Do you need somewhere for your study group to meet? Do you have an online meeting with your tutor and need somewhere to talk without disturbing others? Then you might want to book a discussion room at the SSL! We have 2 discussion rooms – one large and one small – available to be booked by members of the Social Sciences Division (and students of Economic and Social History) for academic, University of Oxford-related purposes. They are the only places you can undertake a phone call or group study session in the SSL and so are very popular – booking is usually necessary! The small discussion room can be used for groups of up to 4 people, and the large can have groups of up to 10.

How to book a discussion room

To book one of the rooms, you first need to check the booking calendars for the date and time you require. You can do this by scanning the QR code outside the discussion rooms, or visiting the calendars on our website. We have a different calendar for each of our bookable rooms.

You can book up to 2 hours before the session, or as far in advance as you would like. Once you’ve checked the room you want to book is available, you can fill out our new online form, also found on our website. It asks for some personal information such as your email address in case we need to contact you regarding your booking, and what department you are from so we can verify you are a member of the Social Sciences department. You then fill in the date and time you require, and there is a link to check the calendars in case you have forgotten or want to double check your slot.

If you’re unable to fill out the online form to book the room, you can also email the SSL (ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk), telephone us on 01865 271093, or speak to a member or Library Staff at the issue desk. Please not, your booking is not confirmed until you recieve a confirmation email from the library.

Using the Room

Both rooms have a boardroom layout with a whiteboard and LCD projector, and there are markers and a remote available to borrow from the issue desk. Additionally, they both have power sockets and ethernet points. The large discussion room has a television and video/DVD player in addition to this.

When using the room, the same library rules apply as in our other study spaces.

• No drinks other than bottled water unless they’re in a Keep Cup
• If you want to eat something, either visit the cafe upstairs or enjoy a break on one of the picnic benches outside

photo (c) John Cairns

If the room is not in use and there are no bookings on the calendar, then you are free to use the room until the next booking. We ask you to be considerate when using our discussion rooms as staff are not able to clear each group out before the next session, so leaving promptly when your booking is complete or before the next group is due to arrive is much appreciated.

If there are any problems with the discussion rooms, such as faulty equipment or a booking query, staff are more than happy to help! If you have any questions, drop us an email at ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or come and talk to us at the issue desk.