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Visiting the Library
Find out how to access and visit the Library at National Museums NI.
Make an appointmentLibrary & Archives
Contact The Library TeamWelcome to the Library and Archives at National Museums NI. Learn more about our dedicated research space, full of valuable heritage collections concerning the history and culture of Ulster and beyond.
Dive into the history of Folklife, Folklore, Transport, Industry, Science, Art, Archaeology, Agriculture, Anthropology, Religion, Sport, Language and Music, and find out how to explore our archives and audio collections while on site.
Our Library and Archives contain valuable and rare documents, books, oral history accounts, images and ephemera of Ulster. Eclectic, largely unique, and enlightening, these collections combine the manuscript archives, sound recordings, and learning of the Ulster Folk Museum, Ulster Transport Museum and Ulster Museum. Our facilities are newly refurbished and equipped to house a research hub of national and international significance.
Visiting the Library
Library Collections
The Library collections mirror the specific areas of focus within our museums. Significantly, the history of the Ulster Folk Museum is captured here. Archival material tells the stories of each of the buildings and spaces in this outdoor museum. These collections, meticulously curated by experts since the early 1960s, hold unparalleled significance.
Library Highlights
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The Sound Archive
The Sound Archive, may be called one of the sonic centres of Ulster, houses an extensive collection of approximately 15,000 recordings.
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Ulster Language and Dialect Archive
The Ulster Language and Dialect Archive at Cultra has been developed since the opening of the Ulster Folk Museum in 1964.
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Special Collections
Special Collections feature substantial manuscript archives that laid the foundation of our museums. These include the histories of the Ulster Folk Museum’s many buildings, and the folk stories collected around Ulster in the 1950s-60s.
More Archives
Our shelves are home to an extensive collection of well over 100,000 books and periodicals. Among them, you'll find renowned titles covering a wide range of subjects, including history, the arts, museology, sciences, agriculture, industry, and transport. Notably, our library boasts the largest collection of maritime books in Ireland.
In addition to a extensive collection of journals, we offer access to numerous magazines and newspapers, both in hardcopy and microfilm formats. Furthermore, our collection houses a panoply of rare published works dating back to the eighteenth century. Our special collections of books encompass everything from educational textbooks to Robbie Burns, from vernacular architecture to cookery, and from secret societies to the beautifully illustrated Marcus Ward books.
