Although prestigious, the Bodleian was not the first library founded to serve Oxford University. Its predecessor, Duke Humphrey’s library, closed after the dispersal of its books during the dissolution of monasteries that took place between 1536 and 1550 (Irwin 124). In 1598, Thomas Bodley founded what is now known as the Bodleian (Philip 1), reclaiming the library’s room which had been used by the Faculty of Medicine since the 1570’s (Philip 6). After undergoing refurbishment, the Bodleian finally opened its doors in November 1602 (Philip 8).

At its opening, the library contained 2,000 volumes but the collection quickly expanded so that in 1620 the number of printed volumes had reached 16,000 (Irwin 167). Today, the Bodleian Library is home to more than seven million printed volumes (Moran 268). Like other libraries, the growth of the Bodleian’s collection depended greatly on donations and bequests (Back and Hoare 328). A deal made by Bodley in 1610 with London’s Stationers Company also provided the library with a copy of all books printed under their supervision (Wormald 243). Today the Bodleian Library is one of the six libraries that act as a legal deposit, meaning that the Bodleian is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in the United Kingdom (Day 23), a practice reminiscent of Bodley’s deal with the Stationers Company. Even with the regular addition of free books to its collection, the Bodleian’s resources did not always allow the library to meet the expectations of scholars. To remedy this, a fee was collected by the Bodleian from every student entitled to the use of the library and the additional income of about £480 a year was used to buy new books (Philip 105).

Through the years, the Bodleian underwent several expansions. The nineteenth century saw the addition of the Radcliffe Camera building to the Bodleian Library (Morris 150). In 1940, the New Bodleian building was finished although it did not open until WWII was over (Russell 656). The aim of this new building was to accommodate millions of books and make them more readily accessible with the help of a mechanical conveyor (Russell 657). In 2010, the Bodleian acquired a 26 million pounds storage space in Swindon, Wiltshire which is expected to fulfill the storage needs of the library for the next twenty years (“Aisles of Knowledge” 6). Because the Swindon building is an off-site storage, the items that were transferred there are not easily accessible but are available for consultation 24 hours after the request is made to the Bodleian (“Aisles of Knowledge” 6).

While the chains that ensured the safety of the books were removed from the bookcases of the Bodleian between 1757 and 1761 to provide some flexibility (Philip 93), the access to the collection of the Bodleian Library has historically been very restricted. Cambridge University Library allowed books to be checked out of the library (Black and Hoare 323) but the Bodleian has always been a reference library and to this day does not allow any material to circulate (Moran 268). The records kept from November 1602 to November 1603 show that an average of seventeen people used the library daily during the first year (Philip 20). The use of the library was originally reserved to senior graduates and Bachelors of Arts, although other students deemed worthy could also use it if they were wearing the cap and gown (Philip 20). Lords and benefactors were welcome, as well as students from foreign universities provided that they were given permission (Philip 20). It was not until 1861 that undergraduates were granted access to the Bodleian’s collection in Radcliffe Camera (Black and Hoare 339). Today, the rules imposed by Thomas Bodley have been somewhat relaxed. Alumni of Oxford University, current students, graduates from other universities and certain members of the public who are doing research have free access to the Bodleian’s collection, while others can gain entry for a small fee (“Admissions”).

In 2000, Oxford University was home to more than a hundred libraries (Moran 267) and the need for a simplified, integrated library system became obvious. For many, the Bodleian had become “a ‘black hole’ consuming vast amounts of money” (Moran 269). The library was not progressing, nor was it living up to the university’s standards. Despite opposition, changes in the way that libraries were managed at Oxford became necessary. A cluster of libraries known as The Bodleian Libraries result from this integrated library system and the Bodleian is slowly moving into the digital age.

Works Cited

“Admissions”. Bodleian Library and Radcliffe Camera. University of Oxford, n.d. Web. 11 March, 2012.

Black, Alistair, and Peter Hoare, eds. The Cambridge History of Libraries in Britain and

Ireland, Volume III, 1850-2000. Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.

Day, Alan. The British Library: a guide to its structure, publications, collections and services. London: The Library Association, 1988. Print.

“Bodleian Libraries’ Aisles of Knowledge.” Supply Chain Europe 19.6 (November/December 2010): p.6. University of Toronto Libraries. Web. 5 March 2012.

Irwin, Raymond. The English Library. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1966. Print.

Moran, Barbara B. “Continuity and Change: The Integration of Oxford University’s Libraries.” The Library Quarterly 75. 3 (2005): 262-294. University of Toronto Libraries. Web. 5 March 2012.

Morris, Jan. Oxford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1965. Print.

Philip, Ian. The Bodleian Library in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983. Print.

Russell, A.S. “The New Bodleian Library at Oxford.” Nature 158.4019 (1946): 256-257. University of Toronto Libraries. Web. 5 March 2012.

Wormald, Francis, and C.E Wright, eds. The English Library Before 1700.  London: The  Athlone Press University of London, 1958. Print.