More Than Just Books – Library Tech

Posted on 18/10/2022 by jonesr

Welcome to this first instalment of a new (and hopefully informative!) series on our blog – More Than Just Books. The series has two aims. Firstly, we want to highlight the many things included in the English Faculty Library’s offering aside from its marvellous print collections and secondly, in drawing attention to this additional provision, encourage our readers to make the most it.

We begin our series by focusing on library tech, specifically our Print, Copy and Scan (PCAS) machines, library PCs, Wi-Fi and AV equipment. Why? Because in this day and age it’s quite hard to get by without it. Indeed, a tally of reader enquiries at the library’s help desk made during the first week of term reveals that library tech was one of the most commonly raised topics. So, without further ado, here’s a rundown of what we have, where it is and how it works.

PCAS Machines

The EFL has two of these machines in the main library space. Head up the stairs and you will find them directly in front of you. If you’re taking the lift, head to floor two and you’ll find them either side of you once the doors open for that floor. Look for the PCAS icon on library maps:

As the name suggests, these machines allow for printing, copying and scanning. Scanning, both to a USB or to an email address is free, though there is a small charge for printing and copying:

Pricelist	Single (simplex)	Double (duplex)
Black and white (A4)	6p	9p
Black and white (A3)	10p	15p
Colour (A4)	20p	30p
Colour (A3)	40p	60p

To log in, you will need your University Card or Bodleian Reader Card. The number above the barcode serves as your username and you can set a password at https://register.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Tap your card to the touchpad to the right of the display and enter your credentials. If you get stuck, a friendly member of staff is available at the help desk to unstick you.

A photo of the display screen and touchpad on an EFL PCAS machine.

The login screen for PCAS. Once you’ve tapped your card to the touchpad and entered your credentials, PCAS will remember you the next time you tap.

Details about how much can be scanned or copied under copyright is displayed on a poster behind the machines, as is a QR code linking to relevant PCAS webpages on the Bodleian website. Short A4 guides with step-by-step instructions for completing common tasks are also available.

A photo of the wall above the EFL's PCAS machine showing a blue folder with help guides inside; a poster displaying copyright information; and a poster displaying charges for printing and photocopying on PCAS machines.

PCAS information is displayed on the wall behind each machine.

You can send print jobs from a personal device using Web Print, though more savvy users might wish to download the Mobility Print driver to their device for quicker more flexible printing. It’s also possible to print from the library’s Reader PCs, which calls for a segue!

Library PCs

Broadly speaking, there are two types of PC available in Bodleian Libraries reading rooms. These are Reader PCs and Quick Search PCs. The latter allows readers to search the Bodleian Libraries’ main resource discovery tool, SOLO, without signing in, but additional functionality is limited.

Photo of a Quick Search PC in the EFL. The SOLO homepage is displayed on the screen.

A Quick Search PC next to the EFL’s entrance gate.

Those wishing to access a fuller range of desktop and online services are encouraged to use a library Reader PC. These PCs require you to log in, using the same Bodleian Libraries credentials needed for PCAS, but reward you with access to electronic Legal Deposit, or eLD, material, cloud services and Microsoft Office applications.

A photo of Reader PCs in the EFL computer room. The closest computer is displaying the login screen.

Reader PCs in the EFL’s Computer Room.

The EFL’s computer room has 28 Reader PCs, available year-round when the room is not in use for training sessions. There are two more Reader PCs upstairs for when it is. You’ll find the library’s Quick Search PCs next to the entrance and at the top of the stairs. Look for the respective PC icon on library maps to find Quick Search or Reader PCs:

Wi-Fi

For those using their personal devices in the library, we know that a Wi-Fi connection is a top priority. We have three networks available to choose from:

The three wi-Fi options available in Bodleian Libraries, as they appear on a personal device.

Eduroam

For students and staff of the University, and any visitors from other institutions also using Eduroam. The great thing about this network is that once you’ve set it up, you won’t need to log in each time you want to connect. Many University and college buildings offer access this network, so in central Oxford you’re rarely without coverage.

Get help with Eduroam: How to connect to eduroam WiFi | IT Help (ox.ac.uk)

Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi

For University and Bodleian Library Reader Card holders. Conveniently, logging in is the same as it is for PCAS machines and Library PCs. So just to recap, that’s your card’s barcode number as the username along with a password that you set for yourself at https://register.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Trigger the login process by opening a browser window once you’ve connected to Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi. The drawback of this service is that you’ll need to log in each time you visit the library.

Get help with Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi: Library Wi-Fi and computers | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

OWL

This service is for University visitors, but it also serves as a handy alternative for staff and students who cannot access Eduroam. Very few webpages are available to those that don’t sign in with guest credentials or connect to the University’s Virtual Private Network beforehand. Staff at the library can help you negotiate either of these steps to get you online.

Get help with OWL: How to connect to Oxford Wireless LAN (OWL) | IT Help

AV Equipment

Once you’re online, you might be inclined to search SOLO for one of the many films available from the EFL, on Blu Ray, DVD and yes even VHS. Once you’ve found one in the library you might then be thinking ‘how on earth do I watch AV formats developed in the 70s, 90s and 00s in the year 2022? My laptop doesn’t even have a disc drive!’ Well, that’s where the library steps in again.

Photo of EFL DVD drives in a drawer at the help desk.

The DVD drives live in a drawer at the library help desk when not on loan.

We’ve got two DVD drives that staff and students can check out on loan and a viewing area in the corner of the computer room, complete with a quaint box TV boasting a built-in VHS player. Headphones are available for use from the help desk.

The viewing area in the EFL computer room.

And so concludes our whirlwind tour of tech in the EFL – we hope you found it useful! Suggestions for future posts in the series can be sent to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Service Update: Michaelmas Term, 2022

Posted on 04/10/2022 by jonesr

Introduction

A warm 0th-week welcome to new and returning library users! We hope you had a pleasant and restful summer. Here are a few pointers to help orientate you for Michaelmas Term.

Welcome sessions

A number of Bodleian Libraries welcome sessions are running Wednesday to Friday of this week (5th-7th October). We recommend new English undergraduates attend the following:

Central welcome webinars (Online, Microsoft Teams)
English Faculty Library Tours (In-person, English Faculty Library)

Further details about these sessions have been circulated to new cohorts via email and relevant information is available on the webpage below:

Getting started: Undergraduates and taught postgraduates | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Library training sessions

In-person library training sessions for English students are being timetabled for the term, with details due to be circulated to relevant cohorts ahead of time via email.

Getting to grips with the library

New library users are encouraged to read the ‘Using’ tab of the English Faculty Library’s webpage prior to visiting:

Using the English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Information on support for disabled readers is available here:

Services for disabled readers | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

The English Faculty Library is located in the St Cross Building, which is home to other University Faculties and Departments. On approach, follow signs for reception and you will find the library entrance adjacent to the reception desk. The building can be found using Oxford’s searchable map. Floorplans are also available. See the Access Guide for the St Cross Building for information on step-free routes and accessibility facilities throughout the building.

Reclassification project

The library’s reclassification project is ongoing. Over the summer we hit a big milestone, reclassifying all of our main open-shelf in-house sequence to the Library of Congress Classification Scheme. Information about the scheme and finding items in the library is available on our Finding EFL Items LibGuide.

Returning readers may notice that the location of some items in the Ground Floor Reading Room has changed. Signs and maps in the library have been updated to reflect these changes and staff are available at the help desk for guidance.

ALMA postponed

In a previous service update, we shared details of a planned migration to a new Library Management System called ALMA. This migration has been postponed until the Long Vacation after Trinity Term 2023.

Contact us

Readers who require help or who have any questions concerning the above are warmly invited to contact the library directly using the details on our webpage:

English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Best wishes for the term ahead!

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library service updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

New Books September 2022

Posted on 30/09/2022 by jonesr

Lots of new books have been arriving at the EFL over the summer, ready to welcome everyone back for Michaelmas Term! In amongst all the new pens and notebooks that the start of the year brings, why not have a look at a couple of new books too? Remember that you can browse all of this month’s arrivals over on LibraryThing.

Maureen N. McLane. Mz N: The Serial: A Poem-in-Episodes: (Not/a Novel) (Not/a Memoir) (Not/a Lyric). (2016).

McLane is a poet, a memoirist, and an essayist, yet Mz N, as the subtitle says, is not easily categorised. Instead, this genre-bending book is best described as an allegory of a life – ‘a life intense, episodic, female, sexual, philosophical, romantic, analytic’ (from the blurb). McLane’s poetry can be placed within a queer tradition stretching from Sappho through Virginia Woolf to Gertrude Stein – the latter getting a number of mentions in Mz N.

In fact, McLane’s other works have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry (2009) and the Publishing Triangle Audre Lorde Award (2009 and 2018), again for lesbian poetry. But rather than accepting this lineage, Mz N interrogates what it means to be a (queer) woman. Themes of identity, subjectivity, and the self percolate her writing, alongside the idea of what it means to be contemporary – indeed, what it means to be alive.

Also by Maureen McLane at the EFL: My poets (2012); What I’m looking for: selected poems 2008-2017 (2019).

Lara Choksey. Narrative in the Age of the Genome: Genetic Worlds. (2021).

Choksey frames this work as a reflection on a twenty-year period within scientific studies which has focused on the genome. While molecular biologists hoped that sequencing the human genome would provide answers to questions about the fundamental nature of humans and our relationship to our world, in fact their enquiries gave rise to even more questions than before. Choksey explores how the messy and inconclusive nature of our scientific knowledge of the genome feeds into – and is in some ways a product of – narrative trends and change. She draws links to late twentieth-century economic trends, to understandings of health, and to conceptions of identity and the self. This book is part of the series Explorations in Science and Literature, underpinned by the idea that these two fields are fundamentally connected and taking a cross-disciplinary approach to both explore and demonstrate that connection.

Also available as an Open Access ebook.

Layli Long Soldier. Whereas. (2019).

This small yet highly decorated volume (National Books Critics Circle Award winner, Poetry Book Society Special Commendation recipient, and National Book Award finalist) is an exploration of language and a riposte to the United States Congress’ 2009 Apology to the Native Peoples of the United States. It is divided into two parts: Part I, These Being the Concerns, explores Native heritage (Long Soldier is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe) and scrutinises the relationship between language and meaning; Part II, Whereas, turns to the United States government’s bureaucratic language and to the 2009 Apology in particular. Long Soldier’s poetry plays with the official language used by the United States government, picks apart the language’s hollowness and inadequacy, and ultimately turns it back on its perpetrators. Powerful and compelling, Whereas interrogates the politics of how language shapes our realities.

Rachel Kushner. The Mars Room. (2019).

Romy Hall is serving two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, California, for the crime of killing her stalker. She will spend the rest of her life behind bars, cut off from the outside world and her young son, Jackson. Kushner delves into Romy’s prison experience, encompassing her fellow female prisoners and the prison guards, as well as the hardships and absurdities of Romy’s new institutional life. No character could truly be considered likeable, yet Kushner portrays them all with a sympathy that highlights the hopelessness of their situations. She reveals how Romy has been failed at every possible turn: by an inhumane prison system, an unfit-for-purpose justice system, and a society that has turned a blind eye. This ‘compelling, heart-stopping novel about a life gone off the rails’ (from the publisher) – shortlisted for the Booker Prize (2018) and winner of the Prix Medicis Étrangers (2018) – throws a light onto the women our society would rather forget.

Purchased with the Drue Heinz Book Fund.

Caroline Davis (ed.). Print Cultures: A Reader in Theory and Practice. (2019).

In this edited collection, Davis has brought together an anthology of critical writing from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries which together offers the reader ‘a vital overview of the processes that shape contemporary reading, writing and publishing’ (from the blurb). There are sections exploring everything from the impacts of censorship and war to the growth and consequences of literary prizes and globalisation. These sit alongside studies of colonial and postcolonial print cultures, women in the publishing world, and the rise of digital print cultures. The extracts in this volume are enormously varied: Davis’ selections were originally published between 1934 and 2015, penned by authors ranging from Gerard Genette and Virginia Woolf to those right at the forefront of the latest research in publishing studies. All these works sit together to provide a fascinating insight into the worlds of print culture, book history, and publishing.

John Dos Passos. USA. (1996).

Finally, it may seem odd to highlight novels originally written in the 1930s in a New Books post! But this edition’s arrival in the EFL coincided almost to the day with the 52nd anniversary of Dos Passos’s death (28 September, 1970), and the trilogy continues to feature on ‘greatest novels of all time’ and ‘books of the century’ lists.

This single volume brings together the three books in Dos Passos’s USA trilogy: The 42nd Parallel (1930), Nineteen Nineteen (1932), and The Big Money (1936). They examine early twentieth century America and Dos Passos’s growing disillusionment with it amid a faltering of the American Dream. While Dos Passos shows many characters pursuing their fortune and climbing the social ladder, his sympathy remains with the ‘down and outs’ who are left behind. Four narrative techniques – incorporating fictional narratives telling the characters’ stories, ‘Newsreel’ sections bringing together collages of newspaper clippings and songs, short biographies of early-twentieth-century public figures, and ‘Camera Eye’ sections containing autobiographical stream-of-consciousness writing – come together to create a fragmented narrative, with different characters dipping in and out of view against the backdrop of the early twentieth-century American society that Dos Passos puts under the microscope.

New e-resources announcement

Posted on 08/08/2022 by jonesr

Two children staring at a computer screen, one with their arms raised in the air, the other pointing at the screen. Both are excited.

Introduction

Great news English Faculty members! In step with the Bodleian Libraries’ strategy to enhance its collections, especially its e-resources, we can announce the acquisition of several exciting online packages. This includes access to new databases as well as expanded access to current offerings.

Highlights

Archives of Sexuality and Gender, part I: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940

What the publisher says:

With material drawn from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including both major international activist organizations and local, grassroots groups, the documents in the Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Part I present important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond. The archive illuminates the experiences not just of the LGBTQ community as a whole, but of individuals of different races, ethnicities, ages, religions, political orientations, and geographical locations that constitute this community. Historical records of political and social organizations founded by LGBTQ individuals are featured, as well as publications by and for lesbians and gays, and extensive coverage of governmental responses to the AIDS crisis.

Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992

What the publisher says:

From 1841 to 1992, Punch was the world’s most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity—and how the rest of the world saw the British nation.

With approximately 7,900 issues (200,000 pages) from all volumes of Punch from 1841 to 1992, including Almanacks and other special numbers (issues), as well as prefaces, epilogues, indexes, and other specially produced material from the bound volumes, the images in the archive appear as originally published.

The Listener Historical Archive, 1929-1991

What the publisher says:

The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in 1929 under its director-general, Lord Reith. It was developed as the medium for reproducing broadcast talks, initially on radio, but in later years television as well, and was the intellectual counterpart to the BBC listings magazine Radio Times. The Listener is one of the few records and means of accessing the content of many early broadcasts. In addition to commenting on the intellectual broadcasts of the week, the Listener also previewed major literary and musical shows and regularly reviewed new books.

Over its sixty-two-year history, the Listener attracted the contributions of literary icons such as E. M. Forster, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf. It also provided an important platform for new writers and poets, with W. H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, and Philip Larkin being notable examples.

Newspapers & magazines

Afghan Central Press Digital Archive – archives of 4 national, Kabul-bases newspapers.
Caribbean Newspapers, Series 1, 1718-1876 – more than 140 newspapers from 22 islands, 1718-1876.
The Independent Historical Archive 1986-2016
International Herald Tribune Historical Archive, 1888-2013
Jet Magazine Archive – covers the civil rights movement, politics, education, and other social topics with an African American focus; over 3,000 issues, 1951-2014.
Latin American Newspapers, Series 2 – issues from more than 250 additional titles, including newspapers published in English, Spanish and Portuguese from 20 countries, 1805-1922.
Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers Premium Collection – five prominent newspapers from across the region, 1956-2019.
Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957

Additions secured:

Other relevant databases

Chatham House Online Archive: Module 1: Publications and Archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1920-1979 – articles and essays on Chatham House, its history, research, publications and archival material.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society – primary source documentation relating to the development of urban centres and the restructuring of society during the Industrial Revolution.

Additions secured:

Past Masters series, including:
- Eliza Haywood bibliography
- Works of Mary Robinson

Like what you see? This list is just a selection of the new e-resources that have been acquired in recent months. For a full list visit Databases A-Z. Stay up to date with e-resource acquisitions by following the Bodleian Libraries E-resources blog.

Service Update: Long Vacation, 2022

Posted on 14/06/2022 by jonesr

Introduction

As Trinity Term draws to a close we want to congratulate our readers on getting through another busy exam period and wish you all a restful summer break! We also want to share a few bits and pieces relevant to finalists, alongside upcoming changes that will affect the library service during the Long Vacation.

Finalists

Loans

We encourage those completing their courses this year to return items on loan before the end of term and prior to the expiration of their University card.

Print, Copy and Scan (PCAS)

A quick reminder to those leaving us this summer to use up any remaining PCAS balance as it cannot be refunded. On request, credit can be transferred to another PCAS account. Please email pcas@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for assistance.

Becoming an Alum?

As an Oxford alum you can take advantage of a number of benefits, including free access to the Bodleian Libraries and select eresources. Find out more at the link below.

Getting started: Alumni | Bodleian Libraries

Vacation Opening Hours

The library will move to vacation opening hours from 19th June, with a closed period of 20th August to 4th September inclusive. Opening hours during the vacation are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00

Vacation loans

Vacation loans for normal loans start on 13th June and 16th June for short loans.
Loans issued from these dates will be due back during the first week of Michaelmas Term, starting 9th October.

Change of Library Management System

During the summer, the Bodleian Libraries are moving to a new and improved library management system called ALMA, with a go-live date of 24th August. The project is a significant undertaking and there will be a transition period of a week, 16th August to 23rd August, where data is migrated between systems. A number of library services will be affected during this period as a result. Details are captured in the Message for our Readers notices displayed in the library’s reading rooms.

Message for our Readers – service disruptions between 16th-23rd August

Lending Books

You will be able to borrow and return books. For one week, 16th-23rd August, online circulation will be replaced with offline circulation and the data transferred to the new system when live. The real time book availability displayed on SOLO will not be updated for these offline transactions but, on request, library staff can verify availability for readers travelling to the library for particular items. Self-issue machines will not operate between 16th-23rd August. Please note access to online resources, both on campus and remote access, will be unaffected.

Requesting books from closed stacks

Automated stack requesting from SOLO will not be available between 16th-23rd August and readers are advised to place stack requests for books and archives in advance by 15th August. Libraries will extend the due date so that nothing ordered in advance will be returned to the stacks during the cutover period. A limited staff-mediated option will be available to manage requests placed between 16th-23rd August, but readers are urged to place requests in advance where possible. If you require the use of the staff mediated stack requesting service, email book.fetch@bodleian.ox.ac.uk between 16th-23rd August.

Scan & Deliver, Print & Deliver and Inter-library Loans

These services will be unavailable from 16th-23rd August inclusive. Readers are advised to place requests by 15th August or wait until 24th August.

MySOLO

Saved searches and records in MySOLO will not migrate to the new system. Favourites can be exported until the 15th August. To export: log in to MySOLO, select ‘export’ and choose your mode of exporting (Excel, email, print, RefWorks, EndNote and Zotero). There is no way to export saved searches. Readers who use those will need to set them up again once the new system goes live – apologies for any inconvenience caused. For more information see our reference management guide.

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library services updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Guest Review

Posted on 25/04/2022 by jonesr

Review

Refugee Tales. David Herd and Anna Pincus (eds.). Manchester: Comma Press, 2016.

BY CHARLOTTE HALEY

Refugee Tales

With the publication of Refugee Tales IV in 2021 and the upcoming Refugee Tales Walk in July (2nd-6th) this year, Charlotte Haley looks back at the first collection of writings from the charity in support of refugees, asylum seekers, and those who have experienced the UK detention system.

‘Unlike most European countries, the UK has not legislated a statutory upper time limit on the period that an individual can be held in immigration detention’.1 This has resulted in many people being taken from their homes and residences in the UK to be held for an indefinite amount of time in a high-security facility, often kept in terrible conditions and possessing little freedom. Though the threat of deportation for these detainees is always imminent and carries sometimes potentially fatal consequences, some people are released with little explanation, not knowing if or when they’ll be relocated or detained again.

Refugee Tales is a charity which has organised a largescale walk once a year since 2015 in solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers, and those who have experienced immigration detention in the UK, “from Dover to Crawley via Canterbury” (133). The first walk took nine days and was “punctuated, at every stop, by the public telling of two tales”. Taking Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as a framework, the first collection of stories sees writers such as Ali Smith, Patience Agbabi, Marina Lewyck, and many others collaborate with the person whose tale is being told in order to present the experiences of immigration in the UK, and to call for an end to indefinite detention of immigrants. The collection acknowledges that the translation of stories and their reframing is necessitated by the movement of people, and their Chaucerian framework poses interesting questions about national identity and storytelling as a means of survival.

This collection boasts powerful storytelling in various forms, exploring the many different ways to best present someone else’s life story. Each of the separate narratives are given titles akin to those in the Canterbury Tales, the interviewees becoming a character in their own story: ‘The Detainee’s Tale’, ‘The Lorry Driver’s Tale’, ‘The Friend’s Tale’. The condensing of their experiences to a moniker in the title has the anonymising effect intended: the people who have lived these narratives do not share their names or other identifying material, only their experience, a reversal of the priorities of UK immigration authorities.

Notable also is that the stories are not only from refugees and asylum seekers, but also from those tangential to their struggles. Carol Watts’ account of ‘The Interpreter’s Tale’ is a marvellous example of the intricacies of translation. In an emotive ending she reminds us that, when interpreting for someone’s claim to asylum in a system which would take any perceived discrepancy as reason for refusal,

“Everything is at stake each time.

Everything.” (68)

As many detainees are not allowed in the courtroom when their asylum cases are being heard, the interpreter and those relaying a person’s story are instrumental in whether someone is deported or released from detention. Thus, as is key to David Herd’s ‘The Apellant’s Tale’, “translation is sensitive” (70).

The problems with translation of both language and personal experience are interlinked in this collection, problems which Herd, the collection’s editor, discusses in the Afterword. In response to the question of why the refugees at the inaugural walk across the South of England were not the ones to tell their own tales, he states that many are too traumatised by the trials they have faced to deliver such a speech in front of the many people also in attendance. Moreover, many ex-detainees desire anonymity in broadcasting their stories, as they are in constant fear of re-detention. This is chillingly described in Marina Lewycka’s ‘The Dependant’s Tale’, wherein an eight-year-old child and her family must leave their home in the middle of the night, “the big man in a uniform” (85) at the foot of her bed escorting them to a detention centre. After they are released and sent home without their father, the nightmarish extraction from their beds happens again – three months later.

The absurdity of this system is especially poignant in Avaes Mohammad’s ‘The Deportee’s Tale’, where the duality of the holidayer’s airport experience and that of a man being deported to Greece is explored, and the two clash brutally.

“As earth ejects everyone equally and…the

plane soars on, the handcuffs are taken off and his hands released.

I can see the logic. If his crime is stealing earth to stand upon,

then there’s no cause for concern up here.” (100)

Allowed by the Greek authorities to stay only one month, the man is forced to then move on to Italy, holding on to the undercarriage of a lorry. Mohammad’s astute observation about this journey applies to many of the narratives in this collection: “Like the rest of his tale, it’s not really designed for humans” (104).

This sentiment is baked into the fury, desperation, and soul-crushing frustration that these stories, their tellers, and their translators convey. It reveals how the stories of

refugees are so vital to understanding how the treatment of displaced people casts judgement on the humanity of us all.

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/immigration-detention-in-the-uk/.

Charlotte Haley is a recent graduate of Regent’s Park College (2020), with a BA in Classics and English. For the last year, she has been working in Switzerland as a Gallery Assistant for a rare book dealer (while frantically trying to learn German!). Since graduating, she has co-written a short film about sexual health,The Clinic, produced by the BBC Arts New Creatives programme, and won the Kunsthalle Basel’s Online Writing Workshop in May of 2021 for her poem, I Like Basel But. Charlotte’s writing of all forms, published or otherwise, can be found on her blog, IOLIS (I Only Like It Sometimes). Her pronouns are she/they.

Service Update: Trinity Term, 2022

Posted on 22/04/2022 by jonesr

Introduction

At the end of 0th Week we want to wish our readers the best for the term ahead and let you know of recent and upcoming changes to services and opening times.

Covid Measures

The University has moved to Business Continuity Planning Level 0. For the library, this means that some safety measures have been relaxed or removed.

The wearing of face coverings is now a personal choice, though readers are encouraged to respect those who continue to wear them.

The requirement for social distancing has been removed, with readers encouraged to respect one another’s personal space. Some socially-distanced seating remains available.

Service Updates

WiFi

University IT Services have upgraded the sign-in portal for Bodleian Libraries WiFi and local WiFi infrastructure in the St Cross Building. Readers are encouraged to report any issues to library staff.

Return of loans

The Bodleian Libraries free postal returns services will end on 6th May. Readers can continue to submit requests for returns via Royal Mail or courier up to the deadline, but are asked to do so earlier where possible.

Proxy borrowing

The library will continue to offer proxy borrowing for students unable to visit the library in person. Requests should be made in advance by emailing efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Opening Hours

From Saturday 23rd April, the library will move to term time opening hours. These are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-19:00

Saturday: 10:00-13:00

Sunday: Closed

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage.

Service Update: Easter Vacation, 2022

Posted on 28/02/2022 by jonesr

Introduction

Spring is springing and the Easter vacation is round the corner. From Sunday 13th March the following changes will come into effect at the library.

Opening Hours

For the duration of the vacation (13th March-23rd April), the library’s opening times are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00

Saturday: Closed

Please note that the library will be open on Saturday 23rd April from 10:00-13:00.

Vacation Loans

7-day loans will be eligible for vacation borrowing from Monday 7th March. Short, 2-day loans will be eligible from Thursday 10th March.

Loans borrowed for the vacation will be due back during the first week of Trinity Term, beginning 24th April.

Service Update: Hilary Term, 2022

Posted on 10/01/2022 by jonesr

Introduction

The English Faculty Library reopened to readers on 4th January for the new year, resuming a full service in line with the University’s Business Continuity Plan Stage 2.

English Faculty Library guidance concerning coronavirus safety measures remains unchanged for the time being. Readers are encouraged to maintain social distancing and respect each other’s space. Windows will be kept open to ensure adequate ventilation. Readers may wish to bring extra layers of clothing to wrap up warm, or move to warmer parts of the library as conditions dictate.

A reminder that all staff and students have been asked to wear face coverings when moving around University buildings, and face coverings are now mandated in University teaching and assessment settings, as well as in libraries and departmental study spaces, unless exempt.

A GIF of the key health messages from the University of Oxford relating to COVID-19. -Your actions matter. Help keep everyone safe. -Get vaccinated as soon as possible. -Wear face coverings where indicated (unless exempt). -Test regularly, and if you have symptoms. -Stay at home if you are unwell. -Keep washing your hands. -Be considerate of other people's space.

Oxford University COVID-19 guidance

Opening hours

During Hilary Term (16th January-12th March), the library will open during the following times (subject to change).

Monday to Friday: 9:30-19:00

Saturday: 10:00-13:00

Please note that the library will also be open on Saturday 15th January from 10:00-13:00.

PCAS machines

During the winter vacation, the Bodleian Libraries upgraded their PCAS machines. The English Faculty Library has two of these new machines on the first floor. They have a different interface and a slightly different level of device functionality compared with the old machines.

Readers are encouraged to visit the Bodleian Libraries PCAS webpage for information on using the new machines. Library staff are on hand to help with troubleshooting and a dedicated support service is available at pcas@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage.

Service Update: Winter Vacation, 2021

Posted on 29/11/2021 by jonesr

This year’s winter vacation begins on Sunday 5th December. From this date, the following changes apply.

Vacation opening hours

The library’s opening hours will reduce to 9:00-17:00, Monday to Friday.

Vacation closure

The library will be closed Thursday 23rd December until 3rd January inclusive.

Vacation loans

Vacation loans begin Monday 29th November. With the exception of short loans and DVDs, any items issued, reissued or renewed from this date will be due back during First Week of Hilary Term.

Short loans and DVDs are eligible for vacation loan from Thursday 2nd December.

Please visit the library’s website for details: English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk).

Happy Holidays!