The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. Explore its foundation, tumultuous early years and the splendid buildings that have inspired scholars over generations.

Richard Ovenden OBE, Bodley’s Librarian

Robert Darnton, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor, Emeritus, University Librarian, Harvard University
‘The Library of Alexandria and Libraries, their Distant Past and Near Future’

David Rundle, Lecturer in Latin and Palaeography, Centre of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Kent.
‘The Fourth will last forever’: ‘Bodleians’ before Bodley’

Tom Beaumont James MBE, Professor Emeritus, University of Winchester
‘Bodley’s first Librarian, Thomas James’

Alexander Bevilaqua, Assistant Professor of History, Williams College
'The Bodleian: An Islamic Library in Oxford?'

Marina Rustow, Khedouri A. Zilkha Professor of Jewish Civilization in Near East, Director of the Princeton Geniza Lab, Princeton University
‘Hebrew manuscripts, the Cairo Genizah and the Bodleian’s right of first refusal’

With almost two million reader visits each year, the Bodleian Libraries are a vital resource for teaching, learning and research at the University. Find out about our students and researchers, as well as our diverse range of events, exhibitions and tours to support our local, and international, communities.

Prof Anne Trefethen, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for People and Gardens, Libraries and Museums, University of Oxford

Alberto Manguel, writer and former National Librarian of Argentina
‘The Library as wishful thinking’

David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
‘The Diffusion of Knowledge: The Role of Libraries and Archives in Creating an Informed Citizenry’

Nilanjana Roy, novelist, columnist, and former editor
'Protests, pavements and libraries: the appearance, disappearance and survival of makeshift libraries in a time of global unrest'

Elisha Chiware, Library Director, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa, and Buhle Mbambo-Thata, University Librarian, National University of Lesotho
'Higher Education Libraries in Southern Africa: collaborations, partnerships and the future’

Sandra Collins, Director, National Library of Ireland
‘The National Library of Ireland and the role of National libraries today’

Jessica Gardner, University Librarian, Cambridge University
‘Owning the past, seizing the present’

With a responsibility to look after an ever-growing archive in an ever-growing number of formats, how can the Bodleian continue to make these important collections available to future generations? Learn more about our plans to stay at the cutting edge of preservation, supporting the readers and researchers of the future.

Stephen Friend, Visiting Professor of Connected Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

Mark Thompson, Former CEO, New York Times, former Director General, BBC
‘Cultural Institutions and The Challenge of Digital’

Eric Klinenberg, Helen Gould Shepard Professor in the Social Sciences, Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University
‘The Library as Social Infrastructure’

Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Professor Emerita, Harvard Business School
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Clifford Lynch, Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
‘The Future of the Research Library: Stewardship for today and tomorrow, not just yesterday’

Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, University of Oxford