Holidays are coming, holidays are coming….

Posted on 10 December 2025 by kharris

Before you go

As we move past the end of the teaching term, thoughts start to turn to the holidays or, as we know many of you like to call it, working from home!

The RSL is now open in line with the vacation timetable until Sunday 18th January, this includes a Christmas break between the 24th December & 1st January (inclusive) where the library will be closed.

Books borrowed during this period are taken on extended terms and will be due for return or renewal the first week of Hilary Term (exclusions may apply).

Help & assistance

Reader Services remain available to support you either in person or virtually throughout the holiday season when the library is open. The desks will be staffed as usual and, whether you are physically in the library or now working remotely, you can address any queries via e-mail enquiries.rsl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or use the Live Chat function between 9am – 5pm on weekdays.

Accessing library services from home

Gone are the days when being unable to visit the library meant that you could not access the library….. Using your Oxford University Single Sign On (SSO) you are able to access a huge variety of resources from the RSL at home (or indeed wherever you may find yourself this holiday season).

Solo

Search for the books that you need and apply filters to access those titles that are available online, wherever you are.

Screenshot of a search in the SOLO system. It features a festive Santa Claus query in the search bar and three listings for books. Each has a flag highlighting that they are available online

ORLO

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) brings together almost 200 reading lists and can be accessed and searched at anytime using your SSO.

E-Journals

You can access E-Journals through SOLO and Browzine. Browzine provides access to all journals licenced by Oxford University from 2005 onwards

Screenshot of the Browzine search facility. On the left of the screen is an alphabetical list of subjects starting with Arts and humanities. The Central image is a collage of magazine covers illustrating the large collection of journals all stored in one place.

Databases

Databases are also accessible through SOLO. You can filter your resources to Databases in your search or use the Database A-Z function on the home page. Overall there are almost 2000 Databases available including our recently publicised new resources – the Global Health Archive and the Science of Synthesis.

Subject & Research guides

Like a dog, Subject & Research guides are not just for Christmas (!) but this a handy time to remind people of these resources at your disposal. The A-Z Subject guides provide a summary of the tools to support your work in each area including details of key journals and Databases.

Guidance for researchers provides insights on services, materials and tools for researchers in all disciplines.

We hope that you all have a fantastic holiday and wish you and all of your families the very best for a happy and prosperous 2026.

A cat and two dogs sat in front of a Christmas tree wearing festive headgear

Find out more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with our Book Display

Posted on 8 March 2024 by lhoward

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has captured the imagination of scholars and scientists for decades. The field of AI is now rapidly evolving and its impact on various fields is becoming increasingly evident.

We have curated a small book display that you can view in the break out area at the RSL. These titles offer insights into various facets of AI, from its history to current advancements, and applications in various disciplines, such as chemistry and computational biology. Other titles investigate the intersection of neuroscience and AI or examine the ethical and societal implications of AI technologies. These books are all available in SOLO.

Book Display

Sejnowski, T. J. (2018) The Deep Learning Revolution.
Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q325.5 SEJ 2018.

Levesque, H. J. (2017) Common Sense, the Turing Test, and the Quest for Real AI.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q335 LEV 2017.

Wooldridge, M. J. (2021) The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI
UK? Pelican, an imprint of Penguin Books.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL.

Summerfield, C. (2023) Natural General Intelligence: How understanding the brain can help us build AI
First edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Valls, A. & Gibert, K. (2022) Women in Artificial intelligence (AI)
Basel: MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Available as an ebook.

Rout, R. K. (ed.) (2023) Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Computational Biology
First edition. [Online]. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Available as an ebook.

Cartwright, H. M. (ed.) (2020) Machine Learning in Chemistry: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence London: Royal Society of Chemistry.

Available as an ebook.

Boden, M. A. (2016) AI: Its nature and future
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Chellappa, R. & Niiler, E. (2022) Can We Trust AI?
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Cirillo, D. et al. (eds.) (2022) Sex and Gender Bias in Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Biomedicine and Healthcare Applications
First edition. London: Academic Press.

Available as an ebook.

Photograph of Artificial Intelligence book display

Find the book display in the break out area in the lower ground floor.

ORA AI Collection

Posted on 29 February 2024 by rachelc

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have existed as areas of research for many years but recently these areas have come to the forefront in research in many different disciplines. There are many departments and groups across the University of Oxford that are using and developing AI tools in their research. Many of these research projects have practical applications in medicine, the environment, business and many other areas of society.

Image shows many bubbles cascading out from a central, larger sphere.

Image created by Nidia Dias as part of the Visualising AI project launched by Google DeepMind. Free to use under the Unsplash License

The Bodleian Libraries have recently launched the ORA (Oxford Research Archive) collection on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning available from the homepage of ORA (Oxford Research Archive), the institutional repository for the University of Oxford.

The ORA AI collection gathers AI-related research on many journal articles, conference papers, working papers, preprints, and more – produced by the members of the University of Oxford and mostly available in full text on ORA. The ORA AI homepage also provides links to Oxford AI-related research activities and to research information included in a range of other platforms.

Image shows the sillouette of a human head with scientific symbols.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC 4.0

To mark the launch of the ORA AI collection, an event showcasing current research on AI and Machine Learning from DPhil students and early career researchers will be held on the 19^th March, 10 -11.30am in the Taylor Institution.

LGBTQ+ History Month

Posted on 9 February 2024 by rachelc

As LGBTQ+ History month kicks off there is a range of informative and enriching events happening throughout the University.

We’d like to take this time to highlight two scientists from the LGBTQ+ community who are represented in the portraiture around the RSL.

Christopher Strachey was a computer scientist, leader in the field of programming languages and pioneer of early video games. See his portrait in the RSL and read more about this amazing figure on our blog.

Our colleagues in the archives have an amazing collection of his working papers and lectures that can also be consulted.

Oliver Sacks is one of the few scientists whose work became well-known through his published accounts of neurological case stories, particularly the adaptation of his book ‘Awakenings’ into a film starring famous American actors. He was also a man who lived at a time when he had to hide his homosexuality for fear of imprisonment or chemical castration. We are grateful to his foundation for allowing us to include this eminent Oxford alumnus in our portraiture. Read more about him on our blog.

Book Display

We have also put together a small book display that you can view in the break out area. The collection highlights the great work of LGBTQ+ scientists and their allies in history such as combatting AIDS or representing the LGBTQ+ community in data. Other titles provide advice for LGBTQ+ scientists or are interesting reads about the lives and experiences of the community.

Beyond our small display, Bodleian Libraries has created a reading list of LGBT+ resources. There are many great books and websites there that you may find useful to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues and history.

Books

France, D. (2017) How to survive a plague : the story of how activists and scientists tamed AIDS. First Vintage books edition. New York: Vintage Books.

Print Book available in the RSL – WC503.7 FRA 2016. Find it in SOLO.

Sánchez, J. P. (ed.) (2020) Succeeding in academic medicine : a roadmap for diverse medical students and residents. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Print Book available in the RSL – W21 SAN 2020. Find it in SOLO.

García, J. J. (2021) Heart, brain and mental health disparities for LGBTQ people of color. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Print book available in the RSL – WA305 HEA 2021. Find it in SOLO.

Pearce, R. (2020) The emergence of trans : cultures, politics and everyday lives. Igi Moon et al. (eds.). Abingdon, Oxon ; Routledge.

Available as an ebook.

Bruce, K. M. (2017) Pride parades : how a parade changed the world. New York: New York University Press.

Available as an ebook.

Snorton, C. R. (2018) Black on both sides : a racial history of trans identity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Available as an ebook.

Book cover of "Sexuality: A graphic guide" by MJ Barker.

Illustrated by Jules Scheele.

Barker, M.-J. (2021) Sexuality : a graphic guide. London: Icon.
Print Book, RSL Wellbeing Room – HQ21 BAR 2021 (WBR).

Find it on SOLO.

Getsy, D. (ed.) (2016) Queer. London: Whitechapel Gallery.

Print Book available from our Offsite Storage. Find it in SOLO.

Guyan, K. (2022) Queer data : using gender, sex and sexuality data for action. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Print Book available in the RSL, HQ73 GUY 2022. Find it in SOLO.

New Resource – Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Posted on 19 January 2024 by rachelc

New online resource

Exciting news for all those interested in the field of Biology and Experimental Psychology, we have now arranged access to a new online resource, the Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science by Shackelford and Weekes–Shackelford.

What is it?

This comprehensive, twelve volume reference work reflects the interdisciplinary influences on evolutionary psychology and serves as a major resource for its history, scientific contributors and theories. It offers the full breadth of an area that is the forefront of behavioural thinking and investigation.

Photograph of four different humanoid skulls with annotations.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Who is this for?

This resource will be of interest to Students and researchers in Biology and Experimental Psychology.

How can I access it?

This book is available through SOLO. To access this off campus use the VPN or sign in to the journal platform with your Single Sign On (SSO).

Winter Mental Health Display 2023

Posted on 13 December 2023 by rachelc

We know that winter and the holidays can be a challenging time for people. Although for some people it is “the most wonderful time of the year”, this isn’t the case for everyone. It can exacerbate existing mental health issues and lead to feelings of loneliness. However, there are resources to help. We have some links below to the Student Welfare pages and the Student Counselling service. You can also pop into the Wellbeing room in the RSL and try out a weighted blanket, some knitting or read a book. We have a collection of novels, poems, wellbeing books and more in our Wellbeing collection. All of the books in the collection can be borrowed.

We have also put together a book display covering topics of mental health and winter blues. The digital display is here on our blog and the physical display is located in the Radcliffe Science Library, in our breakout space downstairs. Stay warm and take care of yourself physically and mentally over the winter period.

Continue reading →

While you’re away from Oxford – summer vacation 2023

Posted on 14 June 2023 by catherinedockerty

Radcliffe Science Library staff would like to wish you a great summer vacation, and look forward to welcoming you back to the newly refurbished RSL in Michaelmas term.

While you’re away from Oxford, we have a wealth of online resources to enable you to continue your studies remotely.

SOLO

You can access the full text of many resources via SOLO when logged in with your Single Sign-On (SSO) ID – look for the green Online access icon to find these.

E-books

The Bodleian Libraries have a large number of e-books which can be accessed via SOLO as detailed above.

If a book you need is not available as an e-book, then we may be able to purchase one – complete the book recommendation form to put in your request.

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO)

ORLO provides 24/7 access to reading lists from a range of devices via your Oxford Single Sign-On ID.

E-journals

All e-journals can be found on SOLO.
BrowZine provides access to journals licensed by the Bodleian Libraries from compatible publishers from 2005 onwards.

Databases

All of Oxford’s databases are accessible via SOLO (filter by Databases under Resource Type) and also via Databases A-Z.

LibGuides

LibGuides list key subject-specific resources, including e-books, e-journals, databases and other resources available online.

Key LibGuides for science and medicine:

Online resources during the summer vacation 2022

Posted on 13 June 2022 by catherinedockerty

The Bodleian Libraries have a wide range of online resources to enable you to continue your studies away from Oxford. Information on online and remote access to Bodleian Libraries services can be found at www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/services/remote-access.

SOLO

You can access the full text of many resources via SOLO when logged in with your Single Sign-On (SSO) ID – look for the green Online access icon to find these. You can also filter search results to see Online Resources only.

E-books

The Bodleian Libraries have a large number of e-books which can be accessed via SOLO as detailed above. We also have a guide to accessing and using e-books.

If a book you need is not available as an e-book, then we may be able to purchase one. Complete the book recommendation form to put in your request.

Reading lists

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) provides 24/7 access to reading lists from a range of devices via your Oxford Single Sign-On ID. More information on ORLO can be found at https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ORLO.

E-journals

All e-journals can be found on SOLO
Alternatively they can be accessed via the E-journals A-Z list
BrowZine provides access to journals licensed by the Bodleian Libraries from compatible publishers from 2005 onwards. More information on BrowZine can be found at https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/BrowZine.

Databases

All of Oxford’s databases are accessible via SOLO (filter by Databases under Resource Type) and also via Databases A-Z.

LibGuides

LibGuides list key subject-specific resources, including e-books, e-journals, databases and other resources available online.

Key LibGuides for science and medicine:

Service disruption as a result of changes to library systems, 16-23 August 2022

The University of Oxford’s libraries are switching to a new system during summer 2022. While we move our data, some services will be reduced or unavailable between 16 to 23 August (inclusive). All services will resume as normal on 24 August.

The Bodleian Libraries will have a coordinated approach to reduce the impact of these disruptions as much as possible. We thank you for your patience while our library system is upgraded.

Help

The Bodleian Libraries Live Chat service is available on the right-hand side of SOLO and is available:

Monday – Friday: 9am – 7pm
Saturday: 10am – 1pm
Sunday: 10am – 1pm

Contacts for further assistance:

Contact RSL staff
Contact BHCL staff

New online reference resource – Bergey’s Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria

Posted on 27 May 2022 by catherinedockerty

We are pleased to announce that Oxford University members now have access to the online version of Bergey’s Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria (BMSAB). This is a microbiology reference work aimed at undergraduates, graduate students and researchers. Bergey’s offers the most complete and authoritative published description of bacterial and archaeal diversity. Now available online for the first time, this edition contains over 1, 750 articles providing descriptions of the taxonomy, systematics, ecology, physiology and other biological properties of all described prokaryotic taxa. Further information about the book is available via the publisher’s website.

Institute of Physics ebooks

Posted on 26 May 2022 by catherinedockerty

The Bodleian Libraries now has access to around 800 Physical Sciences ebooks from the Institute of Physics. Access will run until May 10, 2023 and include new titles as they are published. After this date, titles on reading lists or heavily used will be permanently retained. Content is DRM-free (so readers can print and save text as needed) and searchable at chapter level. Titles are hosted on the IOPscience platform, alongside IOP journal content

Titles include:

Research and reference texts including monographs, handbooks and edited collections
Texts for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level students
Accessible broad interest titles often taking a multidisciplinary approach