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
Long vacation 2025 opening hours for the Library
Monday – Friday only
9am – 5pm with a lunchtime closure
(closed weekends)
However, some days may have shorter opening hours depending on staff availability.
The Library will be closed from 5pm on Friday 15 August until 9am on Monday 1 September.
If planning a journey specifically to use the Library, it would be worth contacting us in advance —
tel. 01223 338970 or email library@girton.cam.ac.uk.
Study rooms
Group study rooms D33 and D35 are available for booking throughout the summer, including while the Library is closed.
Archive and Special Collections
The opening hours for the Archive and Special Collections are different; please see the Arranging a Visit section of the website for full information but note that the Reading Room is open by appointment only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm.
The Archive and Special Collections will be CLOSED as follows:
- Monday 18 to Friday 29 August (annual summer closure)
- Monday 22 September to Friday 10 October (while essential building work is carried out)
- Monday 22 December to Friday 2 January 2026 (Christmas and New Year)
End of Easter Term and summer vacation arrangements 2025
All items on loan to students from Girton College Library are due to be returned by 11pm on Tuesday 17 June, unless:
- We have already agreed a later date with you.
- You are still doing exams or have other work due in later that week — if you are, please get in touch as soon as possible to agree a new date with us for the return of your loans. You can email us at library@girton.cam.ac.uk or pop into the Library.
** Graduands: it is vital that you return the items you have on loan. If you will not be able to return your loans by Tuesday 17 June, you must let us know as soon as possible. For anything that has not been returned by noon on Friday 20 June, you will be charged the full replacement costs plus an admin fee. **
Vacation borrowing starts on Wednesday 18 June
- You may borrow up to 10 items for the vacation. No vacation borrowing is permitted until all term loans have been returned.
- Please note that there is no borrowing from the study rooms.
- Anything borrowed for or during the vacation will due back by 11pm on Wednesday 8 October.
** We regret that graduands may not borrow from the College Library after Tuesday 17 June unless it is for an exam after that date. **
Library vacation opening hours
- The Library will be open 9am–11pm on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June.
- Thereafter, the Library will be open Mondays to Fridays, 9am–5pm (but with a lunchtime closure) and closed at weekends. However some days may have shorter opening hours, depending on staff availability.
- The Library will be closed completely for a fortnight beginning Monday 18 August.
- It may also be necessary to close at other times, possibly at short notice. If planning a journey specifically to use the Library, we recommend that you email to check availability.
- Full Term opening hours will resume the weekend immediately before the start of the Michaelmas Full Term (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October).
Study room availability over the summer
- Group study rooms D33 and D35 will remain available for booking throughout the summer.
- Group study room D34 and Middle Chapel study room will come out of use after Friday 20 June until early September.
- Top Chapel study room will come out of use after Friday 20 June for the whole summer.
- F.40 will come out of use as a postgraduate-only study room after Friday 20 June for the whole summer.
If you have any queries, please do get in touch: email library@girton.cam.ac.uk
Thank you.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!