The Bodleian Library and Merton College

The Bodleian Library

Duke Humphrey's Library
Photo by David Iliff

One of the most astounding aspects of the Bodleian Library to me was its evolution. It has been through so many changes in regards to the physical construction of the buildings and what items are in the collection. Yet, when I stepped into the Duke Humphrey's Library, the Divinity School, Chancellor's Court, and Convocation House, I felt like I had been transported back in time. There were moments when I expected the next person to walk through the door to be in 15th century attire, ready to examine a manuscript. What struck me the most is that even though new technology is being incorporated into this facility and organization, there is a respect and appreciation for the origins of these rooms and buildings. It's not just the material that is being preserved.

When I found out we would be visiting the Bodleian I was immediately ecstatic. It is featured in one of my most recent favorite novels, and I spent so much time studying the descriptions in the book, trying to paint the most accurate picture in my head. I often found myself wondering if what I was reading was truly accurate to what students and faculty experience today. What I found is that yes, the borrowing policies and procedures for research studies were spot on, but I learned so much more about the actual function of the library. The most interesting part for me was the shelving system. Items are shelved by size.

This is the original system devised by Bodley. He felt that placing a small book next to a large book was a waste of space. Through the years cataloging has changed with different trends but it is now back to Bodley's system. What is even more interesting is that the books were shelved spine in. It boggles my mind to imagine a library full of books without the benefit of seeing the spine. This is my guide every day at work to finding what I need. The system in place was to number every book by painting it on the page edges facing out. A list was provided at the end of the shelves explaining what each number belonged to. What is different now from the origin of this system is that the catalog is accessible online. Today, the research library is not open access and the items are not available for checkout. If you want to utilize something within the library you must pre-order and your books will be taken to a work station for your use. I find myself constantly brought back to the thought that the library has come full circle back to Bodley's original design and there is a kind of poetry to that.

Merton College

The Merton College Upper Library sits above the Mob Quadrangle, the oldest quadrangle on Merton College Campus. When you ascend up the narrow staircase and emerge in the historic L shaped room, it’s easy to believe that this library is the oldest continuous use library in the world. At a glance, it appears as though students from a different age have momentarily stepped away from their study space, but could walk in at any moment. The wooden bookshelves, tiled floors, chained books, and crests on the wall imprinted on my mind just how long this space has been preserved for the use of sharing information. It was interesting to see the objects displayed in the Upper Library, some in cases but many of them sitting freely without a defined protective barrier. These objects include Thomas Bodley’s funeral helm, a baptismal font gifted by Alexander I, and navigational tools such as an astrolabe.

One of my questions was about the actual use the Upper Library receives from students. As most of the texts appeared to be quite old, I wondered about procedures for use. I was informed that while the library is still in use, its purpose is mainly for students studying the history of books. The focus is not so much on what is in the text, but the physical aspect of the text itself. After hearing this I took a closer look at several of the volumes and discovered that the books are actually chained to the shelf. The purpose as I’m sure most people can guess, theft protection. I always seem to evaluate the actions of the past in terms of what I know today about the library system I currently work in. The way things have evolved. That chain signifies to me the practice of putting special strips in our library materials that when removed from the building without checking out properly, set off an alarm at the exit. From chains to tiny almost undetectable pieces of plastic, some goals of the library remain the same through the ages. This is one of the reasons that I know, even when people question how change affects our organizations in terms of technology, that we grow and change with it. Libraries evolve, and we will always have a place in this world.