Accessibility statement

Visiting Us

Please visit the University's transport pages for information on getting here and information on parking, buses, cycle routes etc. 

Please refer to our accessibility information web page if you have any accessibility requirements.

Essential Information

If you’d like to visit us to use original archives or to access our microfilmed collections, we recommend booking an appointment to reserve a desk or microfilm reader. 

Please contact us to book an appointment, either via email or phone:

  • borthwick-institute@york.ac.uk
  • 01904 321166

We strongly recommend booking ahead of your visit, particularly if you are travelling to visit us, as we can get busy and might not have research spaces available. 

You will need to provide contact information at the point of booking to allow us to confirm an appointment, check any additional requirements applicable to the records, and for the security of our collections.

Opening times

Please find below our staffed opening hours for which a pre-booked appointment is required.

  • Monday 9.30am to 4.30pm (Searchroom and Microform Room)
  • Tuesday 9.30am to 4.30pm (Searchroom and Microform Room)
  • Wednesday 9.30am to 4.30pm (Searchroom and Microform Room) 
  • Thursday 9.30am to 4.30pm (Searchroom and Microform Room)

The Microform room is also open during the following hours, during which time you don’t  need to book an appointment. Instead the microfilm readers in this room are available on a first come, first served basis. Please see under ‘Access to the Microform Room Outside our Staffed Opening Hours’ section for more details.

  • Monday: 4.30pm to 9.30pm
  • Tuesday: 4.30pm to 9.30pm
  • Wednesday: 4.30pm to 9.30pm
  • Thursday:  8am to 9.30pm
  • Friday: 8am to 9.30pm
  • Saturday: 8am to 9.30pm
  • Sunday: 8am to 9.30pm

Ordering documents

  • We recommend pre-ordering the items you’d like to see. This allows colleagues to check the records for any conservation or data protection concerns, and means we can make your material ready to consult as soon as you arrive.
  • Use our online catalogue, Borthcat, to search our holdings. If you can’t find what you need or have any questions, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
  • A limited number of additional original documents can be ordered during your visit, at set retrieval times. 
  • Please note that photographic material cannot be produced into the reading room on the same day.
  • The production of maps, plans, and other oversized material is dependent on the space available in the reading room and cannot always be accommodated without an advance booking.

What to do when you arrive

We're based in the University of York Library, on the Heslington West campus.

Please tell staff at the Library entrance that you have an appointment at the Borthwick. Staff will also be available to direct you to the Borthwick reception and searchroom.

  • At the Borthwick reception, please give your name so that we can confirm your attendance.
  • Please take the time to familiarise yourself with our Searchroom Regulations 2023 (PDF , 75kb)Searchroom Regulations 2023 (PDF , 75kb).
  • You are welcome to take a pencil, loose notepaper, a laptop, phone and/or camera into the searchroom with you. Please note that a photography permit, costing £10 per day or £30 per week, will be required in order to take photographs. If you are a member of the University of York, there is no charge for self-service photography but you will still need to complete a permit form.
  • Lockers are provided in the searchroom reception for all other personal belongings.  

In the searchroom

  • The documents that you requested will be available at your table for you to work through.
  • Staff will be available to offer any handling advice where needed. If you have requested any photographs as part of your order, you will need to wear the provided gloves before you handle them.
  • At the end of your visit, please leave all documents on your table.

Access to the Microform Room Outside our Staffed Opening Hours

Microform records can be consulted outside of our staffed hours (see under ‘Opening Times’ for more details). The microform room can be accessed via the first floor landing in the Raymond Burton Library.

Bookings cannot be taken for access to the microform room during these hours. The digital microform readers, from which digital copies of the records can be taken by bringing along a USB/memory stick, are therefore available only on a first come, first served basis. We also have traditional, hand-operated microfilm readers available.

Please be aware that no staff support will be available during these hours. In the microform room, there are printed instructions available on how to use the digital microform readers, as well as finding aids for our principal microform collections. You can also find digitised copies of these finding aids on our website.

What remote services are on offer?

We are able to respond to enquiries via email, telephone, post and social media. For more extensive enquiries, our searching service is available, and our copying service is also available if you would like copies of our records. For more information on our holdings, please see our online catalogue, Borthcat. 

How can I get access to your resources remotely?

Many of our Parish Registers, Bishops’ Transcripts and Marriage Bonds and Allegations are available via Find My Past, our Parish Registers are available through Ancestry and our Cause Papers, Archbishops' Registers, and Retreat hospital archive are available, for free, 24/7 online.

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