In 2026 the Special Collections will be relocated to a fit-for-purpose storage environment on the refurbished lower ground floor of the Baillieu Library. Access to Special Collections will be restricted from the 15th of June, gradually re-opening throughout Semester 1, 2027. The Reading Room will remain open, and access to University of Melbourne Archives collections will not be impacted.
Please see here for more information about the Baillieu refurbishment and how to make alternative arrangements to use the collections.
The Rare Books Collection holds around 300,000 items spanning the 13th to the 21st centuries. It comprises historic and unique volumes, journals, ephemera and realia. Works are included in the collection due to their age and rarity, and include books of special provenance or ownership, limited editions and important or beautiful bindings. The great richness and depth of the collection has been built upon the generosity of several major benefactors – George McArthur, J. Orde Poynton, Frederick Morgan, Joyce Thorpe Nicholson, John Willis and Ian McLaren amongst others – reflecting their vision and diverse interests.
The strengths of the collection include Greek and Roman classics, English literature; book arts and history; children’s books; Australiana; early scientific and medical works; social and political thought and materials related to the University of Melbourne and its history. Other highlights include a nationally significant collection of early Middle Eastern manuscripts; a world-class holding of literary editions by Sir Walter Scott; the fine printings of notable private presses such as Kelmscott and Ashendene; and an excellent teaching collection of medieval manuscripts in facsimile.
The collections are accessible via the Baillieu Library Reading Room.