Our collections are wide-ranging, which means that our research partnerships are too!
Much of the research into our collections comes from the academic schools and departments in which they are fully embedded:
- The Ure Museum forms part of the Department of Classics
- The Cole Museum and the Herbarium are both based within the University’s School of Biological Sciences
- The Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design collection are part of the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication
- The Geology collection is preserved by the Department of Geography and Environmental Science
- The East German Studies Archive is held by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
The University of Reading’s largest, centrally held collections (The MERL, Special Collections and Art Collections) are part of an enormous range of partnerships within both the University and the wider research community. This includes community and enthusiast groups. Many of these partnerships are structured around the collections’ core themes and strengths, with key examples including food and nutrition, landscape and design.
Within the University of Reading, several research centres are closely involved with collections-based research, including:
- The Beckett Research Centre
- Centre for Health Humanities
- Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing
- Centre for International Business History
- Centre for Film Aesthetics and Cultures
- Centre for Information Design Research
- Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies
Discover our research projects and opportunities, our work with interdisciplinary researchers and networks, and how you can explore and work with our collections.