Manchester City Council

Subject Libraries: Arts, Language & Literature and Science & Humanities

Key dates  

While Central Library is closed

Books - The majority of books from these libraries, and all the books from our stacks (storage areas) will be carefully packed and stored until Central Library reopens in 2013. The temporary City Library in Elliot House, opening on 28 June, will provide an excellent range of popular and literary fiction and a good selection of non-fiction and basic reference books, similar to what you would find in one of our large community libraries. We will continue to provide foreign language material, including books in Chinese, Polish and Arabic; language courses and ESOL material.

A selection of newspapers, magazines and periodicals from each subject area will also be available at the temporary City Library. Our historic periodical collections and older back copies will be safely stored until Central Library reopens.  

If you are a library member, you can use our free online reference library (LINK): this has a huge number of resources including Oxford Reference books on art, music, literature, politics, science, religion, languages and more. Current and historic newspaper content is available through The Times Digital Archive (1785-1985), Newsbank (which includes Manchester Evening News and most major UK, international and business newspapers). Go to our website and follow the online reference link - you'll need your library ticket number and PIN.

Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University Libraries are able to offer some reference facilities to our customers - please ask library staff for more information. The new City Library in Elliot House is smaller than Central Library, so we will no longer be able to offer dedicated quiet space for study.  We apologise for the inconvenience.

Rare Books and Special Collections - Our most precious books and treasures will be housed in special high security, environmentally controlled storage until Central Library reopens, when they will be housed in a new Special Collections department, with improved access and new exhibition and display areas.

Some of our local partner organisations have offered temporary homes to a small number of our Special Collections to enable continued access during our closure. Included will be the Gaskell Collection, our Tracts, Broadside Ballads and Chapbooks

We will continue to offer an exciting programme of cultural events and activities with new and existing partners, including Chethams Library, the Portico Library, Manchester University, Salford University and Manchester Metropolitan University. Our popular Central Library reading groups will also continue to meet in City Library and some new locations.