As a result of the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, special collections and archives across the UK and Ireland were forced to close their doors. Even through difficult times, staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a quality service was maintained and that our very special collections continue to be cared for to the highest standards. Lockdown provided us with the opportunity to rethink how we access some of our world-renowned collections. For the Autumn newsletter of the CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group, we explore some of the experiences from Special Collections & Archives of Maynooth University Library including a discussion on the challenges we've faced this year, new teaching models, archival work during lockdown and new initiatives introduced during this period.