LibGuides: Special Collections and Archives: Finding Special Collections and Archives

There are many different kinds of archives for you to explore, depending on what kind of information you need and you may wish to look further afield for your research. Here are a few tools to help you find other archives in the North East, around the UK, in Europe and beyond:

Here in Newcastle we are very lucky to be close to lots of archives and special collection libraries which are open to the general public. As with Newcastle University Special Collections, what you will find from these websites are general collection or book descriptions and other 'finding aids' to help you see what is in a collection. You will then need to request items you are interested in and make an appointment to view them in their own reading rooms.

Local Authority Archives

Tyne and Wear Archives
The record office for Tyne and Wear, with records from a huge range of sources and organisations. Click on ‘Search the online catalogue’ for more information about what they hold.
Teeside Archives
Archive service with records relating to the history of Teeside, including Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. Collections include records from iron and steel industries in the area, as well as local church, council, legal and school records.
Northumberland Archives (Woodhorn)
Archive service with records relating to the history of Northumberland, its communities and people.
The Woodhorn office covers all of the County of Northumberland excluding that held by Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council.
Newcastle Library: Local Studies
A large collection of local and family history that includes current local material and index articles from newspapers about local people, places and events.
Durham County Record Office
Archive service with records relating to the history of County Durham and Darlington. Archive collections include records on local business, families and estates, ecclesiastical parishes, coal mining and Durham collieries, and the Durham Light Infantry (DLI).

Other University Special Collections

Durham University Library Special Collections
Durham University's Palace Green Library is home to archives, early printed books and other special collections, including maps and photographs.

Specialist Repositories

The Great North Museum Library
As home to the library and archives of the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN), the library of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne (SANT) and Newcastle University’s Cowen Library, the Great North Museum Library has collection strengths in Natural History, Local History and Archaeology.
North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers
A comprehensive collection on mining engineering, including early scientific and technical reports relating to the development of the coal industry and associated mechanical engineering. Also includes materials on related industries such as metallurgy, geology and railway engineering.
The Lit and Phil
The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne (known as the Lit & Phil), is the largest independent library outside London. Very good for humanities subjects and a great music collection. Reduced membership rates for students.
Beamish Museum
Collections focused on everyday life in the North East of England during the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Seven Stories Collection
National archive of modern and contemporary children’s literature.

Private and Family Archives

Bowes Museum - Library and Archives
The Bowes Museum's Library and Archive holds the records of John and Joséphine Bowes, including materials on their life in France, John’s interest in the Théâtre des Variétés, and details of the Museum’s administration from John’s death in 1885.
Alnwick Castle - The Northumberland Collection and Archive
The Archive houses the business papers of the Northumberland Estates, in addition to family papers of the Percys and records from Syon House. While the Duke of Northumberland's significant collection of fine and decorative arts includes paintings, furniture and ceramics.

To locate archives beyond the Newcastle region...

Library Hub Discover Service (formally COPAC and SUNCAT catalogues combined) is where you can search the rare book catalogues specialist research libraries in the UK. The website will just list the catalogue entry, and to access the book you will need to visit the library holding it, wherever in the UK it is. But the website is a great place to start your search and to find out what books are out there.

Archives Hub
Subject guide to archive collections held in UK universities and colleges.
Archives Wales
A news and events page providing updates on archive projects in Wales. To search for Welsh archives and records visit Archives Hub.
Discovery
Search over 9 million records from the National Archives plus 2,500 other UK archives.
Scottish Archive Network
Search the holdings of over 50 Scottish archives including The National Archives of Scotland, Scottish University collections and individual city and council archives.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
The official archive of Northern Ireland. Collections include local and family history, Conflict-related records and other historic materials relating to the Belfast Blitz and Great Irish famine.

To locate rare books beyond the Newcastle region

Library Hub Discover Service (formally COPAC and SUNCAT catalogues combined) is where you can search the rare book catalogues specialist research libraries in the UK. The website will just list the catalogue entry, and to access the book you will need to visit the library holding it, wherever in the UK it is. But the website it a great place to start your search and to find out what books are out there.

Library Hub Discover Service
This service replaces COPAC and SUNCAT and allows you to search the catalogues of UK national, University and specialist libraries through a single interface

Like the UK National Archive's Discovery tool, Archives Portal Europe is a one-stop web service aiming to make European archives as accessible as possible.

The Archives Portal Europe cooperates with the European Project to make archival material searchable and findable; the Europeana Collections provide acesss to over 50 million digitised items.

Archives Portal Europe
Search for information about archival material from nearly 6,000 organisations across Europe.
Europeana
Explore millions of images, films and other archival material from galleries, museums, archives and libraries across Europe. Search by topic and refine by copyright to find reusable materials. Can also refine to find images, films, audio etc.

ArchiveGrid includes over 5 million records from over 1,000 different archival institutions worldwide. It has a particularly strong USA focus, so you may want to check for national archives of other countries of interest to get a fuller overview of what is available.

ArchiveGrid
Explore the archival collections of thousands of libraries, museums and other institutions worldwide.

Help and advice

If you would like any help and advice on using Special Collections and Archives or you would like to book an appointment with one of the Special Collections team, please use our contact details below:

Reading Room, Level 1, Philip Robinson Library

+44 191 208 7712

Email the Special Collections Team

@ncllibspeccoll

ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/