Closure of the Historic Reading Room
The Library Reading Room will be closed for six weeks from June 5th. Find out more...
Walker's Croft Burial Ground
Some of the bodies buried underneath Manchester Victoria railway station may be exhumed as part of the restoration work. Find out more...
Richard Hills' History of the Museum of Science and Industry
We are very pleased to make available a new history of the Museum of Science and Industry by its founding director Richard L. Hills. The pdf of the work can be found on our Digital Resources page. Read more...
The Diaries of John Reed (1929-2012)
We have recently acquired a lifetime of daily diaries by the academic and political activist John Reed. Read more...
New Chapbook Exhibition
Our new exhibition Godlies, Merries and Pleasant Histories: the chapbook tradition 1731-2013 opens on 4 February. Read more...
Dame Joan Bakewell
We are delighted to welcome Dame Joan Bakewell as our first Honorary Patron. Anybody can become a Patron of the Library: your donation helps to ensure the long-term survival of the Library and entitles you to special benefits such as lectures, workshops, behind-the-scenes tours and invitations to exhibition previews. Read more...
Sign up for our e-newsletter
Our e-newsletter is a great way to receive regular news and updates from Chetham's Library in digest form, straight to your inbox. If you'd like to start receiving our e-news, click here. We're also on Twitter and Facebook, and regularly update our popular blog. Follow the links on this page to find out more and get in touch!
Chapbooks in Manchester Libraries
Several chapbooks from the collections of Chetham's Library and Manchester City Libraries are now available as pdfs. Read more...
The Robert Holt Collection of Manchester Street Songs and Ballads
We have acquired a large collection of street songs and ballads published in Manchester and the North West during the mid-nineteenth century. Read more...
Conservation Grants
We are delighted to announce that the Library has recently been awarded two significant grants, which will enable the preservation of some of our most important and valuable books. Read more...
Industrial Archaeology
In recent years the Library has acquired a number of important collections on the industrial archaeology of the region. Read more...
Chetham's Library awarded MLA Designation Status
We are proud to announce that Chetham's has been officially awarded Designation Status by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Read more...
Raines Lancashire Manuscripts now available on DVD
The forty-five volumes of transcripts and original material compiled by Canon F. R. Raines represent the largest collection of antiquarian papers held at Chetham's. We are very pleased to announce that these are now available to buy on a beautiful new DVD produced by the Family History Society of Cheshire. Read more...
Chetham's Treasures Digitised
We are delighted to announce that a number of our eighteenth century periodicals and nine Middle English manuscripts have been digitised and made available online. Read more...


