Make an enquiry

We are happy to answer enquiries about the collections we hold, or about the history of the University, including:

  • Providing more detailed finding aids for our collections
  • Advising on the suitability of our holdings for your research
  • Directing you to other repositories suitable for your research
  • Searching our publications and databases
  • Providing limited facts and figures 

We are unable to provide valuations of your books or collections.

General Enquiry

For general enquiries about our collections, contact us by email: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

When contacting us, please provide:

  • Your name, email address, telephone number, postal address
  • The name of the collection / item you are interested in and its reference number / shelfmark
  • Full details of your enquiry
  • The reason for your enquiry (e.g. academic study, personal research, or work-related research

Ancestor Enquiry

We are happy to undertake a search for ancestors you think may have been students at the University of Glasgow. We will respond confirming their years of study and any qualifications your ancestor received, or telling you that we have no record of your ancestor.

If we have been able to find your ancestor, you are welcome to visit our reading room to see the records in person.  We may also offer you the opportunity to commission us to do some follow-up research.

You can search for details of graduates of the University up to 1921 through the University of Glasgow Story free of charge.  If your ancestor attended the University during this period, please search this site.

To enquire about your ancestor, please complete our Ancestor Enquiry form:

Submit an Ancestor Enquiry

Please provide as much of the following information as you can, to help us search our records and distinguish between former students of the same name:

  • Your name, email address, telephone number, postal address
  • Your relationship to your ancestor (for example: great-great-grandchild)
  • Ancestor's name
  • Ancestor's life dates (for example: year born and/or died, or if not known an approximation – decade/century)
  • Ancestor's place of birth (for example: a village/town/city, county/state, or country)
  • Years attended as a student (for example: 1855–1857, or an approximation, 1850s)
  • Ancestor's Father's name
  • The subjects they studied
  • Ancestor's subsequent career