Special Collections and Archives
Our Special Collections and Archives contain unique primary resources available for consultation by arrangement with the L&SS Archivist. Recently refurbished accommodation provides climate-controlled storage space and comfortable reading areas for study and research in the Aldham Robarts Learning Resource Centre (LRC).
Access
Items from the collections are usually available with 24 hours notice. Contact the L&SS Archivist or obtain a request form from the Aldham Robarts LRC and the item will be ready for you the following day. (Requests handed in at the weekend will be treated as if they had arrived on Monday, and will be ready on Tuesday).
Please note that items from all of the Special Collections and Archives are for reference use only, and under no circumstances may they be removed from the Aldham Robarts Learning Resource Centre.
The fragile or sensitive nature of some items may also require you to use them in a supervised area and/or to wear protective gloves. In all instances photocopying is at the discretion of the L&SS Archivist.
If you are visiting from outside LJMU, particularly if you have a long way to travel, it is strongly recommended that you contact the L&SS Archivist.
Please note that, in line with other archives, we require personal identification, and may, in some circumstances, ask you to provide references from your research supervisor or other suitable person or body.
L&SS Archivist
Emily Parsons
Aldham Robarts Centre
Liverpool John Moores University
Off Maryland Street
Liverpool L1 9DE
0151 231 3813
Finding Items in the Collections
Items designated 'Special Collection' in the Library Catalogue are materials collected over a number of years in the form of items of historical interest or antiquarian books, limited editions and artists' books, special formats, etc. These can be located by author, title or keyword searches.
The main special collections and archival collections are listed in the menu on the left of this web page.
The individual items from several of these are listed in the Library Catalogue:
- Liddell Hart books and journals
- LJMU rare books
- Stafford Beer books
- Thomas J. McCarthy Cold War Collection
Please note that it is not presently possible to search for items by the collections in which they appear, but only by the more usual routes of author, title, keyword, etc.
Separate listings for the following collections are accessible via the menu items on the left:
- LJMU History: Art School Archive and Byrom Street Archive
- Frankie Vaughan Archive
- Stafford Beer Collection
In addition, material from the Stafford Beer Collection and a catalogue of material in the Everyman Theatre Archive can be found in LJMU Digital Collections.
