{"id":2824,"date":"2026-06-10T12:15:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T11:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/?page_id=2824"},"modified":"2026-06-11T14:38:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:38:44","slug":"university-of-reading-special-collections","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/university-of-reading-special-collections\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Reading Special Collections"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2925″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The\u00a0<\/span><\/span>University of Reading Special Collections<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>houses rare books,\u00a0<\/span>archives, and manuscripts, and two of the collections are designated under <\/span>Arts Council England’s Designation Scheme<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Most donations stem from a long-standing tradition of\u00a0<\/span>acquiring<\/span>\u00a0special materials, with the Overstone Library bequest in 1920 setting the pattern.\u00a0<\/span>They are situated within the wider Museums and Collections<\/span>\u00a0Department, within the University\u2019s Research and Innovation<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>directorate.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the collections are so varied, there are ample opportunities to explore digital solutions to research questions, all while being supported by a <\/span>dedicated team of experts<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0many\u00a0of whom are engaged in\u00a0efforts to make\u00a0materials more accessible through public engagement projects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We welcome queries,\u00a0ideas\u00a0and discussions about how you could embed both digital humanities and the\u00a0data from Special Collections\u00a0into your project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”2927″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”2926″ img_size=”large” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Special Collections and the Digital Humanities Hub<\/h2>\n

Museums and Collections<\/span><\/a> at the University of Reading are a long-established partner of the Digital Humanities Hub, represented within the Hub team and collaborating on training, events, and research support. This has involved work on digital scholarship and, increasingly, on collections, both physical and digital. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hub supports Museums and Collections in their efforts to\u00a0make research sustainable and make use of internal infrastructure. Staff have engaged with\u00a0digital humanities in\u00a0various ways, and Special Collections is therefore perfectly situated to provide researchers with fascinating\u00a0materials to work with.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”2930″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Accessing Special Collections\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most collections can be accessed and viewed in the Reading Room,\u00a0located\u00a0in the same building as the Museum of English Rural Life,\u00a0adjacent to\u00a0the London Road\u00a0Campus.\u00a0<\/span>Bookings to view collections should be made in\u00a0advance<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to ensure that researchers have the materials that they need.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2929″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Keep in Touch<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For more information\u00a0regarding\u00a0Special Collections, visit their\u00a0<\/span>website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>contact Sharon<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To stay updated about current projects, news and events, follow\u00a0Special Collections on\u00a0<\/span>LinkedIn.\u00a0<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”2871″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Meet\u00a0an Archivist\u00a0and\u00a0Discuss your\u00a0Project<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sharon Maxwell<\/h3>\n

Contact Details:<\/span><\/p>\n

Email<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/span>s.maxwell@reading.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Telephone<\/strong>:\u00a00118 378 8660<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharon Maxwell is an archivist with responsibility for leading on cataloguing and collections-based projects for the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) archive and the University of Reading Special Collections. Sharon convenes the Systems & Infrastructure Group and Cataloguing meetings. Sharon is currently contributing to the Relocating Filmstrips, Remapping Europe project, led by University of St Andrews. Previous research project contributions include cataloguing the photographs and digital content on the Legacy of Stephen Dwoskin project and Critical Cataloguing for Digital Preservation, led by University of Southampton.<\/p>\n

Sharon is the Museums & Collections representative on the Digital Humanities Hub Team and has twice attended the Digital Humanities at Oxford Summer School for Linked Open Data (2022) and AI in the Library (2025).<\/p>\n

Sharon\u2019s broad professional and research interests include visualisation and access to catalogue metadata, digital preservation, creation of classification schemes, archival utilisation within digital humanities scholarship, the preservation and cataloguing of filmstrips and records of early higher education institutions. Sharon is a committee member of the Higher Education Archive Programme (HEAP) and the Group for Literary Archives and Manuscripts (GLAM).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Digital Humanities Projects<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The formation of the new Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Digital Humanities, combined with the ongoing support of the Digital Humanities Hub, has\u00a0provided\u00a0new opportunities for collaboration with our specialised internal partners.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Digital Humanities Officer is happy to meet with researchers who are considering using\u00a0Special Collections\u00a0for a project or research proposal. This includes PhD students.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 2026-27 academic year, the IDRC DH plans to\u00a0expand its provision and is considering the\u00a0logistics\u00a0of developing a new\u00a0collaborative fellowship between collections and DH. More information will be provided\u00a0in due course.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2925″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The\u00a0University of Reading Special Collections\u00a0houses rare books,\u00a0archives, and manuscripts, and two of the collections are designated under Arts Council England’s Designation Scheme.\u00a0Most donations stem from a long-standing…Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1165,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[151],"class_list":["post-2824","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUniversity of Reading Special Collections - University of Reading Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Digital Humanities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/university-of-reading-special-collections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"University of Reading Special Collections - University of Reading Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Digital Humanities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2925″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The\u00a0University of Reading Special Collections\u00a0houses rare books,\u00a0archives, and manuscripts, and two of the collections are designated under Arts Council England’s Designation Scheme.\u00a0Most donations stem from a long-standing...Read More >\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/university-of-reading-special-collections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University of Reading Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Digital Humanities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T13:38:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UniofReading\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Abbie Tibbott\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/university-of-reading-special-collections\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/digitalhumanities\/university-of-reading-special-collections\/\",\"name\":\"University of Reading Special Collections - 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