Find out more below about our incredible resources - books, electronic resources, Archives and Special Collections and Museum collections - and how to search and access them.
Once you're ready to get started, visit our Accessing Resources: where to start guide for more information and handy video guides.
You can access our extensive physical collections, which include printed items, medieval manuscripts, maps, photographs, objects and artworks. These are held at various sites across the city and can be searched for using our library catalogue, Discover.
We have a huge range of electronic resources available, including eBooks, eJournals and databases, so you can access the information you need online. Again, you can search all our available resources using Discover.
Find an item or search our huge range of electronic resources from across our library, museums and special collections by using our library catalogue, Discover. Simply type in words from the title, a topic or an author to get started. Find out more on our Getting started guide.
You will have an online reading list for each module on your course (you should be able to access each list directly through Learn Ultra). This will direct you to your essential reading and, in many cases, link directly to an electronic copy of the resource.
If we don't have an item that you need, you can ask us to buy a copy for you to borrow, or you can request it from another library through our Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service. Visit our Request guide for more information.
If you are studying online as part of a distance learning programme, our postal loans, postal returns and scan and deliver services are available to help you access the resources you need.
You can make an appointment to access items held within our Archives and Special Collections for your research. You'll arrange to visit one of three sites - Barker Research Library, 5 The College or Ushaw College Library. Visit our website for more information.
You can also make an appointment for research access to items from across our five collections - art, biosciences, Durham Castle, Museum of Archaeology and Oriental Museum. You can find out more about using our collections on our website.
As a member of Durham University, you can visit all our museums, exhibitions, botanic garden and join a tour of Durham Castle for free! For more information on our Things To Do offer, visit our website.
Watch our video below to find out more about Palace Green Library, home to Barker Research Library, our Archives and Special Collections, and some of our museums and galleries.
Find out more about the only museum in the North of England devoted entirely to the art and archaeology of the great cultures of Northern Africa and Asia.