Library locations and opening hours
Finding us
The Morrell, Fairhurst and Burton are currently open from 8am to midnight, seven days a week. Our other sites at King's Manor and the York Minster are currently closed.
For information about bookable study spaces within the library buildings and elsewhere, please see:
For information about our resources and collections, including where to find them, please see:
For information about the food and drink, please see:
Morrell
About the JB Morrell Library
JB Morrell Library opening hours
The library will remain open during the lockdown, 8am to 12 midnight, seven days a week.
Floor plans
View the location of subject resources, study areas, PCs and other facilities:
, 1,478kb)The Library houses collections to support your study and research in all subject areas.
The resources we provide include:
- More than 1 million print books
- Print journals
- Electronic journals and books
- Databases which index thousands more journals
- DVDs, videos, CDs and tapes
- Music scores, maps, theses by York students and other specialist resources
- Collections of rare and valuable items
The Library Cafe is located in the JB Morrell Library, near the entrance.
About John Bowes Morrell
The Library is named after John Bowes Morrell, a former Lord Mayor of York and a leading figure in the local movement to establish a university in York.
Fairhurst
About the Harry Fairhurst Building
About Harry Fairhurst
Harry Fairhurst was the first librarian at the University of York.
He was the fourth person to be employed by the University and began work before the Library had actually been built.
The building offers a welcoming and stimulating environment for learning and research and provides socially-distanced study spaces across three floors.
Find out more about studying in the Harry Fairhurst Building:
These areas include easy access to power sockets and there is wifi throughout the building.
Fairhurst Kitchen in LFA/124 on the first floor has a sink, microwave, filtered cold water and hot water dispenser for drink and food preparation. Please note the housekeeping rules along with instructions for using the microwave oven.
Shower room on the first floor, available for all to use.
To access the Harry Fairhurst Building, enter through the JB Morrell Library and continue left through the link corridor.
Books can be taken into the Fairhurst Building from the Library without the need to check them out.
Floor plans
View the location of subject resources, study areas, PCs and other facilities:
Study skills help
The Harry Fairhurst is home to the Writing Centre and the Maths Skills Centre.
Burton
About the Raymond Burton Library for Humanities Research
Collections housed in the Raymond Burton Library include:
- the Elton collection of history books
- the Humanities Research reference collection
All the material in this library is for reference use only.
Access the Raymond Burton Library via the JB Morrell Library - enter through the main doors and turn right.
Floor plans
View the location of subject resources, study areas, PCs and other facilities:
Studying in the Raymond Burton Library
The Reading Room provides an attractive and conducive working environment.
For more information on study areas in the Raymond Burton Library, see:
About Raymond Burton
Raymond Burton was a businessman and philanthropist, and an active supporter of the University.
The Raymond Burton Library was officially opened in September 2003 and was jointly funded by the University and a generous benefaction from the Raymond Burton Charitable Trust.
Raymond Burton joked that he needed the Library to house his own extensive collection of books, playbills and manuscripts relating to Yorkshire.
King's Manor
About the King's Manor Library
King’s Manor Library is now open for study space and to browse the collections. You will need to book a study space in advance.
The King's Manor Library houses collections relating to:
- architecture and building planning (including building conservation and heritage management)
- gardening and landscape design
- heritage management
- stained glass.
It also has smaller collections on the medieval period, archaeology and the "long" 18th century, plus a collection of slides covering medieval art and architecture (especially stained glass).
Kings Manor Library Floor Plan:
Book delivery service
You can request items from the JB Morrell Library to be delivered to the King's Manor Library (and vice versa) via our book delivery service.
You can return flexible loan books from the JB Morrell Library to the King's Manor Library and vice versa. You can also return books from York Minster Library to the King’s Manor Library.
King's Manor bookdrop
About the King's Manor
A Grade I listed building, the King's Manor has played host to royalty - Henry VIII, Charles I and James I have all stayed there.
The building was surrendered as headquarters of the Council in the North following the English Civil War (1642 to 1651). Since then it has been used as residential apartments, as the Yorkshire School for the Blind and by York City Council before being leased to the University of York in 1963.
It is currently home to the Department of Archaeology, the Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Centre for Medieval Studies.
Read more about the King’s Manor or see our timeline for an overview of the Manor’s history.
When the King's Manor Library is closed, but the building is open, it is possible to return items via the bookdrop.
The bookdrop is the large brass letter box, located in the door to the right of the Library entrance.
Items returned via the bookdrop will be returned from your account when the Library next opens.
Study space
King’s Manor Library is a quiet zone on both floors, providing desks for individual study. The main entrance to the Library is on the first floor with a spiral staircase leading to additional study space on the ground floor.
For those with mobility issues an entrance is available on the ground floor. Please enquire at the King's Manor reception desk for access.
Photocopying, printing and scanning
There is a York Print Plus multifunction device available for printing, copying and scanning. You can top up your printing account online or with cash (up to £5) at the King's Manor Library Help Desk.
Contact us
- Use Library chat
- Email us via LibAnswers
- Tel: +44 (0)1904 323969
- Address: King's Manor Library, Exhibition Square, York, YO1 7EP
York Minster
York Minster Library
Essential information - updated 06/01/2021
The Old Palace Library and Archives is closed until further notice in response to national lockdown guidance.
Staff will continue to work remotely and respond to email enquiries whenever possible.
Unfortunately we do not have direct access to the collections and therefore imaging and copyright requests cannot be fulfilled. It may also be necessary to queue research enquiries until a later date if we are unable to assist remotely.
Please contact us via collections@yorkminster.org if you have any questions.
Updates on reopening will be available at the York Minster Treasures and Collection webpage at a later date. You can also check with the University of York library pages to see which services are operational on the main campus during this period.
Library and archives services
The following information will be updated when we are in a position to resume on-site service and return to our phased opening plan.
Because of Covid-19 we’re making some changes to the way we operate. Unfortunately, we will not be offering walk-in access initially, so please do not visit the building unless you have made a prior appointment.
We will be offering:
- A limited number of research appointments on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only to view material from the library and archives (TBC)
- A book delivery service for University of York staff and students* to enable collection and return at J.B. Morrell and Kings Manor libraries (TBC)
- Photography and/or scanning of material – subject to availability - if you are unable to visit (TBC)
*Non-University library members will be able to arrange returns and loan collection by email.
Appointments: key information (TBC)
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays only
- Morning session: 2 hours between 10.00 and 12.15
- Afternoon session: 2 hours between 13.45 and 16.00
- Visitors should not book more than 2 sessions per week to allow as many people as possible to visit
- There is a limit of 2 visitors allowed in the Reading Room per session
- Arrival times will be staggered for each visitor
- You can request a research session by using our online booking form. We will confirm your request within two working days.
History of York Minster Library
Following a bequest of some 35 volumes in 1414, the Minster's book collection has grown through the centuries thanks both to new benefactions and active collecting.
By 1810 it had grown so much that new premises were needed, and the Library moved to the restored chapel of the former archbishop's palace, to the north of the Minster (The Old Palace).
The main subject coverage of the books in the Library is:
- York and Yorkshire history
- art and architecture (particularly ecclesiastical, and especially stained glass)
- history (particularly ecclesiastical)
- religious literature (all periods)
- theology (all periods)
York Minster Library is located in the Old Palace, based in Dean's Park on the north side of York Minster.
In the building
For the health and safety of staff and visitors, we are introducing:
- Appointment-only visits and a signing-in procedure for NHS Test and Trace data collection
- Mandatory face covering for visitors and staff (except where medically exempt)
- Full cleaning procedure of work spaces before and after appointments
- Cleaning stations, Perspex shield screens, signage and floor guides for distancing
- A quarantine system for books and documents that have been used by visitors and staff
Further details will be posted here in due course. We will also post updates on University Library Instagram and Twitter channels. You can always contact us directly at collections@yorkminster.org or via the University library lib-enquiry@york.ac.uk.
Other service information
- University of York staff and students may borrow without charge from the Minster Library
- You can return Minster Library items to the main University or King's Manor libraries
- Members of the public can borrow books from the Minster Library for an annual fee of £30
- Two wifi networks are available: Eduroam which can be used by members of participating universities (including University of York) and CityConnect which is available to all
- Photocopying is currently suspended but self-service photography is permitted (charges will apply)
Any questions?
- You can always contact us directly at collections@yorkminster.org
- For information on visiting York Minster, please see their open for worship and sightseeing page
Borthwick Institute
About the Borthwick Institute for Archives
William Borthwick
The Borthwick Institute for Archives was so named because the Trustees under the will of the late William Borthwick of Bridlington agreed to use his large legacy as an endowment for the new Institute in 1953.
The Borthwick Institute's collection includes archives from around the world, from the 12th century to the present day.
They also provide access to the Library's Rare Books Collection of rare and valuable items.
Visiting the Borthwick Institute for Archives
The Borthwick Institute is accessed via the JB Morrell Library - enter through the main doors and turn right.
It is open to the public.
For more information, including opening hours, please see:
Library@Piazza
About the Library@Piazza
Library@Piazza opening hours
The Library@Piazza is currently open from 9am to 10pm daily. You will need to book a study space in advance.
The new Piazza Library, located on Campus East in the Piazza Learning Centre is a learning space containing approximately 50 seats. The Piazza Learning Centre also houses a range of high-quality learning spaces including:
- A 350-seat auditorium
- A large flat-floor learning space, available for student activities and societies
- A 350-seat restaurant with fantastic lake-views
- The administrative and teaching home for the new International Pathway College