Housed in buildings spread all over the city of Oxford, the Bodleian Library turns to be the second largest library in Britain after the British Library. In a new library building was erected to house manuscripts donated by Duke Humfrey which is the oldest part of the Bodleian today. Humfrey gave the University his priceless collection of more than manuscripts, including several important classical texts. Its present state is largely due to the efforts of Sir Thomas Bodley, a 16th-century fellow of Merton College who rescued the library in from a parlous state and decline.
Things to do in Oxford Things to do in Oxford Things to do in Oxford Another tradition which makes the Bodleian so unique is the not lending rule — no books can be borrowed, only read on the premises. A system of conveyor belts delivers volumes through the tunnels to 29 reading rooms in the various library buildings.
Each book must be requested in advance and retrieved by a librarian to ensures that the library knows the exact location of every volume at all times—down to the particular chair in which each reader is sitting.
This invention allowed more books to fit in a smaller space while also making them easily accessible. However, the new site, 28 miles from Oxford, has enough room for at least two more units if the sums prove wrong again.
Up to 4m volumes will be transferred, some permanently, some until their new stores are built, in the largest movement of books since the British Library moved to Bloomsbury. The Bodleian, which opened its doors to scholars in , incorporates the collections of several libraries dating back to the 14th century.
Its collections include priceless classical and medieval texts given by Duke Humfrey , younger brother of Henry V. Among its 9m printed volumes and 10, medieval manuscripts, the library holds some of the rarest and most valuable books in the world, including four copies of Magna Carta, a Shakespeare First Folio, the papers of six prime ministers, the original manuscript of Frankenstein , the handwritten manuscript of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind In The Willows , Alan Bennett 's complete archive donated last year and the theme music for the Vicar of Dibley, donated only a few weeks ago by composer Howard Goodall.
Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester and younger brother of King Henry V, gave the University his priceless collection of more than manuscripts, including several important classical texts. The University decided to build a new library for them over the new Divinity School; it was begun in and finally opened in The University was not a wealthy institution and did not have the resources to build up new collections. In , the room was taken over by the Faculty of Medicine.
In , the old library was refurbished to house a new collection of around 2, books, some of them given by Bodley himself. A librarian, Thomas James, was appointed, and the library finally opened on 8 November This agreement pointed to the future of the library as a legal deposit library, and also as an ever-expanding collection that needed space. In —12 Bodley planned and financed the first extension to the medieval building, known as Arts End.
Bodley died in , shortly after work started on his planned Schools Quadrangle. He flicks through a sketchbook full of Scottish scenes and scribblings. Once the ordinary stuff has been moved to Swindon and the New Bodleian is reopened, gems like this will be put on public display, with a Magna Carta or two.
For the first time in years, the Bodleian will be able to breathe again. But no one is celebrating too loudly. This lot are as numerate as they are literate. The Swindon depository may be able to cope with eight million books. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
East and West go toe-to-toe: Russian paratroopers are deployed to Belarus close to Poland border as 'Britain sends soldiers to strengthen Polish defences' after White House warned Putin could invade Ukraine 'imminently'. Argos AO. Privacy Policy Feedback. Now where did I put that book? Our man discovers how one of our great libraries is tackling a mind-boggling problem - where to put 1, new books a day By Robert Hardman for the Daily Mail Updated: GMT, 22 October 7 View comments.
Enlarge More room for reading: Robert in the Bodleian's stainless steel extension in Swindon. Enlarge Imposing: The Radcliffe building, within the Bodleian library, is impressive unlike the look of the new extension. Share or comment on this article: Bodleian Library gets an extension for 1, new books it receives every day. Comments 7 Share what you think. View all. Bing Site Web Enter search term: Search. Download our iPhone app Download our Android app. Today's headlines Most Read Visit Olympia as it stood more than 2, years ago!
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