Gateway to Special Collections and Archives
Liverpool Hope's Special Collections and Archives is home to over 100,000 items including manuscripts, rare books, archives, journals, pamphlets and artefacts and is open to all Hope staff and students, and the wider research community.
Hope Digital Collections is the online portal to discovering our archives and special collections at Liverpool Hope University
Hope Digital User Guide - a guide to help you get started in using the portal to find and use our archives and special collections.
This online platform contains catalogues of our archive collections, now easily accessible and available to browse. Some archives contain digital content, however, not ALL archives are digitised. You may be required to make an appointment to view material in the Reading Room. Hope Digital Collections also contains descriptions of our special collections and the type of material they may contain, including some images taken from our magnificent manuscripts and rare books available to view under galleries.
Online Resources
Online Resources are available to help you find archives and special collections in other institutions.
Digital catalogues
British Library
British Library Collections - The British Library collection includes books, journals, manuscripts, maps, music, photographs, newspapers and sound archives. The British Library are recovering from a cyber-attack that disrupted their systems and services. Recovery is underway, but not everything is back yet. Here is a list of what is currently available.
Digital Bodleian - Discover over a million images of rare books, manuscripts, and other treasures from the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries.
SOAS Library - (University of London) An important academic library for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The library holds a major collection of archives, manuscripts, rare books and special collections, an expanding digital library.
External archives databases
You can search the holdings of many specialist archives through online databases. The following may provide a useful starting point.
The Archives Hub provides descriptions of archives held in UK universities and colleges. Search by keyword to find out which institutions may hold material of interest to you. Archives Hub includes some content from our Special Collections.
The National Archives (TNA)- The Discovery catalogue provides access to records held by the National Archives and over 2,500 archives across the UK. You can also find contact details for archive repositories, and useful guides on searching by person, place or subject.
JISC Library Hub Discover exposes the rare and unique research material of major UK and Irish academic, national and specialist library catalogues. This service replaces Copac and SUNCAT, providing access to a growing range of JISC member libraries as part of the National Bibliographic Knowledgebase. JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) is a UK organisation that supports the use of digital technologies in education and research.
Archives Portal Europe provides access to information on archival collections across Europe, as well as details of archival institutions and repositories.
Europeana is a web portal to Europe's digital cultural heritage including art, books, films and music from thousands of cultural institutions across Europe. Over 10 million cultural and scientific artefacts brought together on a single platform.
Follow us on social media
Instagram: @livhopelibrary
Wordpress blog: Realms of Gold: Archives & Special Collections at Liverpool Hope University
Location
Special Collections and Archives is located in The Sheppard-Worlock Library, number 34 on the Hope Park campus map.
How to find us provides information on getting to Hope Park by car or public transport.
Opening hours
Monday - Closed for appointments*
Tuesday - Friday 9am-4pm
*A retrieval service for catalogued books is available on Mondays, please ask at the main Library Help Point.
Books located in the Radcliffe Collection, Gradwell Collection or the Andrew Walls Centre are housed in Special Collections and Archives. Loanable books may be borrowed during staffed hours, Monday to Friday 9-4 pm.
Reference material, including rare books and the archive collections must be consulted in the Reading Room. Access is by appointment only, please email specialcollections@hope.ac.uk.
Individually-named collections shelved elsewhere in The Sheppard-Worlock Library, for example the John Henry Newman Collection, can be located using the Map of Special Collections, and are openly accessible during library opening hours.
Visitors
External visitors are welcome to access Archives and Special Collections for research, however, if you require a period of continued access over several visits, you will need to complete the online Library visitor application form, available from Access for External Visitors.
Making an appointment
Email specialcolletions@hope.ac.uk to make an appointment.
We aim to respond to all requests within a 24-hour period [excluding weekends].
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Karen Backhouse, Special Collections Librarian
Karen oversees Archives & Special Collections and provides support to Hope students and academic staff from all schools and departments across the university. If you have any queries about our manuscripts, rare books or archive collections, please email.
E: backhok@hope.ac.uk
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Restricted access
Reasonable access is provided within a framework of regulations designed to preserve rare, valuable and fragile materials. We aim to enable the widest possible use of our collections by students and staff, however, not everything may be openly accessible.
Fragile or damaged items
Material deemed too fragile to handle may only be available at the discretion of the Special Collections Librarian or withdrawn from any use. A surrogate in the form of a digital reproduction may be provided, but this will depend on whether the process might cause further harm to the material.
Deposit agreements
When collections are 'on loan', rather than gifted to Liverpool Hope University, the depositor may have imposed additional access and copyright restrictions. The Special Collections Librarian will inform users if this is the case.
Personal data in archives
Archives often contain sensitive material or personal data, and as such, is subject to:
Special Collections and Archives follows The National Archives guidance on archiving personal data with particular reference to closure periods. Some material may not be available at all. Other material will be available in part, or subject to certain restrictions.
Personal information restricted under the Data Protection Act 2018 is clearly indicated on the catalogue record. It will be necessary to provide proof of ‘next of kin’ or a family connection to access this information.
How to use material in Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives collects, cares for and makes accessible unique and distinctive collections for the benefit of present and future generations. The principles that guide this purpose are detailed in the Special Collections and Archives Management Framework.
If you wish to use the Reading Room, whether to consult the archives and special collections or just to use as a quiet study space you will be required to sign-in and follow the Reading Room Regulations.
Good handling techniques
The main cause of damage to library special collections is sustained through poor handling. Damage is often cumulative and not immediately apparent. A culture of good handling will ensure continued access to collections and help preserve them. All users have a responsibility for the care of the collections.
Special Collections offers training on safe handling, using the book supports and snake weights provided, to help prevent the deterioration of the material, and also to enable users to feel confident in using the collections. Handling rare books and manuscripts is a YouTube video to guide you in the safe handling of our manuscripts and rare books. The National Archives has also produced a YouTube video on Collections Handling to help guide you on the safe handling of the different kinds of materials you may find in an archive, photographs and maps for example.
Reusing our material
Personal photography
Digitisation, photography, and photocopying is possible as long as it:
• does not harm the item
• does not break copyright law
• is used for personal research and study only
• complies with relevant legislation, such as data protection.
Please be aware that the physical condition or size of an item may also prohibit photocopying. Early printed books and manuscripts are not permitted to be photocopied; however, they may be photographed without the use of flash. Always ask the Special Collections Librarian for permission in advance of taking any photographs.
We allow students and visitors to bring their own digital cameras or smartphones but you will be required to record details of what you photograph and how many you take. This is to monitor use of the collections and to gather statistical evidence for potential future digitisation projects. All users will be required to complete a declaration form to confirm that you comply with statutory legislation and the photographs are for your own personal research, not for reproduction. There is no charge for personal digital photography.
Watch our YouTube video on Photography and Digital Reproduction.
Image licensing and reproduction for publication
To reproduce an image for publication, either for personal or commercial purposes, requires written consent from the rights holder. You will be required to complete a Licensing Request form with details of the requested image and publication details. There may be a charge imposed. For further information please email specialcollections@hope.ac.uk.
Your responsibility as a researcher
As a researcher, you are responsible for any personal data concerning living individuals (the "data subject/s"), that you take from Special Collections (including any notes, digital images or photocopies). You become a "data controller" of the personal data held about the individual/s.
As a data controller you have certain responsibilities:
• You must not cause substantial damage or distress to data subjects
• You must not use data to support measures or decisions concerning individuals
• You must anonymise identities whenever possible when note-taking, in results of research and statistics
• You must respect the confidentiality of any documents and information not connected with your research but which you have seen in the course of it.
In deciding whether it is appropriate to use or publish personal information consider:
• Is the person alive?
• Is the information already published or in the public domain?
• Is the individual a public figure?
• Does the information belong to a sensitive category of information as defined by the Data Protection Act?
• Could the context of the information disclose data about an individual by default?
You can find out more about GDPR and the Data Protection Act on the Information Commissioner's website.
Donations
Donations form an important role in the acquisition of archives and special collections and can range in scale from a few books donated by one person to entire libraries or collections by organisations or societies. Please consult our guide to Donating to Special Collections and Archives before contacting us with an offer.
