Private Collections Library

The Private Collections Library cares for old and out of print books and periodicals from around the world, in particular those from the first half of the 20th Century. Many of our works are fragile, stored in special conditions and can only be viewed by visitors under the supervision of library staff.

Occupying the spaces at either end of the Fifth Floor of the Mohammed bin Rashid Library building, the Special Collections Library is a secure area and you will need to apply for permission to view collections in advance. On less busy days, you may be able to request access on arrival by contacting the library staff at the lobby Information Desk.

The Special Collections team consider all requests to view items in the collection based on your goals, specific area of interest and items requested. Many of the items in this library are kept in restricted areas and retrieved only for special viewings under the supervision of our expert staff members.

Our Special Collections include old books and periodicals published before 1950, including a collection of early Arabic periodicals from the turn of the 20th Century. For example, the library holds a collection of periodicals on Arabic film, including publications from the Golden Age of Egyptian cinema.

This specialised library also holds a number of works from the collections of other libraries, such as older maps from the Maps and Atlases Library and some of the more fragile pop-up books from the Children's Library.

Our collection of antiquarian books and periodicals continues to grow as we seek suitable acquisitions, donations and partnerships.