Author Archives: dawnyoung

Our Book of the Month choice for July

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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.

 Sarah Rhodes, Subject Consultant for International Development and Forced Migration selecting some books from the SSL shelves.

July’s Book of the Month has been selected by Sarah Rhodes, Subject Consultant for International Development and Forced Migration.

Cover of the book 'Handbook on Humanitarian Crises' edited by Alpaslan Ozerdem. A infographic of a rosette is on the top of the book which says 'SSL Book of the Month.'

Handbook on Humanitarian Crises

Alpaslan Özerdem (Editor)

Edward Elgar, 2025

BJ1475.3.HAN 2025

Book Overview

This Handbook provides a clear overview of the impacts of and responses to humanitarian crises. It explores their many causes, including political instability, natural disasters, and economic inequality, while highlighting the significant difficulties faced by humanitarian workers.

Reviews

‘[The Handbook] is one of those rare compilations possessing the imaginative power and practical insight needed to help recreate an entire field of thought and practice.  The essays collected here take a refreshingly critical look at the conceptual foundations, current operations, and future prospects of the field of humanitarian intervention’.

Professor Richard E. Rubenstein, George Mason University, USA

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 BJ1475.3.HAN 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.

Take the SSL home with you: Ways to access our collections 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.

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.

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?

A person holding a blue speech bubble with a question mark on it.

Any questions, just get in touch with us!

Email: ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: 01865 271093

Vacation Loans have now started

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An infographic of a spot light shining on a book page, with the words 'Vacation Borrowing' highlighted.

For our readers with University cards, our vacation loans started yesterday (Monday 15th June).

Any books borrowed on or after this date will be due back in the first week of Michaelmas Term on Tuesday 13 October 2026 (Tuesday of 1st Week).

Any books currently on loan that are eligible for renewal, will automatically renew until Tuesday 13th October once they reach their current due date.

Any questions on the above? Please do contact us.

Bodleian iSkills Workshops taking place in 8th Week: Monday 15 to Friday 19 June

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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 8th Week Trinity Term

Tuesday 16 June

Working with sensitive research data
🕘 11:00-13:00 | 📍Social Science Library
Learn the essentials of managing sensitive or restricted research data, including confidentiality, consent, cybersecurity, and data management.

Thursday 18 June

REF open access policy briefing
🕘 11:00-12:00 | 💻 Online
Make sure your work complies with the open access policy for REF 2029. Get up to speed on new requirements and where you can find help 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 Trinity 2026 below. All workshops must be booked in advance via the Bodleian iSkills website.

Green information booklet with the heading: iSkills Trinity term 2026. 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.

Finishing your degree this summer? Things to remember before you go

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A pad and pen on a desk, with the words 'Library Checklist' on it. Next to it is a black covered notebook with the outline of a person wearing a mortarboard.

Here are a number of library related things to keep in mind as you prepare to finish your degree and leave Oxford.

Return all your library books

Please return your books to the library from which you originally borrowed them. Find out the SSL’s opening hours on our webpage.

Pay for any Lost Books

If you have lost an item borrowed from one of the Bodleian Libraries, contact the library from which the item was borrowed with the author’s name, the title of the book, the shelfmark (if possible) and your name and email address.

If the book is not found, you will usually be required to pay a lost book charge.

If you have already been invoiced for a book you have lost, please pay the amount before you leave.

Consider donating textbooks

We would be pleased to receive personal copies of social sciences textbooks that are in reasonable condition and cited on reading lists. We would add these to our lending stock so future students benefit from increased provision.

In cases where we don’t have sufficient space to add donations to our collections, we send them on to a charitable non-profit organisation.

Please pass any donations to staff at our Issue Desk.

Use up your PCAS credit

PCAS logo. 3 rectangles, one yellow, one light blue and one dark blue with the word PCAS verticall next to them.

Any unused credit on your PCAS account cannot be refunded and so we urge you to use it before you leave Oxford. On request, credit can be transferred to another PCAS account. Please email PCAS Support for assistance. 

Find out about Alumni Privileges

BODLEIAN Reader’s card

Person stood reading a book in the reading rooms of the Radcliffe Camera.

As a graduate of the University of Oxford you are entitled to apply for a Bodleian Reader Card (this is different to your “My Oxford” Alumni card). This card will grant you reference access to the Bodleian Libraries. Details on how to apply are on the University of Oxford degree holders applying for a Bodleian Reader card webpage.

‘My Oxford’ Alumni Card

My Oxford Card. Blue background with an image of the Radcliffe Camera on it.

Graduates can register for a “My Oxford” Alumni card. This will provide you with a range of benefits and discounts.

Being an Oxford Alum entitles you to remote access to selected electronic resources. More information can be found on the Alumni Journals access webpage.

If you have a Bodleian reader card, you will also be able to access electronic resources in the Bodleian Libraries via reader PCs.

RefWorks Reference Manager

If you have a RefWorks account, you will be able to continue to use RefWorks once you have left the University. However, you need to ensure you sign in with a personal email address to continue using the service as alumni. If you currently use your single sign (SSO) to log in to RefWorks, please read the information on the Bodleian Libraries Reference Management Guide..

Returning Student Card

If you are returning for another Oxford degree course next academic year, you can apply for a returning student card from Bodleian Admissions to retain access to the Bodleian Libraries and borrow books in the gap between your courses.

Two photos on a desk with Graduates throwing their hats in the air. Under are the words The SSL staff wish you good luck for the future.

Bodleian iSkills Workshops taking place in 7th Week: Mon 8th to Fri 12th June

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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 Trinity Term

Zotero for referencing
🗓️ Monday 8 June | 🕘 13.30-15.00 | 💻 Online Looking for an easier way to collect, manage, and cite references? In this session you’ll be introduced to Zotero — a tool that helps you organize references and add in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies to your documents.

Managing research data and Data Management Planning (DMPs)
🗓️ Friday 12 June | 🕘 10.00-11.30 | 💻 Online Take control of your research data! Find out how to manage, store, and share it effectively, understand Oxford’s data policy, and make the most of the support on offer.

Using AI to find, analyse and share information sources
🗓️ Friday 12 June | 🕘 11.00-13.30 |📍IT Services Designed for those new to AI, this practical session will allow you to independently experiment with three GenAI tools and participate in group discussions to explore their strengths and limitations.

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 Trinity 2026 below. All workshops must be booked in advance via the Bodleian iSkills website.

Green information booklet with the heading: iSkills Trinity term 2026. 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.

Library Refurbishment over Summer Vacation 2026

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Our library entrance area will be fully refurbished over the Summer Vacation 2026, to include:

  • A welcoming and accessible entrance
  • Two new Group Study Rooms
  • A new zone of informal study space

Please note that we will be closed to readers during August and September 2026 to facilitate building works but we will continue to offer key services. Full details on these interim services will be posted in due course.

If you have any questions or concerns, do speak to a member of library staff or contact us via email.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Architects’ drawings …

Proposed 3-D View of Library Entrance Foyer (subject to change) ©Associated Architects
Proposed 3-D View of Library Help Desk area from entrance side (subject to change) ©Associated Architects
Proposed 3-D View of Library Help Desk area from the staff side (subject to change) ©Associated Architects
Proposed 3-D View of new study space, opposite book display area (subject to change) ©Associated Architects
Proposed 3-D View of two new Group Study Rooms (subject to change) ©Associated Architects

Pride Month Book Display

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The Pride Month book display on the shelves in the Social Science Library. Pride flags surround the books.

Happy Pride Month from the SSL! To celebrate, our latest pop-up book display showcases the cultural movements and lived experiences of LGBT+ communities throughout the world.

We’ve included a range of books, from cultural works 100 Queer Poems and David Bowie Made me Gay, to the memoirs A Dutiful Boy and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, and books on activism such as Inside the circle : queer culture and activism in Northwest China and We can do better than this : 35 voices on the future of LGBTQ+ rights.

You’ll find the book display around the corner from our Issue Desk. Please feel free to browse the titles, some books are for library use only and others can be borrowed (by University card holders). All have a bookmark in them to tell you which are which.

To learn more about Pride month and the events happening around Oxford, visit the Oxford Pride website: Oxford Pride UK

Introduction to FT.Com Webinar: Monday 8 June

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An open laptop with Bodleian iSkills on the screen. Next to in on table is a cup of coffee, a phone and notepad and pen.

FT.com is the digital platform of the Financial Times, offering expert coverage of global business, economics and financial frameworks through award-winning journalism, analysis and commentary. Access is available free of charge to University of Oxford students, faculty, and researchers via the Bodleian Libraries’ institutional subscription.

This webinar, led by FT.com specialists, will provide an overview of the platform and showcase features designed to support analysis and teaching. The session will include tailored recommendations for faculty and researchers in Business and Economics, with practical guidance on using FT.com to enhance coursework, classroom discussion and independent research. This will include a review of new features and tools such as:

  • ‘Ask FT’ for AI based topic exploration and discovery
  • ‘MyFT’ for personalised content tracking
  • Curated newsletters for latest insights
  • Article annotation as a methodological aid

There will be an opportunity to discuss development of course and research content and attendees who are librarians, course convenors or staff members will be particularly welcome.

By the end of the session you will be able to:

  • Create an account with FT.Com
  • Make use of new features such as MyFT
  • Understand how AI is shaping access to the insights provided
  • maximise benefots to courses and research

This Webinar, aimed at Oxford University researchers and staff, will take place online via Teams on Monday 8 June, 2pm – 3pm.

Sign up to attend via the iSkills Workshops booking page.

Our Resource of the Month for June: The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions, 1945-1991

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Each month we choose an electronic resource which we feel will be of interest to you.

An infographic of a laptop. On top of the screen and going to the right is a banner which says 'June Resource of the Month'

Our Resource of the Month for June is The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions, 1945-1991.

Resource Overview

During the Cold War America’s CIA ran the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), in order to collate, transcribe and translate news sources from countries seen to be hostile to the U.S. The FBIS enabled U.S. secret agents to follow events and discussions within the Soviet Union, for example, in addition to China, North Vietnam, Iran, and North Korea. The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions 1945 – 1991 offers English translations of key news sources from these countries, published throughout the Cold War.

Where can you access the resource

This resource can be accessed via SOLO. A Single-Sign-On (SSO) is required to access the resource remotely, as access is restricted to Oxford University students and staff members.