Home › Posts tagged Radcliffe Camera

Radcliffe Camera

‘Our British Aesculapius’: John Radcliffe and Oxford

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

by Catherine Birch

Hello again! Sorry that the blog has gone a bit quiet in recent months – training took a pause while we supported all our busy readers through their exams and the end-of-year rush. We’ve all been working hard on the final stages of our projects, and we’ll soon have a couple of posts about our trainee showcase to share with you all! In the meantime, here’s a little local history lesson from the drafts to tide you over.

Since I moved to Oxford last year, it feels like I haven’t been able to escape the name Radcliffe. I work in the Radcliffe Camera, I get the bus to the John Radcliffe Hospital, I transfer books to the Radcliffe Science Library, and I walk past the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter on my lunch break strolls. It certainly seems like Radcliffe made the single greatest impact on Oxford since the city sprang up – but most people I ask just don’t know much about him. So, in true library fashion, I decided to start researching. Who exactly was Dr John Radcliffe, and why is half of Oxford dedicated to him?  

John Radcliffe was born c. 1650 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. His origins weren’t humble: his father was an attorney, his mother’s family possessed “a considerable fortune”, and he had the benefit of being distantly related to the Earls of Derwentwater. However, it was Radcliffe’s brain that set him apart as a child. Local scholars, gentry, and clergy took note of his intelligence from a young age, advising his father to formally educate him rather than employing him in a trade or having him manage the estate. Radcliffe matriculated into University College in 1665, likely as a scholarship student, and immediately began making a name for himself.1 Records of his age vary, but it’s possible he started at Oxford when he was only 12!

Surrounded by other future scholars, reformers, and intellectual giants (think John Locke, Robert Boyle, and Christopher Wren), and with something to prove, he was all set to take Oxford by storm. He gained a series of degrees: a BA in 1669, an MA in 1672, an MB in 1675, and finally his MD in 1682. He was senior scholar at University College while attending and became a fellow at Lincoln College in 1670, lecturing in logic before he received license to practise medicine in 1675.   

The entrance to the Radcliffe Quad at University College, with a mounted statue of John Radcliffe above the doorway. The surrounding buildings are roughly 3-4 floors high, and are built out of light brown stone in an typical simple eighteenth-century style.
‘Radcliffe Quadrangle’ at University College, Oxford. A statue of Radcliffe overlooks the square.2

Despite lending his name to two current Oxford libraries, Radcliffe himself was not well-read. Preferring to learn through practical medicine and anatomisation, he rejected classical ideas he considered outdated and had little patience for theory. This reached the point that his peers accused him of illiteracy, and his tutors were genuinely surprised by how little he read. When Dr Bathurst (an academic at Trinity College) visited Radcliffe’s chambers, he reportedly stood in shock and had to ask Radcliffe where his study actually was. Never one to be outdone, Radcliffe pointed to a skeleton, a herbal, and some vials, and said “Sir, this is Radcliffe’s library”. Thankfully he changed his stance on books later in life, and our current Radcliffe libraries are a little better stocked.  

The Infirmary is wide and U-shaped, built out of light brown Oxford stone, and has quite a plain front, roughly 4 floors high with several large windows. In front of the infirmary is a large curved driveway containing an ornamental fountain of a kneeling man.
The former Radcliffe Infirmary, in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter.3

Radcliffe gained much of his early notoriety in Oxford through his revolutionary approach to convalescence and healing. He shunned conventional practices like purging and resisted the use of invasive medicine where possible, encouraging patients to heal on their own. In 1675 Oxford was experiencing a devastating smallpox epidemic, and Radcliffe is credited with saving the lives of several patients who were viewed as beyond help. His unconventional methods also helped him attain his first patron, Lady Spencer of Yarnton, who was a well-connected society woman suffering from chronic pain. Several doctors had tried and failed to treat her, and she was losing any hope of recovery before her son-in-law recommended that she consult Radcliffe. Within weeks her treatment proved a resounding success – Spencer had not been able to walk in years, but with Radcliffe’s aid she was able to stand and move again. She was incredibly grateful for his help and repaid him by recommending him to anyone she could, starting him on the road to fame.  

After Radcliffe was denied further leave from his studies to practice medicine, he left Oxford for London and began attending to the rich and famous of the capital. Some of his more illustrious patients included Samuel Pepys, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and Isaac Newton! His reputation as a physician preceded him, although it was not an entirely positive one. Radcliffe was recognised as a talented doctor and an intelligent conversationalist, but equally as a plain-spoken and opinionated man whose bedside manner left something to be desired. One account claims that a bootmaker’s wife visited Radcliffe with a vial of her husband’s urine, hoping that the doctor could diagnose an illness from it (as was commonly done at the time). Radcliffe responded by emptying the container, filling it with his own urine, and demanding that the patient make him a pair of boots based on that.  

 In further evidence of both his genius and tactlessness, Radcliffe was appointed physician-in-Ordinary to King William III and to Princess Anne of Denmark but managed (on two separate occasions) to insult both royals so badly they forever rejected his help. When treating the king for gout, Radcliffe assessed the situation by declaring “I would not have your majesty’s two legs for your three kingdoms”, and he dismissed Queen Anne as hysterical because he didn’t want to leave the pub to attend to her. It’s testament to his skill as a doctor that even after these incidents the royals’ attendants and friends continued to consult him on their behalf, and he was privately involved with the family up until the queen’s death in 1714. Radcliffe himself would die only a few months later.  

The Radcliffe camera is a round building made out of light brown oxford stone, two floors high with a high domed roof. It is surrounded by a small lawn and railings.
The Radcliffe Camera, built using Radcliffe’s donations to the university.3

With his death came Radcliffe’s true impact on Oxford, as his estate made provision for a great deal of investment in the university. His gifts included: 

  • £40,000 for the establishment of a library in his name (unsurprisingly, the Radcliffe Camera), and a further £150 a year for the librarian’s salary. 
  • £5000 to University College, for “the completion of college buildings”.
  • £600 a year to provide improved care and diets for the Radcliffe Infirmary
  • And a further £600 a year to fund two travelling fellowships for medical students at the university.  

Today, Radcliffe’s legacy stands firm in Oxford, with his marks visible across the city. Some people remember his life and work, but most simply know his name and not much more. Memory has certainly smoothed over some of his flaws – he isn’t best remembered for his royal blunders, after all – but it has also removed some of his best qualities.  

While Radcliffe himself may not have made much use of Oxford’s libraries in his day, I think the RadCam and the RSL are fitting tributes to the man. Radcliffe believed in research, practical knowledge, and independent learning – which is exactly what the Bodleian Libraries facilitate. More than a vanity project, his donations have enabled countless students to access information on their terms, direct their own studies, and learn in the ways which work for them. In a constantly changing world, a library is a powerful resource to have at your disposal – whether it’s full of books and journals or potions and skeletons.  

So next time you walk through the Observatory Quarter, or pay a visit to University College, or need a book from the History Faculty Library, think about John Radcliffe (and maybe be grateful he’s not in charge of treating you). 

A white stone statue of John Radcliffe in an awning above the entrance to the Upper Camera reading room. He is wearing a suit and a robe, carrying a scroll. A plaque above him reads 'Johannes Radcliffe MD, Huius Bibliotheca Fundator' (translation: John Radcliffe MD, Founder of this Library).
A statue of John Radcliffe overlooking the Upper Camera.3
A black-and-white drawing of John Radcliffe. He is seated at a desk but facing away from it, looking at the viewer. He wears a decorated suit-coat, a cravat, and a long curly wig, and appears to be middle-aged.
An engraving of Radcliffe in the National Portrait Gallery.4
  1. Note: While there isn’t concrete proof he was a scholarship student, his comparatively limited financial means and his dedication to funding fellowships make it highly plausible. ↩︎
  2. Wikipedia user ‘Camboxer’, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. See more details. ↩︎
  3. Photographed by the post author. ↩︎
  4. John Radcliffe by George Vertue, after Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt. Line engraving, published 1757 (1710).
    NPG D31226 © National Portrait Gallery, London, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 ↩︎

Day in the life of a History Faculty Library trainee

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

08:30

I’m out the door and on my bike. I’m lucky enough to have a genuinely enjoyable ten-minute cycle to work in the mornings, which is a great way to start the day.

08:40  

I arrive at the Rad Cam. After putting my things away, I start the opening routine for the Lower Camera – this involves opening windows, turning on computers and PCAS machines, shelving, and making sure work spaces are tidy for readers. This morning I find a sports bra on one of the radiators, which I put in lost property!

View from above of two stacks of blue plastic boxes. The top box on each stack is open to reveal piles of books inside.
Lapsed books in their boxes ready to head back to the CSF

08:55

Using Alma, the library management system software, I create today’s lapse list: a spreadsheet with details of self-collect books which are due to be returned to the CSF. By the time doors open to readers at 9am, I’m starting to collect these lapsed books onto a trolley. Once I’ve finished, I return them all on Alma and then box them up to be taken back to the CSF this afternoon on the delivery van.

09:30

There weren’t too many books on the lapse list today, so I have time for a background task. I find a few books whose shelf mark

labels are beginning to fade, and print and attach new labels.

10:15

Break time – a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits in the reader common room, while listening to a podcast.

Two images of the same stack of books. In the first, the shelf mark labels are faded. In the second, there are new, clear labels.
Relabelling books – before and after!

10:35

I’m on fetching duty now. This means I’m collecting books from around the Rad Cam and Old Bod which have been requested for scanning by readers. Today this takes me into the Duke Humphrey’s Library, the very oldest part of the library, which is always exciting! Then, I identify the sections that need scanning and put in bookmarks ready for my colleague who will be scanning them this afternoon.

11:30

I decide to do some shelving. Maybe not the most exciting part of working in a library, but always satisfying!

12:00

Today I have the early (12pm) lunch slot. It’s lovely weather so I head along to the Botanic Gardens (free entry is a great perk of the job) to eat my packed lunch. I take a book and enjoy sitting and reading in the sunshine.

13:00

I’m back at the Rad Cam, and have an hour slot on the reception desk. It’s an extremely quiet shift – I issue books to one reader, give a couple of tourists directions to the Old Bod, and send a reader who has forgotten her card to Admissions.

Partially completed data input form from an Excel sheet. There are fields for language of resource, ISBN, title, subtitle, statement of responsibility, edition statement and more.
Inputting metadata to the spreadsheet

14:00

I get on with some project work. My project covers a collection of uncatalogued materials at the History of Science and Medicine Library – the aim is to identify items that are unique across the Bodleian and record their metadata so that they can be added to the library catalogue and ingested. When I was there this week, I took photos of some of the items, so this afternoon I use these photos to finish entering the details of these items into a spreadsheet created by the Resource Description department.

14:30

Break time – after sitting to work on a computer it’s time to stretch my legs, so I put on a podcast and go for a short walk.

14:50

An email has come in from ARACU (Accessible Resources Unit) requesting a book for them to scan for a student. I fetch the book, issue it on Alma, and box it up to send to ARACU on the delivery van. Then I get on with some more shelving, starting with the Upper Camera and working my way down to the Lower Gladstone Link.

15:30

It’s my final desk shift of the day – this time I’m on the circulation desk in the Rad Cam. I help a couple of readers connect to the internet, and take a student down to the Gladstone Link to locate a book in the tricky Nicholson sequence. I issue and return books, provide directions to the toilets, and answer questions about loan periods and shelf marks. It’s always nice to be able to help readers out – definitely a rewarding part of the job!

17:00

It’s the end of my working day. I’m off to the gym (another perk of the job is discounted membership at Iffley Road Sports Centre) and then home!

 

 

Xanthe Malcolm, Radcliffe Camera

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

The Radcliffe Camera, a round building made of pale stone. It has columns round the edge and a dome on the top.
The Radcliffe Camera

Hello! I’m Xanthe, the Radcliffe Camera trainee this year. The Radcliffe Camera (or Rad Cam for short!) with its dome is one of the most iconic buildings in Oxford, and I’m delighted to report that it is even more stunning inside; I’m still feeling blown away to get to work in a space like this.

Despite the fact that the Rad Cam is home to the History Faculty Library, as well as various humanities books from the Bodleian collections, my background is in a completely different field. I did a degree in natural sciences, specialising in astrophysics, which was fascinating. I then taught physics in a secondary school for three years, and while there were aspects of teaching that I loved, I concluded that it wasn’t a sustainable career for me, so I started looking for other things. As a life-long lover of books and libraries, working in libraries had always been a vague dream of mine, but it wasn’t until this point that I started seriously looking into it and realised that it was genuinely something that could really suit me!

During the past few weeks, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the different collections around my library – there’s a major sense of achievement when you can look at the shelfmark on a book and know exactly where it goes – and gaining familiarity with my role, ready for a big upswing in busyness when the students arrive next week.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to learn as much as possible over the coming year about the different aspects of academic librarianship, and work out which direction I want to take as I move forward into a library career.

-Xanthe

Behind the Scenes at the History Thesis Fair

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

If you are a History undergrad at Oxford or even simply know a history undergrad at Oxford, then you’re likely to be made aware of the fact that, between their second and third years of study, they are tasked with writing a 12,000-word thesis. For many undergraduates this is a daunting task and one quite unlike any work they’ve completed up to this point. Luckily for them, help is at hand, as History subject librarians organise the Thesis Fair on behalf of the History Faculty every year: this is a large gathering of librarians, academics, and others who have a vested interest in helping these students to craft a first-class thesis.

The reception desk at the fair adorned with posters and handouts

I say every year, but in fact this is the first in-person event since the turmoil of covid, so the stakes were high on the pleasant but threateningly grey afternoon of Thursday 4th of May as a small team of library staff from the Rad Cam made their way across High Street, burdened down with all manner of posters, leaflets, and handouts, ready to get to work on preparing the North Writing School in Exam Schools for an inundation of second year History undergraduates. The preparation had been intense: months of organising and planning, designing informational materials, and then the final slog of printing cutting and folding. It was a journey that had seen its fair share of casualties, and we give sincere thanks to the guillotines who gave their lives so that the history finalists could be properly informed on how to develop a thesis question.

Time was of the essence as our crack team had only one hour to transform the cavernous exam hall into a friendly and inviting space for finalists to begin to develop their thesis. Luckily, the staff at Exam Schools had done a magnificent job of setting up tables, chairs, and poster boards exactly where requested so that it was easy work labelling and organising each stall ready for its new inhabitant. Slowly the stall holders began to arrive, each one guided into place by a member of  library staff, each one bringing all manner of posters and promotional material of their own. The hall began to fill with people and chatter as everyone settled down ready for the arrival of the students.

A view of the fair before set up commenced

A view of the Fair in full swing

And arrive they did. Before 14:00 there was already a small gathering of eager students waiting their chance to enter and plumb the combined depths of knowledge contained within the now bustling exam hall. As they were admitted each student was greeted by members of the Rad Cam team and provided with additional information about the fair and their thesis. By the end of the afternoon over 218 students had walked through the doors and we were running low on handouts. Discussions were held on topics as varied as disability history and digital scholarship and all stalls were kept busy with students’ questions for the majority of the 2-hour fair.

Although numbers began to dwindle by the time the many clocks in the room began to mark 16:00 there was still a determined contingent of students who remained deep in conversation until the very end. After all the hard work setting up earlier in the day, the clean up effort was a comparatively easy affair, with the few posters and leaflets remaining packed away in record time. Staff were even aided in their clean up by the generous donation of some leftover promotional lollipops courtesy of the Oxford and Empire Network stall.

Our thanks and gratitude go out to everyone involved in the organisation and running of the history thesis fair, from stall-holders to Exam Schools’ staff who made this event such a success. And best of luck to all the History finalists as they undertake the writing of their theses!

A Day in the Life (History Faculty Library)

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Whilst I am the trainee at the History Faculty Library, our team has merged with the Old Bod team, so we all work on a shared rota across both sites. This is a day in the life of the HFL but look out for a day in the life at the Old Bod for a taste of what else I get up to!

A view of the Radcliffe Camera
An unusually quiet Radcliffe Square

8:40am – Opening up

I arrive at the Radcliffe Camera, lock up my bike, pop my mask on and make my way to our staff area in the Lower Camera. Normally we open at 9am so this gives us 20 minutes to open up the Reading Rooms. Today I start up the computers and printers in the Lower Camera and open all the windows before heading down to open the Gladstone Link. I’ll make a start on any reshelving; it gets pretty busy during term!

9am – Lapse list

My first job today is the lapse list, any books on our self-collect shelves that have reached their due date have to be collected and returned to the BSF. I print off the list and find them all before scanning them out on the system and boxing them up ready for the van later. Then I fit in a coffee break sitting in one of the recesses around the outside of the camera.

6 blue crates piled up inside with a hi-vis jacket next to the Radcliffe Camera side door
All boxed up ready for the BSF van!

10:30am – Reception desk

I take the second slot of the day on reception. It’s third week so there’s a constant flow of people coming in and out. I deal with any questions or problems including a student whose reader card is not working, returning some lost property and redirecting tourists to the Bodleian Library ticket office. The desk is quieter during vacation so then I get on with other jobs such as checking reading lists.

12am – Scanning

I hand over at reception and since I’m not scheduled for anything specific, now is the time to get on with background tasks. I decide to spend the hour scanning pages or chapters from books that readers have requested and emailing them out. We have a BookEye for scanning but since someone else is using it I head for the PCAS (Print, Copy and Scan) machine.

1pm – Lunch!

I love exploring Oxford and normally wander somewhere for lunch, my favourite spots on sunny days are University Park or Christchurch Meadows!

A picture of an open book with a stamp and tattle tape in front of a computer
New HFL books being made shelf ready

2pm – Book delivery and processing

The van from the BSF arrives and the Camera team help unload new boxes full of material requested by readers. One team member scans the books in whilst two head over with the van to the Old Bod. I collect a few new books that need processing and set to work stamping them, inserting tattle tape, covering them and updating their status on the system before popping them out on the new book display. Time for a quick tea break before my next desk shift!

3.30pm – Circulation desk

This time I’m on the circulation desk and am kept busy issuing, renewing and placing hold requests for readers. Returned books need fetching from the drop boxes and I keep an eye out for any books coming back that might need repairing. Readers come with different questions: asking about WiFi, printing, to reset their password, how to locate their self-collect or open shelf books. Time flies by and before I know it the evening staff have appeared, so I hand over the desk then get ready to head home!

 

 

Emily, History Faculty Library

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

eighteenth century Radcliffe Camera building view from Radcliffe Square
The Radcliffe Camera, home to the History Faculty Library

Hello, I’m Emily the trainee at the History Faculty Library this year. It’s housed in the beautiful Radcliffe Camera and links to the Old Bodleian Library via the underground, more futuristic looking Gladstone Link. The Bodleian Library Collection lives alongside the History Faculty Library, which took me a while to get my head around, but importantly I’ve now figured out which books can be borrowed!

So far, my days have been really varied — I’ve spent time on the reception and circulation desk answering queries, processing deliveries from the Book Storage Facility, scanning material for readers, checking reading lists and processing books. The team has recently joined with the Old Bodleian Library team, which means that I also get to spend time working across there with Juliet, the Old Bodleian trainee. It adds even more variety although I still have a lot to learn — particularly on how to answer the many questions that come to the Main Enquiry Desk!

The Camera itself is spectacular inside as well as out and while the Gladstone Link might have more of a modern feel, it still has a lot of history too. You can see where the tracks would have run to transport books underground between the buildings and there are still the heavy metal sliding bookcases in the Upper Gladstone Link, which were designed by Gladstone himself!

Compared to my first few days, when readers needed to book limited COVID seating, the library is feeling much busier now the new academic year is approaching. I’m looking forward to the start of term and the year ahead!

Arabella Drake, History Faculty Library

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Hello! I’m Arabella, the graduate trainee for the History Faculty Library, based within the Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link. Previously, while studying BA English at the University of Exeter I volunteered within Penryn Campus library, an experience I enjoyed so much that I decided to work within both school and council libraries after graduating. The Bodleian Library Graduate Trainee Scheme, which offers regular training sessions alongside the chance to work within a prestigious university library, seemed like a wonderful opportunity to expand on this experience and discover what specific aspects of librarianship I find most interesting and wish to pursue further. Also, who wouldn’t want to work in a city as beautiful and historic as Oxford?!

Throughout my first month within the Radcliffe Camera I have been learning lots of new procedures, such as Scan and Deliver, Click and Collect and how to navigate and process items on the library management system. I’m also regularly timetabled on the reception and circulation desks, where I help to sign readers into the building and deal with enquiries. Fortunately, my lovely colleagues in the Camera are always nearby to help should I require it.

Now Michaelmas Term has commenced the library is beginning to get busier, however, I am continuing to learn new things. This week I have been assigned the task of selecting and processing the HFL books that are being sent off to binding to be repaired.

I’ve really been enjoying my Oxford experience so far and I’m very excited to see what the rest of the year has in store!

The Radcliffe Camera

Behind the Scenes: Shadowing and Hosting between a Bodleian Library and a College Library

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

This year, many Graduate Library Trainees expressed an interest in shadowing a fellow trainee from another Oxford library. Colleagues from Bodleian Staff Development worked to facilitate this and fortunately Leanne and I were able to spend an afternoon at one another’s workplace. Leanne is the Graduate Library Trainee at Christ Church (ChCh), one of Oxford University’s largest colleges, while I’m the trainee at the Radcliffe Camera, home to the Bodleian’s History Faculty Library (HFL).

Christ Church’s Main Library Building

View of the Radcliffe Camera from the University Church

The nature of each traineeship can vary considerably depending on the remit of the library, its size and the nature of its collections. These differences are magnified when the logistical and operational nuances distinct to each library are accounted for. Shadowing at another library provides an opportunity to experience these differences in context, to consider some of the factors impacting other library services and to critically reflect on the practices of the libraries we normally work in.

After our afternoons of shadowing were over, we decided to write a joint blog post to recount our experiences, using a Q and A as the basis for encapsulating our opinions. Suffice to say we had fun!

Christ Church Library and Bodleian Library Stamps next to each other in the same book.

Why did you want to shadow at the library you chose?

Ross Jones, History Faculty Library: Having spent the majority of my time working and studying in the Bodleian Libraries, I welcomed the opportunity to experience the day to day goings-on of a college library; I wanted to learn about the parameters a college library was expected to operate within and how this might affect the services they are able to provide. Given the familial nature of a college environment, I was also eager to discover what kind of learning cultures a more insular and exclusive library service helps to inspire.

Leanne Grainger, Christ Church Library: As a trainee in a college library I was keen to shadow a trainee within the Bodleian Libraries to find out how the experience differs in a larger library team as well as within the larger Bodleian Libraries’ structure.

What were your first impressions of the library?

Ross says: Friendly and ambitious. Oxford is saturated with historic buildings and architecture of seemingly every kind. This has led me, albeit guiltily, to become a tad indifferent to the awesome facades boasted by the libraries of many of the older Oxford colleges. To me, the most impressive feature of a library is the service it provides and I was struck first and foremost by the welcoming personalities of Christ Church’s library staff and the grand designs they had for improving their service.

Leanne says: Grand. Iconic. Busy – especially considering it was vacation! The History Faculty Library  is currently situated in the Radcliffe Camera, a well-known landmark in Oxford, which is beautiful both inside and out. Even though I was shadowing Ross during the vacation it seemed pretty busy and I imagine it is an extremely popular study space within Oxford.

The Lower Camera Reading Room at the HFL.

What did you find to be different in comparison to your own library?

Ross says: The book-request service. Having secured a generous budget for purchasing, one of Christ Church College Library’s many strengths is its ability to provide students a significant stake in its Collection Development Policy by allowing them, in a sense, to build a reader-curated collection. If a student needs it and the library doesn’t have it, you can be sure a copy will be bought (within reason of course!). I was amazed to learn that the record time for fulfilling a request was just a matter of hours, with staff going above and beyond to deliver the requested item to the reader at their desk.

Leanne says: That anyone with a reader’s card can use the library!  It has a diverse range of readers to cater for, and even has a section of the library that is a laptop free zone for readers to use to get away from the noise of keyboard tapping! As a college, the library is predominantly only for our own students and has no where near as many readers. With a larger team at the HFL, Ross covers the front desk on a rota, usually about 3 hours a day, which is quite a lot less than the half day if not the whole day I usually work at the front desk!  A bigger team also seemed to mean that everybody has particular roles and responsibilities, whereas I find I get to do a bit of everything. The HFL also seemed to not be as involved in acquisitions and cataloguing as at ChCh, as these are done centrally within Bodleian Libraries.

What did you find to be the same in comparison to your own library?

Ross says: The day to day challenges of working in an 18th century building. Where spiral staircases and galleries abound there will invariably be a multitude of issues with running a modern library service. Facilitating access for mobility-impaired readers, shelving in precarious positions and struggling with antique furniture and fixtures were all too familiar aspects of library work at Christ Church.

The spiral staircase in the East Library at Christ Church

Leanne says: I feel like I can only think of more differences! However, it was fascinating when similarities popped up. Redirecting tourists at the front desk, rather packed lost property shelves and a Library of Congress classification system were all very familiar! A lot of the routine tasks such as the processing of books felt similar too. The book covering in particular, with book sleeves for dust covers and lamination of paperbacks (but I’d highly recommend commando covers!).

What aspects of shadowing did you enjoy?

Ross says: The variety of environments. With Christ Church boasting an upper and lower library, a separate 24-hour Law library, the Allestree Library, a variety of rare book rooms and an archive room hidden away at the top of a tower, it’s a wonder Leanne and the rest of the team manage to keep on top of it all! With everything as spaced out as it is, I imagine resources are stretched pretty thin at times, but having a backstage pass to it all for the day made for a truly enchanting experience.

Christ Church’s Upper Library as viewed from the Gallery

Leanne says: I really enjoyed exploring the space and learning about the HFL being a library within a library – the HFL doesn’t own the space it’s in, the Bodleian does! This has drawbacks in terms of having space to expand into, which is a huge issue even for libraries with their own space. There is overlapping of the HFL collections and the Bodleian Library collections in the Gladstone Link, which is underneath the Radcliffe Camera and between the two libraries, which was interesting to get my head around! I enjoyed getting to be a part of the daily delivery of books from the off-site store at Swindon, there are some interesting things that get delivered. I also like that I was able to process a new book that now has its shelfmark written inside in my handwriting.

Overlap of collections in the Upper Camera (HFL books on the left and Bodleian books on the right) .

What benefits do you feel are unique to the trainee role of the library you visited?

Ross says: As Leanne says, working at a college library tends to involve a little bit of everything. At the History Faculty Library, where roles are more compartmentalised, my main focus is Reader Services and this means chances to work with bibliographic records are few and far between. At Christ Church, Leanne often creates and edits holdings records, which is a useful transferable skill to have when it comes to pursuing a career in libraries!

Leanne says: The trainee project that Ross has taken on this year I feel highlights a unique aspect to the HFL – that it is a subject specific library in History. Ross is looking into improving the provision and accessibility of the History set texts, which I think is a useful and transferable experience. For example, Ross has carried out a survey of the students who need to use these texts to find out more about how and if they use them. I especially feel that the most unique feature of being a trainee at the HFL is it being a library within a library. Learning to navigate the different collections of a shared library space and getting to observe and learn how those collections an d that space is managed I think will be uniquely valuable experience.

What ideas or procedures might you think about implementing in your own library after visiting?

Ross says: Minor cosmetic changes to improve the readability of shelf marks. The library staff at Christ Church have used an ongoing reclassification project as an opportunity to trial some simple and effective ideas to improve the browsing experiences of readers. In retro converting the classification sequences in the lower library to Library of Congress, staff at Christ Church have decided to print out shelf mark labels on yellow stickers rather than white ones to aid those readers with dyslexia or Irlen syndrome. They also print their labels so that the first line of each shelf mark will appear at the same height on each book spine, regardless of how many cutter numbers a shelf mark might have. This makes it easier to follow the sequence along the shelf. Every little helps!

A shelf of books with their new Library of Congress shelfmark labels at ChCh.

Leanne says: At Christ Church Library we are already looking into using the bindery where Ross sends worn books to be rebound. I talked to my Librarians about the system that Ross uses to regularly send books that are in need of TLC to the bindery and we’re now looking to adopt a similar strategy to be more efficient with our rebinding budget. Talking to Ross about his trainee project has also inspired and motivated me to look into improving the promotion and visibility of collections that are particularly important to students, including the accessibility equipment we provide.

A shelf of newly rebound books at the HFL, fresh from the bindery.

Can you describe the library you visited in one word?

Ross says: Wonderful

Leanne says: Matryoshka

The History Faculty Library’s Collections

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

The first weeks of February occupy the middle of Oxford University’s Hilary Term. They represent a busy time for students; the History Faculty Library’s self-collect shelves are heaving with off-site stack requests and there is rarely an empty seat in sight. Roughly speaking, this period also marks the midway point of the Bodleian Libraries Graduate Traineeship and now I feel more familiar with the library’s collections, I thought I’d use this space to share a few details about them.

Not just books: The HFL houses a variety of other items including maps and DVDs.

There are a little over 80,000 volumes at the HFL, including 1100 books in the local history section and 3,500 ‘oversize’ books on art, architecture and archaeology. Yet, it’s the main lending sequence that accounts for the bulk of this figure. Spanning three floors, the majority of the books in this collection can be borrowed by anyone with a blue reader’s card. Theoretically, this means that every current member of the University has the opportunity to take home a sample of what the History Faculty Library has to offer.

Those with a blue card like this one can borrow a variety of items from the HFL.

Though it parted ways with 473 of its rare antiquarian books when it moved from the Old Indian Institute in 2012, the library still has approximately 1,000 pre-nineteenth-century volumes in its care. A portion of these are known as ‘set texts’, which are prescribed readings for undergraduates studying Joint or Single Honours History Degrees. In certain cases, the HFL has the only available copy these readings in Oxford, making the Set Text Collection in the Upper Camera a particularly important and unique resource.

A sample of the blue-labelled books in the Set Text Collection.

The library further provides for the needs of students by responding to trends currently shaping the historical disciplines. Between March and June 2018, the library purchased just over 1100 books in the wake of a recent syllabus reform by the University’s History Faculty, whilst steps have also been taken to secure additional funding for pre-emptive purchasing in growth areas, such as global medieval history. The time spent processing these new acquisitions has been fascinating. All too often an intriguing title or profound idea has diverted my attention from the timely application of stamps and Tattle Tape. It’s a similiar story organising the New Books Display, though I think this is somewhat understandable given the premise of a few volumes in particular…

The weird and wonderful! Captivating titles at the HFL include: The Bedroom, An Intimate History; Shoplifting In Eighteenth Century England; Beard Fetish In Early Modern England; and The Known Citizen, A History Of Privacy In Modern America.

Joking aside, it has been exciting to witness an influx of research on previously neglected pasts. It seems historians are now asking more questions, about more things, than ever before. Welcoming the fruits of their labour to the HFL with a shelf mark, bookplate and dust-jacket cover has  certainly been a therapeutic way to spend a quiet afternoon!

Adding to the breadth of the library’s collections, many of these new arrivals are inter-disciplinary in nature, made worthy of a position on the open shelves by virtue of their versatility. However, some more specialist works are sent directly to the off-site storage facility in Swindon, a decision predicated on a forecast of infrequent use. Here, they are kept safe in climate-controlled conditions under the watchful eye of the Head of the Bodleian Storage Facility, or BSF. Being so far removed from Oxford doesn’t necessarily mean these books won’t see a day in a reading room though. Despite the 80(ish) mile round trip, off-site items are never more than a few clicks away from being sent to a variety of Bodleian Libraries via SOLO.

The Radcliffe Camera’s large wooden sorting table for incoming and outgoing BSF deliveries.

Though comparably modest in size, the HFL certainly punches above its weight when it comes to provision. This is, in no small part, due to a concise and effective collection development policy which sees students and academics well catered for. Yet, as one of the Bodleian Libraries, the HFL is also aided by the logistical and technical support derived from the legal-deposit library’s infrastructure. The Bodleian’s network of reader terminals, dotted throughout the Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link, provide access to hundreds of thousands of e-resources, including eLegal-Deposit items. Additionally, the Radcliffe Camera’s status as a collection point for off-site stack requests puts the Bodleian’s vast reserves of print material at the fingertips of any HFL visitor. Though such a symbiotic arrangement might seem challenging, in this instance, it has proven to be a winning combination.

Ross Jones, History Faculty Library and Radcliffe Camera