Selwyn has a growing archive relating to the foundation, history, and life of the college and of people related to it. You can find more information on the college website and can search the collection on ArchiveSearch. To visit the archive, or to make an enquiry, please email the Archivist, Elizabeth Stratton. (Please note that Elizabeth works limited hours, so there may be a delay in responding to your enquiry.)
The Old Library also houses a collection of several thousand older and rare books, details of which can be found on iDiscover. To consult a book that is shown on iDiscover as being in the Old Library, please email library staff.
We'll be adding more information to this page, so do check back - or get in touch - if you'd like to learn more about our collections.
To visit the Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections (ARBSC), please email to make an appointment with the Archivist or with library staff. The Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections are on the ground floor of the Old Library.
There are two toilets, including one accessible toilet, on the ground floor. There is also drinking water available in the kitchenette near the entrance.
There is level access from the entrance of the building to the ARBSC. The front door to the Old Library is automated but the door to the ARBSC is not.
In addition to the Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections, the Old Library also houses teaching rooms and the Development Office.
The teaching rooms are to the left as you enter the building and the Development Office is on the first floor, accessible by stairs and a lift.
We have images on display in the Old Library showing what it looked like as the college library in 2019, when Sara Rawlinson undertook her project: Illuminating Cambridge Libraries. For this project, Sara photographed a library in each of the 31 Cambridge colleges.
The Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections area used to house the Law Library, as shown in the image above.