Special Collections has now relocated to its new home in the Cadbury Research Library, Muirhead Tower where we are now welcoming researchers.
The project to build a new purpose built home for Special Collections has been a major initiative for the University and positive feedback from our researchers tell us that they are very impressed with the new facilities provided. The space is a calm and peaceful area conducive to dedicated research with a high quality finish. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home!
The project to build a new home for Special Collection - the Cadbury Research Library - has been quite a journey.
Special Collections had been based in the Main Library of the University dating back to the 1950's as well as having collections stored over five other locations with our Conservation department in a sixth location. Those facilities did not meet the environmental conditions needed for our collections nor did they provide adequate accommodation for visitors or staff and storage areas were full to capacity preventing the University from acquiring new collections to support teaching and research.
Some years ago the Historical Manuscripts Commission strongly recommended that the University ‘develop consolidated storage on a single site to provide facilities in line with national standards and offer expansion space for the future, so that the hard-won position of the University as a major national and regional repository can be maintained.’
The Solution
In line with this recommendation the University has built a new facility for Special Collections which brings all of the collections, public service and conservation facilities together at the heart of the main Edgbaston campus into one purpose built space spread over three floors, compliant as far as possible with the British Standard for Archives BS5454 for care, storage, consultation, exhibition, research, teaching and learning. The new facility includes exhibition facilities, a seminar room for up to 30 people and research space for up to 45 together with an estimated 10 years expansion space for collections, two purpose built storage spaces for archives and rare books, a reprographics suite, staff accommodation and a purpose built conservation studio.
The new facility forms part of a £45+ million refurbishment of Muirhead tower, one of the University’s large iconic and easily recognisable buildings on the main Edgbaston campus. Funding for Special Collections has generously been donated by many private donors including the Edward Cadbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation which recently made a large grant to enable development of first class exhibition facilities.
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Foyer of the Muirhead Tower showing the new exhibition cases |
Reception of the Cadbury Research Library |
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The Lois Garrett Media Room |
The main reading room - The Heslop Room |
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Lamps on the reading room desks |
Shelving in the new storage facility |
