Special Collections Blog at Queen's University Belfast

The Special Collections Blog brings you news of developments, exhibitions and events in Special Collections. Treasures from our collections are also highlighted.

Document titled "NIWC Statement on Proposals for Decommissioning" in a display case with accompanying label.

Exhibition: Modern Political Collections

Posted on 2nd June 20262nd June 2026 by Eva Isherwood Wallace

An exhibition highlighting material from our Modern Political Collections is on display on the first floor of the McClay Library until 22nd June 2026.

Molly St George. Lyrics in Gaelic script. Collected by Patrick Lynch.

Exhibition: Molly St George – Lacemaking and Irish Traditional Music

Posted on 26th May 20262nd June 2026 by admin

We are pleased to announce our exhibition, Molly St George: Lacemaking and Irish Traditional Music – a collaboration between Headford Lace

Photograph of archival boxes labelled "MS 86 Trimble Collection".

Trimble Collection MS 86/1-12

Posted on 30th March 20261st June 2026 by Eva Isherwood Wallace

Special Collections is pleased to announce that Boxes 1-12 of the Trimble Collection (MS 86) is now available for consultation.

Photograph of archival boxes and photo albums labelled "MS 88 Alderdice Collection". An open archival album shows photographs of Lord Alderdice's visit to South Africa in May 1997, including images of wildlife and a meeting with Nelson Mandela.

Alderdice Photograph Collection MS 88/1

Posted on 30th March 20261st June 2026 by Eva Isherwood Wallace

Special Collections is pleased to announce that the Alderdice Photograph Collection (MS 88/1) is now available for consultation.

McWilliams Collection Part 1 MS 87

Posted on 30th March 20261st June 2026 by Conor Kerr

Special Collections is pleased to announce that Part 1 of the McWilliams Collection (MS 87) is now available for consultation.

Archaeology at Special Collections & Archives

Posted on 26th March 2026 by Keira Dobbin

Exhibition curated and blog post written by Jack Tubman A selection of materials relating to the study of archaeology across

A History of Knowing: Encyclopedias Through the Ages

Posted on 26th March 2026 by Kath Stevenson

As the library celebrates Dr Moses Li’s extraordinarily generous donation of the Siku Quanshu—the monumental eighteenth‑century compendium of Chinese scholarship—to the

LGBTQ+ History Month: ‘Founding Cara-Friend’ Exhibition

Posted on 17th February 202630th March 2026 by Eva Isherwood Wallace

To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month this February, we are proud to host an exhibition on the history of Cara-Friend, a charity dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Northern Ireland.

Exhibition: A “Digital Graveyard” of Obsolete Media

Posted on 15th December 202522nd December 2025 by Kath Stevenson

Queen’s Special Collections & Archives prepared a “Digital Graveyard” in November, exhibiting obsolete media formats once commonly used at Queen’s University. This exhibition launched

Detail from ‘‘A series of statistical charts illustrating the condition of the descendants of former African slaves now in residence in the United States of America'

Commemorating Black Histories of Intellectual Resistance

Posted on 30th September 20257th January 2026 by admin

Guest blog by Prof Dina Zoe Belluigi It is timely to commemorate histories of the acts and enactors of intellectual