In 2013 a new research institute or ‘Arts Lab’ was set up at the University of Manchester. The John Rylands Research Institute (JRRI), based in the John Rylands Library, is a unique partnership between the University of Manchester (UofM) Library and the Faculty of Humanities at the university. Its aim is to establish an internationally renowned centre for research that attracts, and supports work by local, national, or international scholars on the library's special collections. By bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of library professionals, humanities scholars, students and scientists, new approaches are being developed within the JRRI to increase and improve our understanding of these collections, in all their richness and diversity. This piece will provide insights into the work of the JRRI and through a specific case study it will demonstrate how some of the works of art in the library are beginning to benefit from the research carried out under its umbrella. However, it is first necessary to explain why these collections merit such intensive investigation.