As of 17 January 2022 we’re returning to ‘hybrid’ working with some time in the office and some time working from home, following the government’s Plan B.

Tours: We’ll be publishing new tour dates as soon as maintenance work in the building is complete, and we are happy we can make them as safe as they are interesting.

Readers: We are now offering reader appointments in person, and will also be happy to do whatever we can to answer your queries or assist in research remotely. We can be contacted on the email addresses on our Contact Us page. Please allow as much notice as possible for an appointment in person as staff will not be in every day.

Chetham’s Library has been in continuous use as a public library for over 350 years. It is housed in a beautiful sandstone building dating from 1421 which was built to accommodate the priests of Manchester’s Collegiate Church. The entire collection at Chetham’s Library has been designated as one of national and international importance. The Library is also an accredited museum, attracting visitors from all over the world.

If you’re coming to us as a reader or researcher, you can find out about our collections here and in our catalogues. If you’d like to see what aspects of the Library you can explore from your screen, please start with our From Home page, which we developed during the earlier lockdown.