Special Collections Reading Room facilities

Free WiFi is available in all George IV Bridge reading rooms and public areas. 

The Special Collections Reading Room has seating for 38 people.

You are welcome to use a laptop or tablet in the reading room. There are power points for charging.

We provide:

• Computers with access to the Library's online catalogues and resources.
• A digital microform reader.
• Infrared, ultraviolet, and cold light sources.
• Conservation book-cradles, cushions, and weights.

Check with staff if you want to bring in any other equipment.

Most of our collections are not out on the shelves. You will need to pre-order material before you visit.

We have a range of reference material available to use within the reading room. These include:

• Specialist catalogues of other organisations' collections.
• Third-party catalogues of our own collections.
• Facsimiles of some manuscripts.
• Manuscript indexes.
• Accession inventories.
• Reference works.
• Dictionaries.

This room is located within the Special Collection Reading Room. It has equipment for listening to audio material. There's also a Yamaha P125 keyboard for playing music.

You can book this room for groups of up to four people.

If you are interested in using this room, get in touch via our online enquiry form to discuss booking it.

We aim to provide the widest possible access to our reading rooms.

Find out about accessibility and the assistive technology available in the Special Collections Reading Room.