Cory Library, Grahamstown

Eden Grove Building, Lucas Avenue (behind the Albany History Museum), Grahamstown

Tel: +27 (0)46-603-8438
Hours: 08.30 to 16.30 Monday to Friday. Closed weekends and public holidays.
Email: cory@ru.ac.za
website: http://www.ru.ac.za/corylibrary
Digital photography is permitted subject to minor restrictions.

The Cory Library holdings focus on the history of the Eastern Cape, and Grahamstown itself. There is a strong collection of material on Lesotho, and substantial holdings on the wider history of Southern Africa. The Library’s archival holdings include Xhosa history, mission and church history, as well as education, mining, commercial and agricultural history. The manuscript and archival collections include:

• Many personal documents including diaries, autobiographies, family histories and farmers’ diaries, representing a very wide range of people, mainly with some connection with the Eastern Cape although not invariably so
• Institutional collections of churches, local political and non-governmental organisations, business and professional bodies, service clubs and education institutions.

Notable collections are:

• Methodist Church Archives
• Gold Fields Co Collection
• Lovedale Collection

The Cory Library has a helpful and quite detailed website, with its catalogue searches linking with the main Rhodes University holdings as well as its and own.  However, this does not include its manuscript collections or finding aids. Consequently a combination of references in published work, email contacts with Cory staff and personal visit may be required to establish the relevance of its collections to any particular project.

Last updated: 1 January 2018