Date of tip: 5 July 2005

Source: Alex Wieland, a.r.wieland@lse.ac.uk

Location: Trinity College, Cambridge, England

How to get there: Trinity College is located in the heart of Cambridge city centre. Entrances to the college are at Queen’s Road and Garret Hostel Lane.

For international researchers, the best way to get to Cambridge from London is by train. Trains for Cambridge leave regularly from both Kings’ Cross and Liverpool Street railway stations and journeys take approximately one hour. From Cambridge station, it is about a 15-20 minute walk to the city centre, though taking a taxi or bus would probably be more appropriate for first-time visitors.

Language: English

Getting started: Although the Library is open to the public, researchers are required to contact the librarian in writing in advance of their visit indicating which materials they would like to consult.

The Wren Library website lists a full catalogue of its Modern Manuscripts collection at: http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php?pageid=357 .

Researchers must provide a letter of recommendation as well as a photo identification. Enquiries about the collection should be forwarded to the Manuscript Cataloguer at trin-lib@lists.cam.ac.uk.

Opening Hours: The library is open to researchers Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, except for Bank Holidays.

General working conditions: The Wren Library is a beautiful 19^th century building and a fine place to do research. The staff are courteous, helpful, and efficient. The overall working conditions are comfortable enough, but modern amenities are few. Having visited in the late summer, the reading room often felt warm and humid as one might expect from a building of the Library’s age.

Consultation: There is no explicit limitation placed on the number of files which can be ordered or consulted in a day. However, readers may only have one file at their reading table at a time.

Policy on technology: Researchers are permitted to use their laptops in the reading room.

Photocopy policy:

Enquiries relating to the Library's rare books and manuscript collections should be sent to wren.library@trin.cam.ac.uk

Enquiries relating to the College archive or modern manuscript collections should be sent to archives@trin.cam.ac.uk

Enquiries relating to the student library should be sent to: college.library@trin.cam.ac.uk

Please give a full postal address and telephone number when contacting them by email.

Etc: While researchers on 19^th and 20^th century British history will find the Modern Manuscripts collection of some value, the Wren Library’s will appeal mainly to those researching medieval and early modern topics. The Library boasts an impressive collection of manuscripts stretching from the 12^th to the 20^th centuries in English as well as Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, and Sanskrit.