As a result of university wide policy changes due to Covid-19, the Bodleian Libraries will be closing tomorrow. These changes were announced in an email to Modern Languages students, and the information is expected to be released university-wide later today.
In an email to Modern Language students, the faculty wrote:
“All Libraries / Reading Rooms – including the Taylor Institution Library – will close to readers for the foreseeable future, at 5pm today. All public spaces (e.g. Weston Library and Old Bodleian) are closed with immediate effect (alongside all GLAM public spaces e.g. Ashmolean Museum). All book deliveries and loans will cease from 5pm today. Existing books on loan will be auto-renewed until 19 June.
“We are already scaling up our digital services in order to support readers, including a greater focus on ebook provision and enhanced scanning services for open shelf material. The majority of these services will be supported by staff working from home. We will maintain the Scan-and-deliver service from the BSF, and a new ‘Scan-and-deliver+’ service from Oxford library locations. This will be operated by small teams working on rotation. Further details will be provided in due course.”
The Bodleian Libraries later shared this information on Twitter.
Speaking to Cherwell, they stated: “From Tuesday 17th March onwards The Ashmolean Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University Natural History Museum and History of Science Museum are closed to the public.These steps are part of the University’s continued steps to prioritise the health and welfare of staff, students and the local community in the light of the UK’s escalating coronavirus situation.
“The Bodleian Libraries also closed their library sites from 5pm on 17th March but readers will still be able to access a wide range of online resources for remote working, including access to eJournals and ebooks, a scan-and-deliver service, the Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) service, and an expanded Live-Chat service for enquiries is available at https://bit.ly/BodleianOnline .
“The University parks and Botanic Garden and Arboretum will remain open. Updates will continue to be posted on the University’s coronavirus advice webpage: http://bit.ly/coronavirus-advice. More information on The Bodleian Libraries online services can be found here: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/news/2020/keeping-the-university-reading/_nocache.”
Further information will be updated if and when it becomes available.
This article has been updated at 13:23 to reflect the statement shared on Twitter, and again at 18:06 to reflect their comment.
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