The John Rylands University Library (JRUL) is one of the largest and best-resourced academic libraries in the UK. It is one of only five National Research Libraries designated by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

The JRUL arose from the merger of the library services of the Victoria University of Manchester and of UMIST when they joined to become The University of Manchester in 2004, and is named after the historic John Rylands Library (on Deansgate, in the centre of Manchester) with which the Victoria University of Manchester's library merged in 1972.

Today, the grade-1 listed historic John Rylands Library houses most of the JRUL's Special Collections, designated as being of international significance by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. The Library's Special Collections cover all subject areas and more than 5,000 years of human endeavour, and contain some of the most important materials available to researchers, including the oldest-known fragment of the New Testament ("The St John Fragment") as well as exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, examples of the earliest forms of European printing including the Gutenberg Bible, as well as the personal papers of distinguished historical figures including Elizabeth Gaskell, John Dalton and John Wesley.