Category Archives: Information

A woman sitting at a table in the Egrove Park Library using a laptop, with bookshelves filled with books behind her. A book and a smartphone are on the table nearby.

Beyond reading with the Bodleian Libraries

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You might associate the Bodleian Libraries primarily with shelves of books. Beyond reading, the library also provides access to a rich range of films, TV, radio, recorded performances, audiobooks, and music. Some are available online, and some you can borrow from or use in the library.

At a glance, here are some of the key resources you can use to:

  • Stream films online: Kanopy  (Oxford SSO required)
  • Access on-demand TV & radio: Box of Broadcasts (Oxford SSO required)
  • Watch recorded Shakespeare performances: RSC Live Collection (Oxford SSO required)
  • Listen to audiobooks for skills & career development: O’Reilly Online Learning: Academic/Public Library Edition (Oxford SSO required)
  • Listen to free audiobooks: LibriVox via SOLO and 
  • Access accessible books and audio books: RNIB Bookshare (for eligible print disabled users)
  • Borrow and watch films on DVD & Blu-ray: The Humanities Library and Search in SOLO
  • Explore music on CD & LPs: Humanities Library with some items offsite at the Bodleian storage.

Films, videos, TV and recorded Plays 

Kanopy

Kanopy is a video-streaming platform with a diverse collection of over 30,000 enriching films, available to stream anytime and anywhere — from desktop to TV to tablet.

Great for:

  • Thought-provoking films and documentaries
  • World cinema and independent film
  • Viewing on phone, laptop, tablet, or smart TV

Box of Broadcasts

An on-demand TV and radio service for education. You can search an archive of over 2 million broadcasts, record programmes from over 65 free-to-air channels, and create playlists, clips and clip compilations. 

Great for: 

  • Catching up on programmes you missed 
  • Searching from the archive
  • Creating playlists and clips

RSC Live Collection (Royal Shakespeare Company Live)

If you’re a fan of Royal Shakespeare Company performances, this online collection is not to be missed. It offers access to 35 filmed productions staged since 2013, including Twelfth Night starring comedy icon Adrian Edmondson and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Further information on audio and visual materials is listed on the Shakespeare subject guide. 

Films on DVD and Blu-ray

The new Humanities Library in the newly opened Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities holds an extensive collection of films on DVD and Blu-ray, focusing on American, British, and European cinema, as well as world cinema, including works from Latin America and Asia.

To search SOLO for DVDs and videos of specific titles, or titles by a specific director, go to Advanced Search, enter the title or director’s name, then limit Material Type to “Video/Film”.

You will need to bring your university card with you to the library. 

Audiobooks and recordings

O’Reilly Online Learning

O’Reilly’s on-demand digital library (formerly Safari Books Online) provides e-books, audio books, videos, interactive tutorials, and live online classes from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, covering a wide range of tech and business-related topics and skills. 

Oxford Single Sign-On (SSO) required for access

To search for videos or audio books related to a specific skill:

Select Explore Skills > Soft Skills > Personal Productivity

Filter by Formats: “Courses” and “Audiobooks”

To search for videos and audiobooks from specific publishers (e.g., Harvard Business Review) during the last year, refresh the search, set the Formats filter to Videos and Audiobooks, set Publication date to Last year, and search “Harvard Business Review”.

LibriVox

LibriVox is a platform that provides access to audio versions of books in the public domain read by volunteers. These are closely aligned with the titles available in Project Gutenberg, including literary classics and fiction, mostly in English but also in other languages. The LibriVox  catalogue of 20,000 audio books is now available and searchable through SOLO. Titles can be searched individually in SOLO. If you would like to browse the list of titles, you can search for “LibriVox” and set “Material Type” to “Sound recordings”.

RNIB Bookshare

The Bodleian Libraries manage the University’s RNIB Bookshare account, providing free access to nearly 1 million accessible titles, including audiobooks, for students and staff with print disabilities. This includes those with visual impairments, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and other conditions that make reading print difficult. 

If you would like more information, please contact disability.librarian@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Music

The Humanities Library has a large collection of CD and LP sound recordings. These primarily cover the Western classical tradition, but also include jazz, popular music, and world music, as well as an extensive opera collection. A selection of CDs is kept in the Multimedia Room, mostly arranged alphabetically by principal composer. Many CDs are now stored offsite and can be requested through SOLO. You can listen to CDs using the equipment in the Multimedia Room.  

LPs are stored offsite. They are not yet catalogued in SOLO. If you would like to explore the collection, please speak to library staff. 

We hope this look at the Bodleian’s wider collection has inspired you to watch or listen to some of the multitude of available items and resources. If you have questions or want to find out more, please do contact us or ask at the Enquiry Desk.

Image of a library with a sign saying "Service Disruption". AI Generated.

Library Update: Temporary Disruption to Services

Update April 2nd 2025
• Electrical repair work has been completed.
• Power has been restored.
• All the computers in the library are available to use again.
• Repairs to the water pipes in the library are scheduled for the summer.

A water leak has caused electrical problems in the library, resulting in some computers being unavailable.

What This Means for You

  • Some library PCs and Macs are currently out of service.
  • The Bloomberg Terminal and other PCs and docking stations have been temporarily moved.

What We’re Doing

We will continue to provide updates here as soon as more information is available. We appreciate your patience during this incident.

Need Help?

If you require assistance, please don’t hesitate to speak to a member of our team at the Enquiry Desk or contact us via email or phone.

Sainsbury Library M&M's at the MBA Information Fair.

A Warm Welcome at the MBA Information Fair

Today, the Sainsbury Library took part in the Saïd Business School’s MBA Information Fair. It was a great opportunity to welcome our incoming MBA students, answer questions and share how we can assist them during their studies at Oxford. The library team introduced MBAs to the many resources and services that we provide throughout the programme. There were also plenty of freebies including eco-friendly canvas bags, pens and notebooks – ideal for jotting down notes during lectures. And to keep up energy levels, we also offered Sainsbury Library branded M&M’s!

If you’re a new MBA student, do visit the library, meet the team, and discover how we can assist you in your studies. Here’s to a productive and inspiring year ahead!

Read more about the using the Sainsbury Library

How to use the library in 5 steps

Seven Fun Things to Do in the Library 

How to use the library in 5 steps

The Sainsbury Library has created a 5-step guide to help you navigate and use our services and resources with confidence. This guide provides essential information for making the most of the Sainsbury Library and beyond, including helpful links for further information. Our library staff is always available to answer questions and provide support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Step 1. Find a library

The Sainsbury Library, located within Saïd Business School, is the University’s dedicated Business and Management library. As part of the Bodleian Libraries, the Sainsbury Library is within a network of 26 libraries across Oxford. Being a member of the University of Oxford will give you access to all 26 libraries, and you can find a library on the Bodleian’s Find a library page by filtering facilities, accessibility and opening hours.

The main reading room of the Sainsbury Library spans the first and second floors of the Park End site building and is accessible to all students and staff.

While the library maintains core staffed opening hours (Vacation Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm; Term time Monday – Friday: 9am – 7pm), Saïd Business School members can use it whenever the building is open. More information can be found on our library website.

The Lower Reading Room offers a variety of seating areas, while the Upper Reading Room is reserved for silent study. Altogether, the library provides just under 200 seats, including computers and docking stations across both floors.

Step 2. Find a book

Search Oxford Libraries Online (SOLO) is the online catalogue for Oxford University’s libraries, including the Bodleian Libraries and most college and faculty libraries. It is essential for searching and accessing physical books, ebooks and journal articles.

You need to use your SSO to login to SOLO. You can find some essential information on the Bodleian’s SOLO webpage.

To learn how to search and use SOLO, you can visit the subject guide for SOLO.

The Sainsbury Library houses over 12,000 print books on-site, including some textbooks and books on your reading lists. If you would like to search physical books at the Sainsbury Library, using the advanced search function, you can refine “Search Profile” to “Sainsbury Library” and select “Material Types” as “Books”.

Screenshot of the SOLO search interface.

Once you find the book to borrow, you need to check if it’s “Available” and note down the “Collection” and “Shelfmark”, which are two pieces of important information to help you locate the book in the Sainsbury Library.

LOCATIONS Sainsbury Library Available, Egrove Park (Kennington) = Collection: Egrove Park HD38.7 BRA 2019 Science, technology & business = Shelfmark: HD38.7 BRA 2019, Science, technology & business Sainsbury Library Available, Lower Reading Room = Collection: Lower Reading Room HD38.7 BRA 2019 = Shelfmark: HD38.7 BRA 2019 LOCATIONS Sainsbury Library, Available, Annexe = Collection: Annexe HD62.4 CAV 2002 = Shelfmark: HD62.4 CAV 2002 LOCATIONS Sainsbury Library, Available, Stack = Collection: Stack HD69.P75 MAY 1999 = Shelfmark: HD69.P75 May 1999
“Collection” = the location in the library. Lower Reading Room = Lower floor, Sainsbury Library Reading Room. Annexe = Lower floor-Annexe, Sainsbury Library Reading Room. Stack = Upper floor, Sainsbury Library Reading Room. Egrove Park (Kennington) = The Sainsbury Library's Egrove Park site in Kennington: to borrow books from Egrove Park (Kennington), please contact library@sbs.ox.ac.uk or refer to the signage in the library at Egrove Park.

Understand the sequence of shelfmarks

HD69 Class Number Alphabetical then Numerical order
Shelfmark = .P75 Cutter number Alphabetical then Numerical order
May The first three letters of the author’s name, or sometimes the title Alphabetical order
1999 Publication year Chronological order
  • The range of Class numbers has been marked in the library, adjacent to the shelves.
  • To locate a book, use the Class number by first referring to the letters, followed by the numbers
  • Then use additional Cutter numbers and/ or other item-specific information.

Step 3. Borrow a Book

Your borrowing allowance depends on the programme you are studying. The loan policy currently applies to all Bodleian libraries. Please refer to the Borrowing Policy.

Collections at the Sainsbury Library can usually be borrowed for 7 days for undergraduates and taught postgraduates, or 28 days for research graduates and staff members.

All loans, except “Same Day Loans”, have a maximum renewal period of 112 days (16 weeks) from the date of the original loan.

Items you have borrowed will be automatically renewed where possible, usually 1–2 days before the due date. An item reserved by another reader will not be automatically renewed.

At Park End Street, you can borrow books using the self-issue machine on the lower floor or bring them to the library enquiry desk.

Step 4. Access an ebook

You can find ebooks on SOLO or on subscribed ebook platforms after logging in with SSO. Access to ebooks varies according to the type of ebook, its licence, and the library membership of the user.

You can either download the whole ebook or chapters (with or without a loan period or Digital right management license).  If the item is licensed through “Digital rights management,” you would need to download Adobe Digital Editions (free App). You can register an account via the Adobe website.

More information can be found on ebook guide.

Step 5. Access and use business e-resources and databases

Information for databases can be found on the Business study subject guide. The guide gives you an overview of different types of resources including ejournals and databases, how to access or set up an account, and terms and conditions.

We have one Bloomberg workstation in the Sainsbury Library, and you need to book a slot to use the Bloomberg workstation.

New students from MBA, MFE, MLF and DPhils will be registered for a Capital IQ account at the beginning of the academic year, login details from S&P Capital IQ will be sent to your email.

If you are a new student at Saïd Business School and need to set up a Pitchbook Login, you can create an account following the link. To register students must use their @said.oxford.edu account, and faculty must use their @sbs.ox.ac.uk account.

Would like to know more!

If you would like to know more about how to use our services and resources, please look out for upcoming workshops and induction sessions. They will soon be announced on our training guide.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions! You can reach out to us in the library or via email library@sbs.ox.ac.uk .

Welcome to the Sainsbury Library!

Seven Fun Things to Do in the Library 

Seven Fun Things to Do in the Library 

The Sainsbury Library is more than just a place for books and academic resources, it’s a social place where you can recharge, make connections, and take a break from the intensity of your studies. As the new academic year begins, here are seven fun ways to relax and refresh in the library:

Seven Fun Things to Do in the Library 1. Sink into a Bean Bag for a Quick Nap – Recharge your brain with a cosy, quiet nap. Blankets and earplugs are available next to the enquiry desk. 2. Get Creative with Jigsaw Puzzles and Colouring – Relax your mind with some stress-free fun. 3. Design and Print Cool Posters for Your Society or to Decorate Your Room. Printing facilities are available in the library. 4. Read for Pleasure – Escape into a book that’s not on your reading list. You can request books from Bodleian Storage facilities delivered here. 5. Challenge Your Brain – Try out Wordle on the brand-new Macs (if you are feeling smart give the Connections and the Mini Crossword a go)! 6. Find a Study Buddy – Collaborate, brainstorm, or just keep each other motivated. 7. Chat with Our Friendly Library Staff – Stop by the enquiry desk and say hi; we’re always happy to help or just chat!

We hope you will find the Sainsbury Library a warm, welcoming, and energizing space that supports you throughout your exciting year ahead!

How to use the library in 5 steps

The words "LIBRARY DROP-IN" displayed on a neon sign.

Library 1:1 Sessions

Feeling overwhelmed by the task of navigating SOLO to find books and journal articles, or exploring multiple business and management related databases and eresources?

You now have the option to book a personalised consultation session with one of our experienced librarians at the Sainsbury Library, either online or in person. This tailored session will provide you with the guidance and support your need to streamline your search and make the most out of the available resources. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

  • Session: Selecting business databases for your research:
    Contact: Hal Kirkwood, Bodleian Business Librarian: hal.kirkwood@sbs.ox.ac.uk
  • Session: Help with using and searching the business databases:
    Contact: Heidi Smithson, Senior Information Librarian: heidi.smithson@sbs.ox.ac.uk
  • Session: How to make the most of resources and services at the Bodleian Libraries via SOLO:
    Contact: Cui Cui, Circulation and Customer Services Librarian: cui.cui@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Woman working on a digital tablet in the new normal. Image by rawpixel.com

Self-help e-books

Trinity Term is a particularly stressful time of year for our students but support is available. The University Health and Welfare team are on hand to provide a variety of resources and assistance. In addition to University services, Nightline provides a completely independent listening, support, and information service run for and by students.

From a library perspective, we feel we have a pastoral duty of care to our readers. We seek to provide a safe, welcoming space where students can achieve what they set out to achieve. The Bodleian as a whole has been carefully collecting and curating a selection of self-help books for students, staff, and any other interested users. The majority of these books are e-books, which we feel adds an element of discretion for those who wish for it. These e-books are available to view at any time of day, from any location; all you need is an internet connection and your Single Sign-On.

The full list of titles is available as a Reading List on ORLO. If you feel there are any titles or topics we may have missed, please do get in touch with our disability librarian.

Lego man with broom

Sainsbury Library Closure 11th-15th July 2022

As part of our efforts to improve library study spaces, the Sainsbury Library at the Saïd Business School will be closed for the week of 11th July for the installation of new desks and revised study layouts across the first floor reading room.

  • Books required from the Sainsbury Library can be fetched by library staff on request to library@sbs.ox.ac.uk. Library staff will be working from home but will aim to have the book ready for you to collect on the next working day.
  • Sainsbury Library book returns can be made to the main Oxford Saïd reception desk, for later collection by library staff.
  • Bodleian stack books that have been ordered to the Sainsbury Library will not be available during this period. These books should be ordered to other Bodleian reading rooms across Oxford during the closure.
  • Access to the library’s Bloomberg terminal will be unavailable during this week. Other financial databases including Eikon are available remotely, more information is available on our subject guide.

Alternative study space will be available for Saïd Business School students in the old Careers office off reception. The Common Room, Dining Room and Marquee spaces will also be available to SBS students as usual.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience while these improvements are carried out. If you have any questions, please email us at library@sbs.ox.ac.uk

Get Software

Did you know that as an Oxford University member you can obtain a variety of software products? We have put together the guide below to direct you to all the software available at Oxford!

Software for University of Oxford members

The University of Oxford provides a wide variety of software for staff and students including SPSS, STATA, ArcGIS, NVivo, Windows, EndNote, MATLAB and Overleaf.

Library iMacs

The iMacs in the library have Orchard Software Centre installed, which is similar to the App Store. You can use the Orchard Software Centre app to install apps from the Orchard software list (some apps may require a licence).