Bodleian Library

Not to be confused with the Bodleian Libraries, the library group of which the Bodleian is a member.

Bodleian Library
Doors to the Bodleian's main entrance, with the coats of arms of several Oxford colleges
Map
51°45′14″N 1°15′16″W / 51.75389°N 1.25444°W / 51.75389; -1.25444
LocationBroad Street, Oxford, United Kingdom
TypeAcademic library
Established1602; 422 years ago (1602)
Collection
Items collectedBooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, maps, prints, drawings and manuscripts
Size13M+[1]
Legal depositIncluded in the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
Access and use
Access requirementsOld Schools Quadrangle, Divinity School, Exhibition Room and Bodleian Library Gift Shop open to the public
MembersStudents and fellows of University of Oxford
Other information
DirectorRichard Ovenden
Websitebodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley

The Bodleian Library (/ˈbɒdliən, bɒdˈliːən/) is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items,[1] it is the second-largest library in Britain after the British Library.[2] Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, it is one of six legal deposit libraries for works published in the United Kingdom,[3][4] and under Irish law it is entitled to request a copy of each book published in the Republic of Ireland.[5] Known to Oxford scholars as "Bodley" or "the Bod", it operates principally as a reference library and, in general, documents may not be removed from the reading rooms.

In 2000, a number of libraries within the University of Oxford were brought together for administrative purposes under the aegis of what was initially known as Oxford University Library Services (OULS), and since 2010 as the Bodleian Libraries, of which the Bodleian Library is the largest component.

All colleges of the University of Oxford have their own libraries, which in a number of cases were established well before the foundation of the Bodleian, and all of which remain entirely independent of the Bodleian. They do, however, participate in SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online), the Bodleian Libraries' online union catalogue, except for University College, which has an independent catalogue. Much of the library's archives were digitized and put online for public access in 2015.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Bodleian Libraries – About us". ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  2. ^ Murray, Stuart (2009). The Library: An Illustrated History. New York: Skyhorse. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-8389-0991-1.
  3. ^ Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
  4. ^ "Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries". llgc.org.uk.
  5. ^ S198(5) Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000
  6. ^ Jonathan Jones, Oxford's online Bodleian archive: illumination for all, The Guardian, 8 August 2015.