In the lead-up to Hilary term, only 4 selected hub libraries – the Old Bodleian, Social Science Library, Sackler Library and Vere Harmsworth Library – will be open for study.
These libraries will operate normal vacation hours (listed at the end of this article) until the official start of Hilary term, while “all other libraries will move to provide zero-contact services with Reading Rooms closed for those sites,” a Bodleian Libraries spokesperson shared.
This comes amidst an announcement by Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan, regarding the opening of university facilities for students. In her letter to students on 31 December, Donelan announced that “libraries, study spaces, and performance areas” in universities will be open to students who are eligible to return from 4 January.
For the start of Hilary term, the Bodleian Libraries will prioritise the provision of remote and zero-contact services, such as Live Chat, Scan and Deliver, and Click and Collect.
In Michaelmas Term, all lending libraries, including those whose reading rooms are temporarily closed, offered Click and Collect services. The exceptions were the Bodleian History Faculty Library which offered Browse and Borrow services, non-lending libraries, and the Bodleian Health Care Libraries.
The Bodleian Libraries have also begun to initiate access to the HathiTrust service once again, which provides emergency access to millions of e-books. The HathiTrust is a not-for-profit collaboration of academic and research libraries across the world and a major digital repository. Current members of the University can access these resources directly via the HathiTrust website using their Single Sign-On.
“We are always reviewing our services in light of changing information and will provide further updates when possible,” the Bodleian Libraries spokesperson added.
Information for booking a library time slot can be found here.
Information on how to make a Scan and Deliver request can be found here.
Vacation hours for selected hub libraries, according to Bodleian Libraries website:
Old Bodleian
Mon-Fri: 9:00 to 19:00
Sat:10:00 to 16:00
Sun: 12:00 to 18:00
Social Science Library
Mon-Fri: 9:30-19:00
Sat: 10:00-18:00
Sun: Closed
Sackler Library
Mon-Fri: 9:30-21:00
Sat: 11:00-18:00
Sun: 12:00-18:00
Vere Harmsworth Library
Mon-Fri: 9:30-19:00
Sat: 10:00-16:00
Sun: Closed
Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
