Haunted Halls of Knowledge

Libraries aren’t just dusty halls full of books. For me, they are places to escape and discover new worlds. They’re vaults of memory, where the past bleeds into the present. Around the world, libraries are whispered to be haunted by restless scholars, cursed manuscripts, and the weight of knowledge no one was meant to read.

Some say they are haunted because the books are vessels of memory, with human lives trapped within their pages. Some books are even said to be bound in human flesh—luckily, probably not in your local library, but you never know.

Traditionally, libraries are meant to be quiet places of reflection. This silence helps us hear the creak of floorboards and makes us question whether a sound is supernatural or just our imagination.

The truth may be simpler: many libraries are built on old sites. Churches, monasteries, and burial grounds are often nearby, and the dead sometimes pop in to read the latest release.

Here is a walk-through of five notoriously haunted libraries.

Senate House Library, London

The Senate House Library has many famous collections, including the Harry Price Collection. This collection contains almost 13,000 items, all focused on magic and the paranormal. Harry Price was an infamous psychical researcher who gathered this vast collection during his lifetime.

The collection used to be located on the eighth floor of the library, which is when staff started to notice some strange phenomena. People reported hearing both laughing and whispering coming from the books. Some were even unlucky enough to see floating books and apparitions.

Two widely reported ghostly figures in the library were a cloaked figure and a glowing Blue Lady. According to Christopher Fowler, the Blue Lady also appears in the Senate Room.

Over time, these strange occurrences were not limited to the eighth floor. Throughout the library, lights would switch on themselves, cold spots would appear, and books would change floors.

Even the lift is said to be haunted by Sir Edwin Deller, the University of London’s principal. This poor man was crushed to death in the lift shaft in 1937, so people assume he is the lift ghost - although he has never confirmed it.

Bodleian Library, Oxford

Oxford is a city steeped in history and synonymous with reading. Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of reading the classics at Oxford University. Many people share this dream because Oxford has a reputation for being all about literature.

The famous Bodleian is the main research library of the University of Oxford. The building dates back to the 14th century and holds many famous manuscripts and first editions.

The library was originally founded by Sir Thomas Bodley, and it is he who is said to haunt it. According to legend, his spirit inhabits the labyrinth of corridors, guarding its treasures and watching over its vast collection of ancient manuscripts and rare books.

The story goes that on certain moonlit nights, when the library is quiet and cloaked in darkness, whispers can be heard, reliving history. Some witnesses have even reported passing the ghostly apparition of Sir Thomas Bodley, checking that no one is talking.

Trinity College, Cambridge

Not to be outdone by Oxford University, Cambridge is also said to have its own ghost in the library. Lord Byron’s ghost is said to haunt the Antechapel.

Byron, famous for hosting the party where Mary Shelley penned Frankenstein, haunts the building because of a 200-year-old grudge. Authorities denied his final resting place at Westminster Abbey, and he had to settle for the college.

When Byron died in Missolonghi, Greece, in April 1824, his many friends wanted him buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey, but their request was denied. A committee was formed, led by Byron’s friend and fellow student at Trinity, John Cam Hobhouse, to raise money for an appropriate memorial.

Bertel Thorvaldsen’s statue arrived from Rome in 1834. After prolonged negotiation, the statue was installed in the Wren Library on 18 October 1845, at the suggestion of Master William Whewell.

During the college’s bicentenary commemoration of Byron’s death, a spectral image of the statue of Byron in the Wren Library appeared and disappeared with the changing light.

However, this was all a clever use of lighting to create a ghostly reflection for those gathered. Although, it would be wrong to say that all the sightings in Cambridge were clever lighting, as the library is said to be genuinely haunted by the restless spirits of scholars who never finished their work and will throw books around.

State Library Victoria, Australia

Ghostly libraries are not only found in Britain. Australia's oldest public library is also said to have more than one strange story of spooky events.

Several former staff members who worked in the Art Library said that two ghosts occupied that area. There was always a cold spot near the old piano.

Strange events used to happen there: music tapes would start playing when no one was around, books would fall off shelves, and lights would go on and off. This was to such an extent that security guards working at night would avoid the areas or find alternative employment.

Terri Rolfe, a Library Officer, tells a story of walking around the library at 2 a.m. because the security guards were refusing to go, thinking they were being ridiculous. She then saw a transparent figure standing by the piano. The woman had a long gown on and was holding the hand of a young boy.

She said the woman stared at her, and she felt a heat and an extreme sadness for the figure. It is safe to say she never dismissed the security guards’ reluctance to do the round again.

Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana

Willard Library is said to be one of the most haunted in the world. The Grey Lady is a core part of its identity, drawing visitors and researchers.

The first reported sighting of the Grey Lady was in 1937. An employee, who was in the library early in the morning to start the furnace, reported seeing a figure in a long grey dress and a shawl. The figure is said to have faded away. This initial encounter, along with subsequent sightings and unexplained events, cemented the library's ghostly reputation.

The most popular theory surrounding the Grey Lady's identity is that she is the ghost of Louise Carpenter, the daughter of the library's founder, Willard Carpenter.

The story goes that Willard Carpenter, a prominent abolitionist and philanthropist, left the majority of his estate to the library and other charities, intentionally leaving out his children. Louise, who was not happy with this decision, sued the library and then decided to get the ultimate revenge by haunting it.

Another theory suggests the ghost is not tied to the library building itself but to the land it was built on. The ghost is said to be a woman who may have tragically drowned in the canal nearby.

The Grey Lady's presence is said to manifest in various ways, ranging from subtle to more pronounced phenomena.

As well as the Grey Lady, books and furniture are said to move, taps are turned on, and toilets flush of their own accord.

I could do with a toilet-flushing ghost in my house.

The library has embraced its haunted history, installing a series of Ghost Cams that can be watched around the world, and offering ghost tours and paranormal investigations.

Your Local Library

So, remember the next time you wander into your library and the corners are a little dark and chilly, have a look around. You might find an unusual reader amongst the shelves.

Some readers never stop turning the pages.