Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. Credit: John Cairns
© Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. Credit: John Cairns

The Bodleian Libraries

The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford is the largest university library system in the United Kingdom. It includes the principal University library – the Bodleian Library – which has been a legal deposit library for 400 years; as well as 30 libraries across Oxford including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, over 80,000 e-journals and outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.

Every second someone interacts with our electronic collections.
Every 14 seconds someone visits one of our libraries.
Every 21 seconds someone borrows one of our books.

Members of the public can explore the collections via the Bodleian’s online image portal at digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk or by visiting the exhibition galleries in the Bodleian’s Weston Library. For more information, visit visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

The Weston Library

The Weston Library provides a new home for the Bodleian’s special collections and its £80m refurbishment was designed to create high quality storage for its collections, to develop the space for both advanced research and to extend public access to the Libraries’ treasures. In addition to three reading rooms, seminar rooms and study spaces, the library now includes a Centre for Digital Scholarship and Visiting Scholars Centre. The public has access to exhibition galleries, a lecture theatre, café and shop.