at short notice, we advise visitors to check our service updates page before travelling to our libraries: https://loom.ly/JAHIoXk.

We are open as usual today, Monday 25 May!If you need a break from all the hard work, why not pop into our exhibition, L...
25/05/2026

We are open as usual today, Monday 25 May!

If you need a break from all the hard work, why not pop into our exhibition, Living Water? No need to book, just drop in and cool off (it has air con! 😎).

The Lady of Eloquence in her garden – lengthy to-do list in hand, but manifesting calm. 😌We hope you have a great bank h...
22/05/2026

The Lady of Eloquence in her garden – lengthy to-do list in hand, but manifesting calm. 😌

We hope you have a great bank holiday and can enjoy the marvellous weather. Exam season is upon us, so if you need a peaceful place to study (or quietly panic revise), then we’re open as usual on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May.

The Lady of Eloquence appears in Les douze dames de rhétorique (MS Nn.3.2), alongside 11 other allegorical ladies.
Flanders, 1467–1468
Languages: French and Latin

This Bank Holiday weekend, dive into Living Water: Poetry, Art and the Fight for Clean Rivers, at Cambridge University L...
21/05/2026

This Bank Holiday weekend, dive into Living Water: Poetry, Art and the Fight for Clean Rivers, at Cambridge University Library.

The exhibition explores the work and legacy of artist Barrie Cooke, and his remarkable creative friendship with poets Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes. We follow their story across five decades, through letters, manuscripts and artworks. At the heart of the exhibition are the rivers that inspired and sustained them.

No need to book – just drop in and immerse yourself: https://loom.ly/64SyJug

Monday - Friday 9am to 6.30pm (last entry 6pm)*
Saturday 9am to 4.30pm (last entry 4pm)
*including the late May Bank Holiday!

Seen in this photo: River Dart Rapids 84, by Barrie Cooke.

Address

Cambridge University Library, West Road
Cambridge
CB39DR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 4:45pm

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+441223333030

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