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Bodleian Libraries Inspiring collections and breath-taking libraries. Facilitating world class research at the University
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The Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford form the largest university library system in the UK and include the world famous Bodleian Library. Explore our stories, collections, exhibitions and more at https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

Find out about how to use our libraries at https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

The Bodleian Libraries include the principal University library—the Bodleian Library—which has been a library of legal deposit for 400 years; major research libraries; and libraries attached to faculties, departments and other institutions of the University. The combined library collections number more than 11 million printed items, in addition to 30,000 e-journals and vast quantities of materials in other formats.

Join sound artist, composer & nature beatboxer Jason Singh for an exploration of the soundscapes created for our exhibit...
23/10/2026

Join sound artist, composer & nature beatboxer Jason Singh for an exploration of the soundscapes created for our exhibition, 'Wonder of Birds', at 12pm today (October 23).

Discover how a fascination with birdsong, habitats and the interconnectedness of birds, plants and place shaped the work: https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/2026/oct/jason-singh

Congratulations to Anne Carson who last week was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Since one of Carson’s most cele...
22/10/2026

Congratulations to Anne Carson who last week was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Since one of Carson’s most celebrated works is her translation of Sappho, what better time to share the Sappho fragments kept here at the Bodleian library?

Available for all to view at Digital Bodleian, no sign in required: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/92f6eaa7-4ba5-4c33-9888-7827f503e778/.

Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Gr. class. c. 76 (P)/1-2.

It’s Green Libraries week! The Bodleian is many things to many people; a world-leading University library, an exhibitio...
21/10/2026

It’s Green Libraries week!

The Bodleian is many things to many people; a world-leading University library, an exhibition centre, even a wedding venue! But one thing we strive for across all our services is to ensure we protect our planet as well as we protect our books.

For more details on how sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at the Bodleian check out the sustainability pages on our website: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about/libraries/environmental-sustainability-at-the-bodleian.

And for more information on Green Libraries Week – including an online talk today on navigating mis - and disinformation in libraries, visit the CILIP website.

Photo by Brianna Cornock.

20/10/2026

How to become the UK’s best-selling author? Julia Donaldson’s secret weapon is the humble notebook.

Watch the full interview with the author of beloved children’s classics including The Gruffalo - and 2026 recipient of the Bodley Medal - on our YouTube channel as part of the Bodleian’s Behind The Desk series.

No jokes, just excellent birds. Enjoying birdspotting in these manuscript pages? Then come along to our Wonder of Birds...
19/10/2026

No jokes, just excellent birds.


Enjoying birdspotting in these manuscript pages? Then come along to our Wonder of Birds exhibition.

Inspired by The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, Wonder of Birds celebrates the splendour of the birds around us at the same time as recognising the steep decline in bird populations across our skies in recent decades.

Following the 'Seven Wonders' of birds – nest, egg, beak, song, feather, flight, migration – this exhibition pairs the words and art from The Book of Birds with Oxford ornithological research and Bodleian collections to explore the beauty and mystery of these extraordinary creatures.

Highlights include John Gould’s Birds of Great Britain, John James Audubon’s Birds of America, and never-before-displayed glass-plate negatives from naturalist Emma Louisa Turner.

Find out more at https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/wonder-of-birds

Explore Digital Bodleian for free at https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/browse/

Born on this day in 1854: the eminently quotable Oscar Wilde. Pictured here as an undergraduate in 1876. Did you know t...
16/10/2026

Born on this day in 1854: the eminently quotable Oscar Wilde. Pictured here as an undergraduate in 1876.

Did you know that during his time at Oxford, Wilde was held inside the University’s on-site jail cells at the Clarendon Building before being put on trial at the Chancellor’s Court? Unlike the charges of ‘gross indecency’ which led to his imprisonment at Reading gaol, (and the writing of De Profundis) this court case was because of outstanding debts to local shopkeepers. Pictured (second slide) is the court summons issued to Wilde in 1877.

Wilde was so outraged by the court costs he was ordered to pay (£3 costs for a debt of £5) that he wrote an angry letter to the court in protest (slide 3 and 4), describing the fine as a ‘most extortionate and exorbitant claim’.

Part of the central Bodleian site, the Clarendon Building now serves as offices for Bodleian staff. You can visit Chancellor's Court as part of our 60-minute library guided tour.

Full text from Wilde’s letter: ‘Dear Sir,

I desire to have the enclosed bill Taxed as I consider it a most extortionate and exorbitant claim.

The balance of the bill for which this tradesman summoned me is, I think, £5.10 : certainly I trust that this monstrous claim will be not allowed & remain your obedient servant

Oscar Wilde’.

With special thanks to Alice Millea for her very interesting blog on this topic!

What imagery did 11th-century artists draw on when creating the Bayeux Tapestry?Today marks 960 years since the .If you...
14/10/2026

What imagery did 11th-century artists draw on when creating the Bayeux Tapestry?

Today marks 960 years since the .

If you're lucky enough to have tickets to see the at the British Museum, you'll also have the chance to see an extraordinary manuscript on loan from the Bodleian Libraries.

Known as the Cædmon Manuscript (Bodleian Library MS. Junius 11), it is an extensively illustrated manuscript of Old English biblical poetry.

The manuscript was probably produced in Canterbury around AD 1000, and scholars have noted similarities between its illustrations and imagery found on the Bayeux Tapestry.

It has even been suggested that the Tapestry's designers may have drawn inspiration from manuscripts such as Junius 11 when depicting clothing, ships and scenes from everyday life.

Want to compare them for yourself?

📖 Explore MS. Junius 11 on Digital Bodleian: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/d5e3a9fc-abaa-4649-ae48-be207ce8da15/

🧵 And many scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry can be found in Dr Emily Winkler's handy guide, the Pocket Bayeux Tapestry, available from the Bodleian Shop:
https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/pocket-bayeux-tapestry

Images 1, 3, and 5 are from Junius 11 whilst 2, 4, and 6 show Victor Sansonetti's 19th-century illustrations of the Tapestry.

Studying in our libraries? Whether you're new to the University, or returning, here are a few tips for studying in our ...
13/10/2026

Studying in our libraries?

Whether you're new to the University, or returning, here are a few tips for studying in our libraries from the people who know best - librarians!

- Know the space you work best and if you’re not sure try a few different ones out (we’re lucky to have lots of variety here at the Bodleian Libraries)

- Make sure you’re fuelled for study before you start. Always check your local library if you can bring in hot drinks in a sealed cup to the study spaces…

- Try out study techniques like a Pomodoro session to create a protected, distraction free study time

- There are lots of ways to take regular breaks: go and grab a snack, some fresh air or do a jigsaw or build with lego

If you want more tips on note-taking, organising your time or critical reading, check out out study skills resources: https://oxford.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/nui/lists/47074226830007026?institute=44OXF_INST&auth=SAML&idpCode=OX_Shib&continue=

Share your own tips below!

Beastly beliefs: medieval edition 🦄 AKA: ‘Beware the bonnacon’ 💩 The Divinity School was in the news recently when a 3D...
12/10/2026

Beastly beliefs: medieval edition 🦄
AKA: ‘Beware the bonnacon’ 💩


The Divinity School was in the news recently when a 3D digital survey revealed that a ceiling boss long catalogued as a tangled calf or cow was actually a monoceros: a one-horned mythical beast, similar to a unicorn.

The carving forms part of a study of the Divinity School's 465 decorative ceiling bosses, carved between 1480 and 1483. The project was carried out by the Factum Foundation as part of , which uses advanced imaging techniques to document Oxford's cultural heritage.

The monoceros appears in medieval , alongside lions, foxes, bears and many other creatures.

Bestiaries were not zoological textbooks in the modern sense. They combined observations of real animals with ancient traditions, Christian symbolism, moral lessons, folklore and mythology.

As a result, some of their ‘facts’ were genuine attempts to describe the natural world, while others were stories intended to teach spiritual truths.

In honour of the newly identified monoceros, here are some beliefs that medieval people apparently held about beasts.

Featuring the following manuscripts - all of which you can explore for yourself at Digital Bodleian! https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

- St John's College MS 61
- Bodleian Library MS. Douce 167
- Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 764
- Bodleian Library MS. e Mus. 136
- Bodleian Library MS. Laud Misc. 247
- Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511

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