The university had a library from almost its beginning, established in 1833 around Bishop Cosin's Library on Palace Green, though Cosin's Library itsef only came into the university's trust in 1937. The library's collections supported the teaching of the university, and early significant deposits of rare books, along with links with the cathedral and diocese, encouraged future acquisitions of particularly archival collections so that 2008 sees it as a major research resource in its own right for such as northern local and especially medieval history, as well as the twentieth century history of the Sudan.
The university similarly had a museum at its inception and, though its history is not one of quite such consistent development, it too has major research resources in its own right in local archaeology and the Orient. Only a little later, in 1839, the university established an observatory to make astronomical and then also meteorological observations. More recently a Sports Centre has been developed at Maiden Castle and the Computing Service, initiated in the 1960s, is now a vital and integral aspect of the work of all in the university.
From the guide to the Durham University Records: Support Services, 1837-2007, (Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections)
