The 1930s building of the Library, with its awe-inspiring vaulted timber ceiling, was complemented in 2005 by a multi-award-winning extension. This created a spacious IT resources area and a state-of-the-art repository to house the Archive and the Special Collections. These collections range from rare Sanskrit manuscripts to gifts of books from Girton’s most notable early supporters such as Tennyson, Ruskin, and George Eliot. There are extensive and internationally important collections on the history of women and work, the suffrage movement, and women’s education, as well as an extensive archive of the College’s ground-breaking history.
Library News
Easter Term opening hours 2024
Monday – Sunday
9:00am – 11:00 pm
Current college undergraduate and postgraduate members can borrow up to 10 titles at a time. During the Full Term, the loan period is 14 days.
Please note: the College Library is open to all current members of Girton College. Anyone else wishing to visit the Library should email library@girton.cam.ac.uk to arrange an appointment.
Opening hours for the study rooms
Where study rooms are located on residential corridors, please make sure that you do not disturb the residents of those corridors when using the rooms.
Group study rooms (day and night):
• D33, D34 and D35 (on Hyphen corridor) are available for booking throughout the day and night. You do not need keys. NB Your booking is for the whole room.
Group study room (daytime only):
• Temporary study room C31a (on the top floor of Orchard Wing) is available for booking daily between 8.15am and 10pm. It is not available for use outside those times because it is on a residential corridor; please be mindful of other students when going to and from it and keep noise to a minimum. You will need to collect the key from the Porters’ Lodge at the start of your booked session and return it afterwards. NB Your booking is for the whole room.
Quiet study room (day and night):
• Temporary study room F27 (on the top floor above Woodlands Door) is available for use throughout the day and night without booking. It can seat up to three people at a time. You will need to collect a key from the Porters’ Lodge and return it afterwards.
*** NEW: you no longer need to book to use this room! ***
Quiet study rooms (daytime only):
• Middle and Top Chapel Study Rooms are available for booking daily between 8.15am and midnight. They are not available for use outside those times because they are on residential corridors; please be mindful of other students when going to and from the rooms and keep noise to a minimum. You do not need a key. NB Your booking is for one of the two desks in each room.
• Temporary study room F39 (on the top floor of New Wing) is available for booking daily between 8.15am and 10pm. It is not available for use outside those times because it is on a residential corridor; please be mindful of other students when going to and from it and keep noise to a minimum. You will need to collect the key from the Porters’ Lodge at the start of your booked session and return it afterwards. NB Your booking is for one of the three desks in the room.
Some group study rooms must be booked using the online booking system.
Archive and Special Collections
The opening hours for the Archive and Special Collections are different. If you plan to visit in person, please refer to the Arranging a visit section of the website.
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