The building The King's Manor was developed from the 13 th century lodging of the abbots of St. Mary's Abbey which was rebuilt in the late 15 th century on the original foundations. It was enlarged in the first quarter of the 16 th century when it was used as the headquarters for the Council of the North under the first active Lord President of the Council, Robert Holgate, who took office in 1538. The Manor now forms the City Centre Campus of the University of York. The Centre for Medieval Studies, the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies and the Department of Archaeology, which incorporates the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies are housed here. The Library occupies two floors on the southern side of the main courtyard.
Access is via the stairs leading from the porters' lodge.
Library guides A wide range of Library Guides in paper format is available in the Library. Exceptions are those held in the Wormald Room and the Seminar Collection, which are classified using the J.B. Morrell Library's system. Pamphlets can be borrowed and are kept in boxes within the book sequence. These can be identified by the yellow tape on the boxes which are shelved at the number of the first pamphlet they contain. Periodicals are shelved separately, recent issues on display on the first floor and back issues in the rolling stack on the ground floor.