Our Book of the Month choice for April

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The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.

Helen Worrell (Subject Consultant for Anthropology, selecting a book from the SSL shelves.

April’s Book of the Month was selected by Helen Worrell, Subject Consultant for Anthropology.

Marcus Banks; edited by David Zeitlyn and Chihab El Khachab.

Understanding social images: essays on visual methods and teaching anthropology

Berghahn, 2025

GN347.BAN 2025

Book Overview

This edited volume celebrates the work of Marcus Banks (1960-2020). It showcases his contributions to contemporary anthropology and demonstrates the importance of integrating visual methods into social and cultural anthropology. 

Reviews

“This book ambitiously addresses a wide array of topics, including ethical issues and presents a diverse range of perspectives.” 

Aleksandra Gracjasz, Leiden University

How can I access it?

We have one lending copy of this book, which is located on our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). Its shelfmark is GN347.BAN 2025. We also have an eBook of the title available via SOLO. The eBook can be accessed from a Bodleian Library computer or can be used remotely, by logging on to SOLO with your SSO.

Image of an open book with the pages curled to form a love heart

What would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.

Our Resource of the Month for April: Ethnographic Video Online: Volumes 1-5

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Each month, one of our Subject Librarians chooses an electronic resource which they feel will be of interest to you.

Helen Worrell (Subject Consultant for Anthropology) sat a computer in the Social Science Library.

April’s Resource of the Month has been selected by Helen Worrell, Subject Consultant for Anthropology.

An open laptop on a table. On the screen are the words 'Ethnographic Video Online: Volumes 1-5'. Next to the laptop are a cup of coffee and a notepad and pen.

Helen’s choice is Ethnographic Video Online: Volumes 1-5.

Overview

Ethnographic Video Online gives access to a wide range of ethnographic films, from classics to contemporary ethnographies. It also highlights videos created by and for indigenous communities. Videos can be filtered by a range of options, such as keyword or language. Videos are also catalogued individually in SOLO to maximise discoverability.

Where can you access the resource

Ethnographic Video Online: Volumes 1-5 available to access via SOLO.

A Single-Sign-On (SSO) is required to access this database remotely, as it is restricted to Oxford University students and staff members.

Oxford Books Pop-Up Book Display

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Here at the SSL, we’ve been inspired by the Oxford Literary Festival to explore the many books based in the city or written by Oxford alumni. As we near the Easter weekend, why not pop by the SSL and browse our new pop-up book display to get inspiration for a bank holiday read?

Image shows the Oxford Books Book Display case. The grey display unit holds 4 shelves of books either based in Oxford or by authors who attended Oxford University, on top of the cabinet is a poster advertising the display.

From J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, Oxford alumni have published a wide array of fiction. If you’d prefer to get lost in the fictional streets of Oxford, why not check out Philip Pullman’s Lyra’s Oxford or Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches.

The books featured in the display are on loan to us from the Collections Storage Facility (CSF). They are for use in the library only and cannot be borrowed. Do feel free to remove them from the display to look at in the library and then return them there afterwards.

Bodleian iSkills workshops taking place in 10th Week, Hilary Term (23rd– 27th March)

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Image shows a laptop displaying the text: BODLEIAN i.Skills. On the left of the laptop is a a pile of 4 books and above the books there is a clock.

Build your confidence with the Bodleian iSkills programme, a series of free workshops that empower students, researchers, and staff at the University of Oxford to develop essential skills in discovering, critically evaluating, managing, presenting and sharing information in an evolving digital and physical world.

Workshops taking place in 10th Week Hilary Term

Monday 23 March
REF open access policy briefing
🕘 11:00-12:00 | 💻 Online
Make sure your research meets the new REF open access requirements. Get up to speed on what’s changed and where you can find help at Oxford.

Wednesday 25 March

Preregistration and registered reports: What, why, and how
🕘 10:30-12:00 | 💻 Online
Gain practical experience writing an effective preregistration and learn which format and platform will work best for your research.

Thursday 26 March
Logistics of open scholarship
🕘 10:00-11:30 | 💻 Online
This session covers the logistics of researching, publishing, and locating open scholarship resources and tools at Oxford.

To view a full list of this terms workshops go to the Bodleian iSkills website or take a look at the iSkills term card for Hilary 2026 below. All workshops must be booked in advance via the Bodleian iSkills website.

Pink information booklet with the heading: iSkills Hilary term 2025. Features the Bodleian Library logo. The subheading reads: Free training for students, researchers and staff to become confident, capable and ethical users of information data.

Weston Library Exhibition – ‘Pets & their People’ Book Display

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To tie in with the Weston Library exhibition titled Pets & their People (running until 27th September 2026), we have created a pop-up book display located in the Social Science Library (SSL).

Image shows the Weston Library Exhibition Display case. The grey display unit holds 4 shelves of books on animals and pets. The exhibition poster is on top of the case with the image of a cat wearing a red bonnet and the title 'Pets & their People'.

The exhibition in the Weston Library explores how the relationship between humans and their pets has evolved over 10,000 years of domestication. It asks: how has the special bond between owners and pets changed, and what does this reveal about who we are?

People & their Pets invites you to explore depictions of pets and human/animal companionship in stories, imagery, and poetry in the Bodleian’s collections. From the letters that inspired The Wind in the Willows and a rare first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, to one of the earliest recorded depictions of an assistance dog for the blind, the Bodleian is filled with animal treasures. The book display in the SSL highlights the wide array of animal literature and non-fiction books in the Bodleian’s collections, from Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot to Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk.

The book display contains books from the Collections Storage Facility (CSF). The items from the CSF are for use in the library only and cannot be borrowed. You are welcome to remove books from the display to look at in the library and return them there afterwards.

You can find out more about this and upcoming exhibitions in the Weston Library on the Visit Bodleian website.

Bodleian iSkills workshops taking place in 9th Week, Hilary Term (16th – 20th March)

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Image shows a laptop displaying the text: BODLEIAN i.Skills. On the left of the laptop is a a pile of 4 books and above the books there is a clock.

Build your confidence with the Bodleian iSkills programme, a series of free workshops that empower students, researchers, and staff at the University of Oxford to develop essential skills in discovering, critically evaluating, managing, presenting and sharing information in an evolving digital and physical world.

Workshops taking place in 7th Week Hilary Term

Tuesday 17 March
Science communication: An introduction to translating your research for a non-specialist audience
🕘 11:00-12:00 | 💻 Online
This session introduces the essentials of science communication and explores how to make your research accessible and engaging for different audiences.

To view a full list of this terms workshops go to the Bodleian iSkills website or take a look at the iSkills term card for Hilary 2026 below. All workshops must be booked in advance via the Bodleian iSkills website.

Pink information booklet with the heading: iSkills Hilary term 2025. Features the Bodleian Library logo. The subheading reads: Free training for students, researchers and staff to become confident, capable and ethical users of information data.

Spring Wellbeing Book Display March 2026

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Daffodils are out, Bees are buzzing, and Cadbury’s Creme Eggs are being eaten (outside the library of course), which must mean it’s time for the Spring Wellbeing Book Display.

Image shows the Spring Wellbeing Book Display case. The grey display unit holds 4 shelves of books on nature, recipes, and exploring Oxford and a poster advertising the display. The display is decorated with yellow origami daffodils, butterflies, and Easter chicks.

Why not take a break from studying and explore our array of spring and nature books on our new pop-up book display? From spring recipes and gardening books to The Secret Garden and a poetic ode to The Nightingale, we have books for all your springtime wellbeing needs.

The books featured in the display are on loan to us from the Collections Storage Facility (CSF). They are for use in the library only and cannot be borrowed. Do feel free to remove them from the display to look at in the library and then return them there afterwards.

Image depicts wellbeing corner in the Social Science Library. There are 3 blue arm chairs with pink cushions with a coffee table in front of them. On the coffee table there is a jigsaw puzzle, mindful colouring books, coloured pencils, and 3 puzzle books. In the corner there is a large plant.

Did you know that we have a Wellbeing Corner in the SSL? Located behind the reader PC area is a space where readers can take some time to relax while visiting the library. In our Wellbeing Corner you will find:

  • Mindful colouring books and colouring pencils
  • Puzzle books
  • Origami material and instructions guides and books
  • Jigsaw puzzle

Take the SSL home with your: ways to access our collection remotely

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Image of a house in the distance across a field of yellow flowers. There are trees on each side of the house and blue skies behind. In the sky are the words 'Take the SSL home with you'

If you are an Oxford University student or staff member and need to access library resources while you are away from Oxford, follow our tips below:

Remote access via SOLO

An open laptop with a book on top of it

Access e-books, e-journals and databases remotely by logging in to SOLO with your Single Sign On (SSO) Take a look at the Bodleian Libraries SOLO Guide for further information.

Live Chat

The Bodleian Live Chat box.

For help with finding and using items on SOLO, you can also get immediate assistance via SOLO Live Chat during working hours (outside of the Bodleian Libraries Easter closure period – see below)

Look for the chat box to the right of the SOLO webpage.

eBooks

Our eBook Subject & Research Guide has lots of information on how to access and use Oxford University eBooks.

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online)

An open laptop with a red book beside it with glasses on top of it.

Most postgraduate reading lists are available on Oxford Reading Lists Online ORLO and scans, online articles and e-books can be accessed there. Take a look at the ORLO reading lists webpage for further information.

Scan & Deliver

An image of the Book Scanner in the Social Science Library.

Scan & Deliver is a free electronic document delivery service which enables you to obtain scans of book chapters or journal articles via email from the Bodleian Libraries’ print collections. Note that this service will closed for the Bodleian Libraries Easter Closure Period – see below.

Online Subject Guides

A close up of a hand holding a phone above a laptop keyboard.

Browse our online Subject Guides to find subject librarians’ specialist support and resources for your research and studies.

An open laptop on a table with a notebook beside it. Text on the laptop reads "Further Information".

For more information on the above, and to find out about further resources available remotely, consult the Bodleian Libraries Online and Remote Access webpage.

Questions, need help?

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Any questions, just get in touch with us!

Email: ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: 01865 271093

Vacation Opening Hours

Our opening hours for the Easter vacation (starting on Monday 23 March) are on our website homepage.

Easter Closure Period

A wooden surface with yellow tulips and speckled eggs on it, forming a circle. In the centre are the words 'Easter Closure Period.'

See our website homepage for details of our Easter closure period.