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Jerwood Library
@jerwoodlibrary.bsky.social
Libraries of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
We enjoyed welcoming members of Trinity Hall this week to explore one of Britain’s few remaining chained libraries.
These visits are a special opportunity, as the Old Library does not have regular opening hours. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped bring this historic space to life!
November 13, 2025 at 1:25 PM
We were delighted to welcome Ligia and Adam for a special visit to the Old Library on their wedding day! ❤️
Wishing them a lifetime of love, laughter, and library visits!
September 1, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Call for Papers — "Hall Histories: A Trinity Hall Journal" is accepting submissions for our new scholarly journal!

We're looking for original work that explores Trinity Hall’s history and material culture.

📩 Send your proposals or questions to: hallhistories@trinhall.cam.ac.uk
July 24, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Congratulations to all our graduands! It was lovely to welcome over 200 visitors to the Old Library on their graduation day.
July 4, 2025 at 11:35 AM
👑🦴 Poisoned Kings & Crook Backs? Dive into the world of 16th-century scandal, rumour, and royal reputation with our latest blog post! 📜✨

We’re taking a closer look Trinity Hall’s fascinating armorial manuscript: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/p...
Poisoned Kings and Crook Backs: A Look Inside Trinity Hall’s 16th-Century Armorial Manuscript
Richard III by an unknown artist; oil on panel, late 16th century. NPG148 © National Portrait Gallery, London, together with his coat of arms Trinity Hall’s Old Library contains an armorial manuscr…
oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com
June 20, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Relaxing after your exams? Don't be Silly and forget to return all your library books!

🎓 Graduands!
A quick reminder to return all library books by Tuesday 17th June.

Avoid any last-minute stress before graduation—check your shelves and return your books on time! 📚✨
June 12, 2025 at 1:19 PM
While we wait for the white smoke that signals the election of the new pope, why not read our latest blog post?
It looks at a fascinating 18th century book in our collection: "The Life of Pope Sixtus the Fifth" by Gregorio Leti which describes the drama of the conclave!
May 8, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Behind the Smoke: A Glimpse into a Papal Election from the Past

As I write, the world awaits the moment when white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel—a centuries-old signal that a new pope has been elected. The papal conclave remains one of the most secretive and ritualised…
Behind the Smoke: A Glimpse into a Papal Election from the Past
As I write, the world awaits the moment when white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel—a centuries-old signal that a new pope has been elected. The papal conclave remains one of the most secretive and ritualised processes in the modern world, and recent popular portrayals, such as The Conclave, based on Robert Harris’ bestselling novel, have renewed public fascination with how the College of Cardinals chooses the next leader of the Catholic Church.
oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com
May 8, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Our final student curator is Saffron Willett (MPhil Korean Studies). Her project "Korea in Print" highlights Korea’s cultural rise, inspired by Han Kang’s Nobel win.
Check out the book display and books in the library or online libguides.cam.ac.uk/trinityhall/... #StudentCurator #KoreanLiterature
May 2, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Congratulations to Trinity Hall Architecture student Sam Elbahja on the publication of her first book of poetry, "Naked Pen" (New Generation Publishing, 2025).

It will soon be available to borrow from the Jerwood 🎉
April 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This image from an early 15th-century manuscript (Trinity Hall, MS12) depicts Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, a scene from the Christian tradition often celebrated on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter).
April 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Yaning Wu (a PhD student in public health and primary care) is our next student curator! Texts in her book display “Arts in health” may be of special interest to students of health and healthcare & anyone who is curious about improving their wellbeing using tools outside of traditional medical.
April 2, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Ahead of last night’s incredible talk on the music virtuoso George Bridgtower (1778-1860) and his Cambridge connections, we welcomed the co-presenters and performers to the Old Library for a special visit! They explored our book of music sonatas once owned by Charles Hague (1769–1821)
March 14, 2025 at 8:46 AM
The first Trinity Hall student curation project is now live in the Jerwood! We were lucky to have final-year Politics and Anthropology student, Jack (seen here with his display) 'The Blue Continent'.
An accompanying webpage links to all the curated resources: libguides.cam.ac.uk/trinityhall/...
March 11, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Happy World Book Day! Why not read some of the great books nominated by the Trinity Hall community?
March 6, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The Old Library at Trinity Hall contains some of the oldest library furniture in Cambridge, dating to the 1580s.

Each bookcase has a pair of lecterns, with a sloping shelf on which to read the book.

Law Professor Campbell McLachlan is shown trying out one of the lecterns on his visit today.
February 27, 2025 at 3:19 PM
We want to hear from you! Do you have a few minutes to complete our questionnaire about the Jerwood Library?

You’ll also be in with a chance to win a £30 Amazon voucher! Check your email for the survey link, or scan the QR code on one of our posters.

The closing date is Sunday 9th March
February 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The votes are in and Trinity Hall's favourite book is Jane Austen's romantic classic 'Pride and Prejudice'.
The runner-up is Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'.
Two modern contenders tied for third place: Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' and Sally Rooney's 'Normal People'. #favouritebooks
February 21, 2025 at 9:32 AM
What have these books all got in common? They were all nominated by members of Trinity Hall as a book they love. Voting has begun for the overall favourite, and the winning book will be announced on Friday!
February 18, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Love is in the air in our copy of "Rider’s British Merlin for the year of our Lord God 1787". This entry tells of a marriage between Mary Boydell (1747-1820), a renowned beauty, and George Nichol. You can read more about it on our blog: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/t...
February 14, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Happy Valentine's/Library Lover's Day!
Take a heart and write down one book that you love. ❤️
We'll be buying selected titles for the library, and you can vote next week to decide on Trinity Hall's favourite book.
#libraryloversday #valentinesday
February 14, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Sappho (c. 600 BCE), famed as the "Tenth Muse," wrote lyrical poetry on love, often for women. The word 'lesbian' comes from the name of her home, the island of Lesbos

Here is the frontispiece of our 1733 edition of Sappho's poetry by Johann Christian Wolf #LGBTHistoryMonth
February 7, 2025 at 9:11 AM
You can't miss our new display for LGBT+ History Month! #lgbthistorymonth
February 4, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Snake 🐍 so we decided to share a page from Charles Owen's "An Essay towards a Natural History of Serpents" (1742).
It includes mythical creatures such as dragons and basilisks as well as more mundane reptiles! #chinesenewyear2025🐍
January 29, 2025 at 11:07 AM