University of Birmingham’s Special Collections

Welcome to the University of Birmingham’s archive catalogue, the gateway for researchers to access details about archive and manuscript collections held at the Cadbury Research Library, and the Shakespeare Institute Library.
The university holds over 4 million archives and manuscripts, and 250,000 rare books. The majority are housed at the Cadbury Research Library, but there are also holdings at the Shakespeare Institute Library.

Searching the catalogue

To start your search either use the 'Find a record' field above or click on the 'Advanced search'. Items are held at the Cadbury Research Library unless the location is given as the Shakespeare Institute Library.

Our book catalogue is accessed separately.

Visiting the Cadbury Research Library or the Shakespeare Institute Library

We welcome all visitors to the Cadbury Research Library and the Shakespeare Institute Library and look forward to assisting you with your research.

Search the collections

Showcase

Some of our most significant collections