Girton College, Cambridge Girton was not officially a college yet, nor were its members part of the University. Girton and Newnham were classed as "recognised institutions for the higher education for women", not colleges of the university. On 27 April 1948, women were admitted to full membership of the University of Cambridge, and Girton College received the status of a college of the university. Social and cultural changes in the post-war period led to an increasing number of British universities to become co-educational. In Cambridge, Churchill College, King's College and Clare College were the first men's colleges to admit women in 1972. Girton
Libraries of the University of Cambridge Libraries of the University of Cambridge There are over 100 libraries within the University of Cambridge. These include the main University Library, twenty-one affiliated libraries, departmental and faculty Libraries, College Libraries, and various other specialist libraries associated with the University. Across all libraries, the University houses approximately 15 million books. Cambridge University Library, referred to within the University as "the University Library" or just "the UL", is the central research library. It holds around 8 million items (including maps and sheet music) and, in contrast with the Bodleian or the British Library, many of its books are available on open