Founded in 1881, the University of Liverpool is one of the UK's major research-led universities, offering sustained excellence in research and teaching across a wide range of academic disciplines. The University and its Library collections were founded on the wealth and generosity of Liverpool's 19th-century business élite and their aspirations to promote the cultural and intellectual status of Liverpool. The University Library's science, engineering, medical, dental and veterinary resources are held in the Harold Cohen Library; arts, humanities, social and environmental sciences resources are held in the Sydney Jones Library. The Special Collections and Archives Division is located in the Grove Wing of the Sydney Jones Library.

Special Collections and Archives houses around 100,000 printed books of the 15th to 20th centuries, 100 collections of manuscript material, 120 medieval and renaissance manuscripts, the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, the archives of the University and the archive of the Cunard Steamship Company. Notable subject collections include the Knowsley Collection of English political pamphlets, Gypsy Collections, and the John Fraser Collection of items relating to tobacco.