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John Rylands Research Institute and Library

@thejohnrylands.bsky.social

880 followers 150 following 97 posts

Promoting world-leading research using the unique special collections of The University of Manchester Library. Open to visitors Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Mar 26

Welcome to the official Bluesky account for the John Rylands Research Institute and Library. 👋

Follow us for the unique special collections from the University of Manchester Library, world-leading research and this wonderful neo-Gothic building.

#HelloBluesky

view of the reading room with high vaulted ceiling, arches and carved stone detail.

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 2d

Looks like a great event over at Manchester Central Library.

📰🗞️Featuring material from @wcmlibrary.bsky.social and @aiucentre.bsky.social

Manchester Histories @mcrhistories.bsky.social · 3d

The People’s Papers: Revisiting 1970s Manchester

Explore the activist & community print culture that helped shape Greater Manchester, with PhD researcher Arielle Lawson (@peoplespapers)

📅 Mon 4 Nov
🕕 6–8 PM
📍 Manchester Histories Hub, Central Library
Free & open to all! Book: bit.ly/PeoplesPapers

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 6d

@aritozzi.bsky.social

John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 6d

In our latest blog, ECR Fellow Arianna Tozzi delves into a lesser-explored aspect of Manchester’s cotton archives to investigate how imperial botanists helped advance agricultural research that supported the spread of plantation crops like cotton in 19thC Britain.

Blog: https://ow.ly/hGLK50X642P

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 9d

Thursday 9 October, 5.30pm celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBT Foundation

🎶🎧📚We’re creating a playlist so bring your vinyl and CDs for our DJ to spin. See collections from the Rylands and the Foundation.

Book free tickets here: https://ow.ly/qz6650X3Gfm

Community Playlist Live!

Celebrate LGBT Foundation's 50th anniversary, and John Rylands' exhibition of LGBTQ+ pop, by helping us build the ultimate LGBTQ+ playlist!

ow.ly

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 12d

Sci-fi and Satire! : In this week's blog post, Early Career Fellow at the John Rylands (2024-2025) @roseannakettle.bsky.social
writes about William Gifford's fascinating satirical work on the topic of gaslight technology in Georgian London.

Blog: ow.ly/Ln1850X2H0X

"A Peep at the Gas-lights in Pall Mall", a humorous caricature of reactions to the installation of the new invention of gas-burning street lighting on Pall-Mall, London (Engraved by Thomas Rowlandson in 1809 after a drawing by George M. Woodward).

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 15d

📰Love local papers? Join this online event...

Working Class Movement Library @wcmlibrary.bsky.social · 20d

Join us for an online People's Papers research project workshop to learn about the history of 1970s alternative newspapers, their archival preservation & their continued relevance for today. All welcome! Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archiving-...

John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 19d

In his latest blog post on the Frankland Family Archive, John Rylands archivist James Peters talks about Sir Edward Frankland's time analysing London waters, and how he indirectly paved the way for the public control of London’s water.

Blog: ow.ly/9n3k50WYNVG

Rylands BlogSir Edward Frankland: water, politics and profits

Archivist James Peters talks about Sir Edward Frankland’s career in the surprisingly politically charged subject of analysing water pollution levels

ow.ly

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 25d

Great to see our founder Enriqueta Rylands getting a bit of attention... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The unknown Manchester lady who funded a Hogswart-style library

How Cuban-born Enriqueta Rylands spent more than £100m to set up the John Rylands Library.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Stuart Linden Rhodes @stuartlindenrhodes.bsky.social · 25d

Joint exhibition with www.stuartlindenrhodes.com and @jonshard on until October 5th at Manchester Spinningfields. Some the photography courtesy of @universityofmanchester @thejohnrylands.bsky.social

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 27d

In our latest blog, senior photographer Tony Richards explains how the Imaging Team at the Rylands created a 3D representation of Cuneiform 931 (a tablet from the Old Babylonian period) for an exhibition by the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
in London. Blog: ow.ly/zS7B50WVCfk

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 27d

We have just entered our third century of educating students.

The social lives, fashions & cultures of today's students have changed over the past 200 years. Their curiosity, drive & desire to make the world a better place has not. Welcome to Manchester.

medium.com/special-coll...

Female collectors, slightly out of focus photograph showing women in black tights and striped pyjama tops collecting for Rag week.
University Photographic Collection, 1960-69.

John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 28d

The John Rylands Library will be closed to the public for the rest of the day due to flooding. Apologies for any inconvenience.

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 28d

Anti-colonialism. A decent living. Democracy. Anti-racism. Women's suffrage.

For centuries, Manchester has been at the forefront of campaigns for social and political reform.

medium.com/special-coll...

Peterloo Handkerchief, 2019 by Mancsy
Images relating to Peterloo including starving people, magistrate snakes, demonstrators attacked by yeomanry and slogans such as 'we are the many, they are the few' and 'many have fallen protecting our rights'.

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Reposted by John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Sarah Parkhouse @sarahparkhouse.bsky.social · 29d

We are looking for a one-year full-time Research Associate to work on Coptic manuscripts in Manchester as part of a wonderful project that connects mss with local communities. Requires strong skills in Coptic, English, & Arabic. Deadline 31/10. Please share! www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Research Associate – Coptic in Manchester (UKRI):John Rylands Library

Key collaborators are the Coptic Church in Stockport, Manchester, and the Coptic Church in Llandudno, Wales. The project has an extensive and international advisory board. A PDRA seeking an academic career may find the balance between traditional research and co-creation appealing.

www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · 29d

In the nineteenth century, Manchester's growth was fuelled by fortunes made in the cotton trade. Cotton merchants and manufacturers profited from the forced labour of enslaved people. Our own connections to cotton are explored here by Dr Natalie Zacek:
rylandscollections.com/2020/09/07/r...

Statue of John Rylands, sculpted by John Cassidy 1899. Statue stands in the historic reading room in front of an ornate stained glass window.

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Sep 9

Do you know how many amazing people have lived and worked in Manchester? Take a look at our blog, 'The men and women who shaped the city', and we guarantee there will be some stories you've never heard of.
medium.com/special-coll...

Black and white photograph of Mabel Tylecote getting the upper hand in a fencing match.
TYL/1/4/20

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Sep 8

You're coming to Manchester to study and you want to know more about the city's history? We've got you covered.
tldr; Manchester was the world's first industrial city, and you'll see that legacy all around you as you explore.
medium.com/special-coll...

Illustrated image of Manchester titled 'A Bird's-eye view of Manchester in 1889'
By Brewer, Henry William, 1836-1903
C17:70 Manchester (23)

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 22

Come Out Tonight: queer 90s nightlife, a new exhibition in Spinningfields to mark Pride 2025 in collaboration with photographers Stuart Linden Rhodes and Jon Shard.

Explore the energy and growth of the queer scene of the early 1990s. If you’re in Manchester for Pride, stop by and take a look. 🏳️‍🌈

View of the exhibition showing colour photo by Jon Shard taken at Flesh club night.

View of the exhibition showing black and white photo by Stuart Linden Rhodes taken at Flesh club night.

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 19

🖼️Come Out Tonight: queer 90s nightlife an exhibition to mark Manchester Pride 2025 in collaboration with photographers Stuart Linden Rhodes and Jon Shard. Walk through Spinningfields to see the exhibition.

John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 19

👥Curator tour of The Secret Public exhibition, Friday 22 August 3pm.
Join curator Mat Bancroft to learn more about the exhibition and explore the profound influence of LGBTQ performers, artists and activists on mainstream popular culture.

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 19

🏳️‍🌈What’s on for Pride this week? 🏳️‍⚧️

👀Collection Encounter: The Secret Public, Friday 22 August, 10.40-11.50am.
Uncover Manchester’s queer culture, pop music and nightlife through collections featuring Buzzcocks, the Haçienda and City Life magazine.

📷Flesh, The Haçienda, Manchester, 1990s, Jon Shard

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 18

The Rylands is home to the Delia Derbyshire Archive. You can see items from the archive on display in the Collections Gallery.

Or find out more about the archive here: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/spec...

Delia Derbyshire Day @deliaderbyshireday.bsky.social · Aug 14

A dip in the archives 🤓🗄️
‌
Fancy diving in yourself? The Delia Derbyshire Archive is accessible to the public via the special collections team at @thejohnrylands.bsky.social in Manchester, England📍Check it out!
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🎥Film credit: Belle Vue Productions
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#deliaderbyshireday #deliaderbyshire

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 13

US Fellowships available for researchers from the University of Manchester, to John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress and Huntington Library.

For guidance and application details follow this link: www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/rese...

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 11

⚠️ You've only got a few more weeks left! ⚠️

The Perspectivists, featuring beautiful architectural watercolours from our University Heritage Collection, is running at the Modernist Society until 30th August. Don't miss out!

the-modernist.org/blogs/news/t...

Image:
Renold Building by Lawrence Wright
University Heritage Collections
UMC.2024.18

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John Rylands Research Institute and Library @thejohnrylands.bsky.social · Aug 7

Free event with Faith Network for Manchester

📖Collections and Storytelling: Exploring Personal and Collective Stories through Bibles and from Methodism and Non-Conformist Records

📅Thursday 14 August, 5pm-7pm

🆓 Free and open to all.
👉 Book your place here:
🔗 faithinthearts2025.eventbrite.co.uk

Faith In The Arts

A collaboration between Faith Network for Manchester and the Rylands exploring Faith based collections through various archival practises

FaithInTheArts2025.eventbrite.co.uk