The Bodleian Library (aka the Bod)

Well my afternoon trips are starting to come to an end as my research begins to pick up. With only two and a half weeks left to research and write a 6,000 word essay I am starting to spend more time every day researching and writing. Since term for the rest of the Oxford students here doesn’t start until the first week of October, most of the libraries here are closed or have few hours. The main library we have access to while studying here is the famous Bodleian library. It is actually more correct to call it the Bodleian Libraries since this library has grown so much since its opening in 1602 that it is comprised of multiple buildings clustered together. But as a student here, we have taken to just calling it the Bod.

The Bod is an amazing sight. With over 11 million printed books at its disposal and access to over 80,000 e-journals it is a place of learning on all levels. To gain access to the library and receive my Bod card I had to take an oath with a librarian. Before receiving the card I had to say “I herby undertake not to remove from the Library, or 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“. This card gives me access to a portion of the Bod’s collections. With my card I am granted access to a few of the libraries and to read the books there. The biggest rule that must be adhered by while in the Bod is no book is allowed outside the library. Unlike most libraries, I cannot rent any books from the Bod. I can read books while in the library, but no books are allowed to leave the premise under any circumstance. Also, just as a note, all the pictures that follow are not ones that I have taken. Photography is strictly prohibited in all of the Bod so I have found these various pictures online.

As a visiting student I am allowed in the Upper and Lower Reading rooms, the Duke Humphrey Reading Room, the Upper and Lower Radcliffe Camera, and the Upper and Lower Gladstone Link. That’s a lot of rooms and it’s only a portion of what actually makes up the whole of the Bod!

Upper & Lower Reading Rooms: These rooms are quite literally the first and third floor reading rooms in one of the buildings (I’ll leave it to you to assume which is the upper and lower). The second floor of this building is taken up by the Duke Humphrey Room which I will talk about a bit later. I have found the Upper Reading room to be my favorite place to work. There is plenty of natural light there and just has the right atmosphere to get work done. Though this can be said for all places in the Bod, it is EXTREMELY quiet everywhere. It is not uncommon to hear someone breathing two tables over it is that quiet. To avoid this issue, I bring my own music since the rules state I can play music as long as the people around me cannot hear it (so I play it very softly).

Upper & Lower Radcliffe Camera: This is the iconic circular building as seen above. It is divided by the upper and lower camera. Pictured above is the upper camera which I prefer due to the amount of natural light. While fluorescent light can be nice, combining it with some of the grimy places this building has it can be quite dismal. Because of this I prefer anyplace that has an abundance of natural light.

Upper & Lower Gladstone Link: This underground section of the Bod connects the buildings together. The Gladstones have low ceilings (not a problem for me!) and is not well lit, despite the photo above. It is a bit dark and does not have any natural lighting. Because of this, most people prefer to take the books out of the Link and up into the Camera. Due to the lack of natural light, this is the only time books are allowed to be moved to a different building. To make up for the ceilings and lack of natural light, the Bod has made this place a bit more modern with comfy chairs. Throughout the Bod are old wooden chairs that can barely fit a person, but the chairs down here are sizable and very comfortable. With most of my research being about medieval times, most of my books are down here.

Duke Humphrey Reading Room: This reading room is probably the most beautiful (for any Harry Potter fans, this is the room that was used for the library scenes). And much like the forbidden section, this room is very restrictive. No bags are allowed in this room. A person must come in and have a book on reserve to use this room. This is the room that old manuscripts and books are kept and are studied…hence the security measures they take to ensure the safety of the books. I have not personally set foot in this section of the library yet, but it is definitely on my to do list before I leave!