Radcliffe Science Library
| Radcliffe Science Library | |
|---|---|
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| Looking south at the Library with the Worthington Wing in the foreground | |
| Country | England |
| Type | Academic library |
| Established | 1861 |
| Location | Parks Road, Oxford, England |
| Coordinates | 51°45′28″N 1°15′21″W / 51.7579°N 1.2559°WCoordinates: 51°45′28″N 1°15′21″W / 51.7579°N 1.2559°W |
| Branch of | Bodleian Library |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books and journals in the biological sciences, computing science, experimental psychology, history of science, mathematics, medicine and the physical sciences |
| Size | Around one million items |
| Legal deposit | The library holds the Legal Deposit material in the sciences for Oxford University |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | University Card or Bodleian Libraries reader's card |
| Website | www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/science/ |
The Radcliffe Science Library (RSL) is the main teaching and research science library at the University of Oxford, England.
Being officially part of the Bodleian Library, although with a completely separate building, the library holds the Legal Deposit material for the sciences and is thus entitled to receive a copy of all British scientific publications. The library holds around a million items, with about a quarter of the holdings on display in the reading rooms and the rest held in storage. The library was a reference library rather than a lending library until October 2007 [1]. The nearby Hooke Library which was a science lending library for undergraduates, was integrated into the RSL during August 2007. It is one of the busiest libraries in Oxford, with just over 120,000 visits by approximately 16,000 individuals, and 272,000 items checked out or renewed, in 2008/9.
The library was originally housed in the Radcliffe Camera, but now stands on the corner of Parks Road and South Parks Road in the Science Area of the University, next to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Much of it is underground — the Lankester Reading Room is beneath the southern half of the lawn in front of the museum.
The library is named after John Radcliffe, a major benefactor of the University, like a number of other buildings in Oxford.
Contents |
[edit] The building
The RSL building consists of different wings developed as expansion of the library was necessary
The Jackson Wing was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson in 1901 and is listed Grade II. This wing currently houses parts of the RSL and formally housed part of the Hooke Library on the staircase at its east end. It is arranged over 3 floors, all above ground, with two reading rooms and administration offices.
The Worthington Wing was designed as an extension to the Jackson Wing in 1934 by Hubert Worthington. The wing extends to the north of the western end of the Jackson Wing and contains two reading rooms, on the first and second floors, and the library entrance hall on the ground floor.
The Lankester Room and Main Stack extension was built in 1975. The Lankester Room is a large reading room of the library containing the book collection. The stack contains additional storage for library materials - readers do not have direct access to this, but can request items from it.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Hassall, T. G. (1972). "Roman finds from the Radcliffe Science Library extension, Oxford, 1970-71" (PDF). Oxoniensia 37: 38–50. http://oxoniensia.org/volumes/1972/hassall1.pdf. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
