Exhibitions

Enjoy our collections on site and online

We’re proud of our world-class collections and want you to be inspired by them too. Whether you’re based in Cambridge or on the other side of the world, there are plenty of opportunities to engage with the Library and Archives, from special events hosted in the historic Upper Library and year-round displays in the Exhibition Area to online exhibitions and educational resources you can access from anywhere.

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Online exhibitions

Photograph of Clarksons campaign chest

Slavery & Abolition - Collections uncovered

This exhibition for the 2021 Cambridge Festival is a collaboration between St John’s College Library and Wisbech & Fenland Museum.
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Wordsworth at 250

Wordsworth at 250

Curated to mark Wordsworth’s 250th birthday, this exhibition showcases items from the College’s Wordsworth Collection.
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Books in the Old Library

Quatercentenary of the Old Library

Mark the 400th anniversary of the completion of the building of the College's Old Library.
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Samuel Butler as a student

Highlights of the Samuel Butler Collection

Enjoy the highlights of the Samuel Butler Collection. Samuel Butler (1835–1902) was a writer, artist and photographer, who engaged in many of the topical debates of his time. He published books on subjects as diverse as evolution, religion, art, travel, classical literature and sheep-farming, but is best-known for his novels, Erewhon (1872) and The Way of All Flesh (1903).
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A photo of a very old maths book showing pop up elements

100 years of the Adams Society

Celebrate mathematics and mathematicians at St John's. We have a long tradition of teaching and learning in mathematics, and St John's has produced many notable mathematicians over the years. This exhibition showcases some of the key books and individuals in this tradition.
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