Use this guide to learn more about haunted library lore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and in Illinois, the United States, and the World.
George Eberhart, a senior editor of American Libraries and a contributor to the Britannica Blog, has compiled a list of international haunted libraries, found in the link below.
The library’s first librarian, Bertrand Dyer committed suicide by swallowing arsenic. It is said that Dyer haunts the special collection which includes examples of early printing dating from 1475 and manuscripts dating from the 17th century. Some have heard the librarian’s footsteps pacing between rooms.
Ireland’s first public library, founded in 1701, is said to be haunted by founder Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. Archbishop Marsh wanders the shelves rummaging through volumes in hopes of finding a lost letter from his niece.
Raby Castle is home to many ghosts, but Sir Henry Vane the Younger haunts the Castle library. He was beheaded for treason in 1662, and his headless torso has been said to appear on the library’s desks.
