Collections

The library houses around 70,000 books, covering a wide range of disciplines, including criminology; forensic psychology and psychiatry; sociology; social policy and welfare; penology; policing; human rights, and research methodology. We also have an extensive collection of UK government publications on criminological matters, including statistics, reports, and annual reports of a range of relevant government agencies. These are shelved as a separate collection on the first floor. Material published by other governments — and by the UN and the Council of Europe — are shelved as part of the main book collection.

Our stock of print periodicals covers over 500 titles and is shelved alphabetically by title on the first floor. They aren’t available to borrow but you’re welcome to photocopy, subject to the requirements of the Copyright Act. Many more periodical titles are available online via the iDiscover catalogue.
Much of our older and non-English-language journal stock is in storage; if you’re interested in this material, ask a member of staff for the volumes that you’d like to see.

In addition, we hold other collections including old and rare materials, pamphlets, and archives of the work of individuals and organisations. Please ask a member of staff for help accessing these.

The library's Collection Development Policy is available here. We welcome recommendations for new stock from all our readers. Please get in touch if you would like to suggest a title to add to our collections.