Oxford Bodleian Library 16 July 2010

All Aboard! Today we boarded a train to make the one hour jaunt to Oxford to tour the Bodleian Library. University of Oxford is one of the oldest (third?) surviving English-speaking institutions of higher learning. This world famous university has roots dating back to the Twelfth century, some might even argue to as early as the first part of the Eleventh. The history between the university students and townspeople were not always harmonious. Our guide mentioned an incident where in the early Thirteenth century a student was accused of a crime and fled the area. Not to be denied, it is believed that the townspeople hung the student's companions for the crime. As a result, many students fled north to Cambridge and founded a university there.

While many of the colleges at Oxford could boast of deep pockets thanks to their respective alumni, the university, itself, remained relatively poor. The first university library dates to 1320 and was built on funding by Thomas de Cobham, Bishop of Worcester. The second attempt to create a university library was sponsored by Humfrey, the younger brother of King Henry V, known as the Duke of Gloucester. Humfrey’s section makes up the oldest part of the Bodleian Library complex. Humfrey's collection of over 281 manuscripts so swelled the ranks of the existing collection that a new building was needed. The structure was added over the existing School of Divinity in about 1424. Due to a constantly constrained budget, however, very little construction was completed until more than fifty years later. Sadly, the Reformation saw the destruction of most of this particular collection. Again, as the colleges themselves may have had the funds for their own libraries' collections, the university was not as fortunate and was unable to rebuild their collection.

Sir Thomas Bodley (1545–1613), was an alumni of Merton College, a traveler and diplomatic emmisary for Queen Elizabeth I. Due to an advantageous marriage, Sir Bodley was in a position to assist the University and did so in 1598. His gift allowed for the old library to be refurnished to accommodate a new collection of around 2,500 books including some from Bodley and other by other donors. The library opened on 8 November 1602; the first printed catalog was available in 1605 with an updated version created in 1620. We were able to view a reprinted copy of this catalog at the desk. Bodley entered into an agreement with the Stationers’ Company of London in 1610 which made possible a copy of every book published in England and registered at Stationers’ Hall to be deposited in the new library (making this one of half a dozen legal deposit libraries in UK). Today, this agreement is enacted by the library's requesting those items it wishes to add to the collection rather than an automatic deposit.

Over the years, the collection of the Bodleian has grown to include not just books, but many objects of historical significance, paintings and statuary. The library is housed in several different buildings on the campus including Radcliffe Camera, the Clarendon Building and both the Old and New Bodleian buildings. The new building is currently moving out its contents for a complete gutting and overhaul which will encompass work to continue until into the next decade.

The library does not allow for students or patrons to remove books from the premises. Even King Charles I was denied this privilege. Additionally, readers must make an oath before gaining access to the collection as follows:

I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, nor to mark, deface, or
injure in any way, any volume, document or other object belonging to it or in
its custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein, any fire or flame,
and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.

Because of this oath, library hours were restricted to daylight hours and good weather until electric lighting was available in 1939. The head librarian is known as "Bodley's Librarian". Books are stored by size as are many libraries of this kind. We were able to go under the library to see the stacks and delivery system that is similar in ways to the British Library.

After a very extensive and informative tour, we were released to explore the town on our own. Several students made use of the "hop-on-hop-off" tour bus that circled the sites of interest, some of us made arrangements to view some of the more specialized collections available. More on my adventure with a special collection is available in a separate entry.