FROM THE WORLD'S LARGEST SEED TO GODOT'S TREE

ALL OUR COLLECTIONS IN ONE PLACE ONLINE

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FROM FAMOUS ARTISTS TO LEGENDARY WELLIES

ALL OUR COLLECTIONS IN ONE PLACE ONLINE

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FROM INSPIRED PLOUGHS TO ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS

ALL OUR COLLECTIONS IN ONE PLACE ONLINE

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FROM YOGHURT POTS TO PANDORA'S BOX

ALL OUR COLLECTIONS IN ONE PLACE ONLINE

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FROM SCALED MAMMALS TO SHELL BASKETS

ALL OUR COLLECTIONS IN ONE PLACE ONLINE

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MUSEUM STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF READING

DISCOVER OUR UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

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Welcome to the University of Reading’s Museums and Collections. From ancient pottery and medieval literature, to the work of Samuel Beckett and the history of rural England, discover and explore the fantastic breadth of our collections.

Explore our collections

Using the collections

From online catalogues to visits, there are many ways in which our museums and collections can be accessed.

Online exhibitions

Our online exhibitions tell the stories of our objects through fascinating visual narratives.

Collections A-Z

This A-Z list incorporates all of the contents of our museums and collections.

Themes and strengths

The themes and strengths of our collections are diverse and surprising.

Research

Our museums and collections support a range of research partners and are always at the heart of numerous exciting research projects.

Learning

Discover how our museums and collections support collections-based learning, and browse our online learning resources.

Our museums and collections

The Museum of English Rural Life

Explore the history of the English countryside and its people.

Special Collections

The University's diverse and surprising collections of rare books, archives, and manuscripts.

Art Collections

Explore hundreds of original artworks by leading artists from across history.

The Cole Museum of Zoology

The Cole Museum reopens in 2021. Find out more.

The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology

Explore one of the UK's largest collections of ancient Greek ceramics.

Lettering, printing, and graphic design

Our typography collections cover millennia of print history, from ancient Egypt to the present day.

Herbarium

Learn more about the University Herbarium.

Geology

Discover thousands of rock and mineral specimens.

East German Studies Archive

From the GDR to reunification, this collection tells the story of East Germany from many angles

Search our Collections

This box allows you to search our main databases. If you prefer to browse, you may wish to use the A-Z list

Can't find what you're looking for? You can find search tips here.

The MERL has also produced a short guide to using Enterprise to search its archives.You can access it here.

If you cannot find what you need through our databases, please contact the relevant museum or collection. If you are unsure of who to contact, please email specialcollections@reading.ac.uk

Our Instagram Photos and videos

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