Hi, my name is Niamh and I work part-time as a Student Assistant at Special Collections and Archives (SCA) at the McClay Library here at Queen’s. I’ve just finished my Master’s in History so naturally archives are something I’ve used a lot, but I think that there’s something in there for everyone, ranging from first editions of some great books to modern political manuscripts to maps, to architecture surveys. 

How it works

Those who have come into Special Collections and Archives before will know the main elements of how things operate, but let me break some of it down for you:

Firstly when you arrive, you’ll be given a key to a locker to place your bag and coat into, sadly there can be no study snacks here, but it can be worth it when you find a source no one else in your module will have used. All the rules for using SCA will be explained to you at the desk, so no need to worry if you’ve never used it before. 

Next, you’ll be taken into the Reading Room and your books or manuscript materials brought out to you. Because of the importance of the collections here and how old some of the items are, you can’t take them out to the main floor of the library but honestly the Reading Room is a great spot to get some work done. It’s quiet and bright and anyone on the desk will be happy to help you if you need anything.

If you’re looking to do group work using SCA, or if you want to look at some of the materials we have on microfilm, you’ll be shown into the Seminar Room. It’s a smaller but equally good room for getting some work done in. Don’t let the microfilm reader scare you either, it might look complicated but it’s actually pretty easy to use once it’s explained and you’ll find some great items in this part of the collections. 

Displays and exhibitions

Some of you may have also noticed the display cases that are on the Ground and First Floors of the McClay, with recent displays including items on electricity (Ground Floor) and Cuban handmade books (First Floor). These exhibitions can be really interesting and change pretty often, so it’s worth having a look over them every few weeks when you’re taking a break from studying. 

The team here at Special Collections are the ones who put these exhibitions together, sometimes working with local artists, to create displays that are timely and eye-catching. There’s always more items that don't fit into the cases so if any of the displays interest you, definitely come up and ask about them. 

My favourite part of SCA isn’t actually available to students unless you’re working here part-time but I’ll share a couple photos of it anyway. In my opinion the Store Room is one of the best places on campus.

As someone who watches Beauty And The Beast and wants the library as much, if not more than, the prince, it makes me so happy to spend time in here finding some of the most interesting and at times random books and manuscripts.

How to enhance your assignments

In here there is definitely something to help make your assignment stand out from the rest. If you’re an architecture student there’s plenty of surveys of Belfast and other areas of Northern Ireland which may help you. If you’re an English student the first editions of some books or the letters of prominent authors like C. S. Lewis may be of interest, while politics and history students will find countless books on local policies both modern and historic and works written on some of the political struggles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Medical students might be more interested in the books written on the ways for treating diseases in earlier centuries and I’m sure that engineering students would be interested in displays on works relating to electricity, even if it’s just to have a laugh about how people used to do things. 

In general, I don’t think enough students really know about Special Collections and Archives, or think that it’ll only be useful to students from HAPP, but I promise this isn’t the case and when you’ve used it once you’ll be wondering why you didn’t do it before. 

*All images belong to Special Collections and Archives at the McClay Library or were personally taken by me. 

Find out more

The McClay Library

Special Collections

Study MA History at Queen's

Niamh O'Neill MA History | Postgraduate Student | Downpatrick, Northern Ireland Hi, I’m Niamh, a 22 year old student from Downpatrick, a town a little south-east of Belfast. I have a passion for stories of all kinds which is why I love my course and also why I’m so talkative if you meet me in person. I’m a member of a few different societies, but the main one you’ll find me at is QUB K-Pop Soc where I’ve been a member for 3 years now. I hope my blogs give people a new insight into Belfast and Queen’s because I know it has a lot to offer. Please come say hi if you see me about campus!