Durham University Library
The Durham University Library is the centrally administered library of Durham University in England and is part of the university's Library and Collections department. It was founded in January 1833 at Palace Green by a 160 volume donation by the then Bishop of Durham, William Van Mildert, and now holds over 1.6 million printed items. Since 1937, the university library has incorporated the historic Cosin's Library, founded by Bishop Cosin in 1669. Cosin's Library and the Sudan Archive held at Palace Green Library are designated collections under Arts Council England's Designation Scheme for collections of national and international significance; two collections at Durham University Oriental Museum, the Chinese collection and the Egyptian collection, are also designated.
The Bill Bryson Library in 2007
Examination in Cosin's Library, 1842
Bill Bryson Library
Palace Green Library houses the heritage and special collections
Durham University is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to open in England for more than 600 years, after Oxford and Cambridge, and is thus the third-oldest university in England. As a collegiate university, its main functions are divided between the academic departments of the university and its 17 colleges. In general, the departments perform research and provide teaching to students, while the colleges are responsible for their domestic arrangements and welfare.
William van Mildert, Bishop of Durham and one of the founders of the university
An examination taking place in Cosin's Library, 1842
Durham Castle (gatehouse pictured) houses University College, making it one of the oldest buildings currently being used to house a university in the world
Durham University College of Medicine, Newcastle, now the Sutherland Building of Northumbria University