The head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford in England, is known as Bodley's Librarian: both are named after the founder, Sir Thomas Bodley(pictured). Although Oxford had had a university library since about 1320, it had declined by the end of the 16th century, so Bodley offered in 1598 to restore it. The first Librarian, Thomas James, was selected in 1599, and the Bodleian opened in 1602. Bodley wanted the Librarian to be diligent, a linguist, unmarried and not a parish priest, although James persuaded him to dispense with the last two requirements. In all, 24 people have served as Bodley's Librarian, some less well than others, with John Price (who held the post from 1768 to 1813) accused of "a regular and constant neglect of his duty". The current Librarian, Sarah Thomas, was appointed in 2007; she is the first woman, and the first foreign librarian, to run the Bodleian. She said that when she saw the job description, "it was love at first sight". (more...)
Today's featured picture
A male Tiphiid wasp (Agriomyia sp.), feeding on nectar. Although the adults are nectarivores, the larvae are almost universally parasitoids of various beetle larvae. A female wasp will paralyze the victim and lay an egg on it. When the egg hatches, the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. As some of the scarab species attacked by tiphiids are pests, some of these wasps are considered beneficial as biological control agents.
