Collections

About our collections

A selection of documents put together in a collage. The images include a photograph of a child playing on a rope ladder, the front cover of an edition of the Transport and General Workers' Union journal The Record, a poster of Angela Davis, a picture of a cup of tea, and publications on education, unemployment, motorcycling, equal rights for women and politics.

The Modern Records Centre is the main British repository for national archives of trade unions and employers' organisations, and also has strong collections relating to pressure groups, fringe political parties and cycling. The majority of our holdings date from the late 19th century onwards.

Our collections have been Designated by Arts Council England to reflect their outstanding significance and we are also an Accredited Archive Service.

Photograph of a group of students sitting, leaning and climbing on a sculpture near a University of Warwick accomodation block.

The University of Warwick Archive

The University of Warwick Archive (UWA) contains the records of the University's central administration together with related material. These document the University's principal activities, functions and decisions.

A selection of antiquarian books laid out on a light grey table. Three books are open on cushions and foam blocks to provide support, several more books are lying closed on the table. Engraved illustrations can just be seen on the pages of the open books.

Special Collections

The University Library's Special Collections consist of more than 16,000 rare and early publications printed in English, German, French and Italian, which date from the 16th century onwards.

Black and white photograph of a young woman using a microfilm machine in the 1960s. Cabinets containing index cards can be seen in the background.

Research guides

General guidance on interpreting, citing and locating archives, and research guides arranged by subject.

Digitised resources

Collage of documents. They include a photograph of Jayaben Desai; a poster of a man rolling up his sleeves with the caption Fighting Fit at the Factory; a photograph of Nelson Mandela; and a cartoon of a British soldier superimposed over Britain.

Explore by theme

Digitised content is available across our website, including in digitised collections, exhibitions and student resources. This page brings those sources together, arranged by key themes.

Collage of documents. They include the front page of a play called Man-Fred, part of a poster of a man digging in a field, and photographs of soldiers, nurses drinking tea, and two women working at a machine.

Digitised collections

Digitised collections of archives, including documents on the Spanish Civil War, General Strike, First World War and transcripts of the broadcasts of Richard Crossman.

Still image from a film. It shows a student demonstration in the early 1970s.

Film recordings

Digitised cine film, videos and other highlights from our holdings.

Photograph of the politician Richard Crossman making a speech.

Sound recordings

Voices from the past: sound recordings from our holdings.

Collections spotlight

Posters and leaflets produced during the 1984/5 miners' strike.

Coming soon!

Staff at the Modern Records Centre are currently working to conserve, catalogue and provide access to the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers. More information about this project will be online soon!

Photograph looking over the shoulders of two people doing archival research. A selection of documents are on a grey table. Once researcher is holding a pencil, the other is looking through a pamphlet.

Who has been using the archives?

To get an idea of the range of subjects which can be researched using the Modern Records Centre's collections, see the lists of academic books and articles which have cited our archives since 2012.

The Library Modern Records Centre