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Library & Archive

Girton has one of the largest and most comprehensive College libraries in the University, holding in the region of 95,000 books

The 1930s building of the Library, with its awe-inspiring vaulted timber ceiling, was complemented in 2005 by a multi-award-winning extension. This created a spacious IT resources area and a state-of-the-art repository to house the Archive and the Special Collections. These collections range from rare Sanskrit manuscripts to gifts of books from Girton’s most notable early supporters such as Tennyson, Ruskin, and George Eliot. There are extensive and internationally important collections on the history of women and work, the suffrage movement, and women’s education, as well as an extensive archive of the College’s ground-breaking history.

Library News

Arrangements for the Easter Vacation 2024

Borrowing from the Library

  • Current students may borrow up to 10 Items for the vacation, with loans due back by Wednesday 24 April. Reservations/recalls/requests will be turned off on Tuesday 12 March, so that no items on loan to students can be recalled during the vacation. (Items on loan to staff and fellows can be recalled during the vacation.)
  • Our “click & collect” service will remain in place over the vacation but please be aware that it take longer to fulfil requests due to staff holidays and shorter opening hours.
     

Opening hours for the Library


•    Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 March: 9am to 9pm 
•    Thursday 21 and Friday 22 March: 9am to 5pm
•    Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March: closed
•    Monday 25 to Thursday 28 March: 9am to 5pm
•    Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April: closed for Easter weekend
•    Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 April: 9am to 5pm
•    Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April: closed
•    Monday 8 to Friday 12 April: 9am to 9pm
•    Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April: closed
•    Monday 15 to Friday 19 April: 9am to 9pm
•    Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 April: 9am to 11pm

Full Term opening hours begin again the weekend before the start of Easter Full Term (Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April).
 

Opening hours for the study rooms


Where study rooms are located on residential corridors, please make sure that you do not disturb the residents of those corridors when using the rooms.

Group study rooms (day and night):
•    D33, D34 and D35 (on Hyphen corridor) are available for booking throughout the day and night. You do not need keys. NB Your booking is for the whole room.

Group study room (daytime only):
•    Temporary study room C31a (on the top floor of Orchard Wing) is available for booking daily between 8.15am and 10pm.  It is not available for use outside those times because it is on a residential corridor; please be mindful of other students when going to and from it and keep noise to a minimum. You will need to collect the key from the Porters’ Lodge at the start of your booked session and return it afterwards. NB Your booking is for the whole room.

Quiet study room (day and night):
•    Temporary study room F27 (on the top floor above Woodlands Door) is available for use throughout the day and night without booking. It can seat up to three people at a time. You will need to collect a key from the Porters’ Lodge and return it afterwards.
*** NEW: you no longer need to book to use this room! ***

Quiet study rooms (daytime only):
•    Middle and Top Chapel Study Rooms are available for booking daily between 8.15am and midnight. They are not available for use outside those times because they are on residential corridors; please be mindful of other students when going to and from the rooms and keep noise to a minimum. You do not need a key. NB Your booking is for one of the two desks in each room.
•    Temporary study room F39 (on the top floor of New Wing) is available for booking daily between 8.15am and 10pm.  It is not available for use outside those times because it is on a residential corridor; please be mindful of other students when going to and from it and keep noise to a minimum. You will need to collect the key from the Porters’ Lodge at the start of your booked session and return it afterwards. NB Your booking is for one of the three desks in the room.

Some of the group study rooms must be booked using the online booking system.

Archive and Special Collections


The opening hours for the Archive and Special Collections are different. If you plan to visit in person, please refer to the Arranging a visit section of the website.
 


 

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Library Guides

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