Using the Archive
A handy guide to procedures for accessing the Conservative Party Archive is available for download here.
Use of the Conservative Party Archive is restricted to holders of Category A Bodleian Libraries' reader's cards only - which is required for readers consulting manuscript material and special collections (Undergraduates, please see below).
To obtain a Category A reader's card, you will need to go to the Admissions Office on the day of your first visit, with your completed Admissions Form A. You should also bring either a letter of recommendation (addressed to us) or a completed Admissions Form B, part B2 of which incorporates a requirement for a recommendation by an appropriate person (i.e., preferably your supervisor but definitely not yourself). If you are a graduate of Oxford University, no recommendation is required.
On presentation of your completed form(s), valid proof of identity and payment (if relevant), the Admissions Office will issue your reader's card there and then.
Please be sure to provide the correct documentation as without it you will not be issued with the correct type of reader's card, which will prevent you from having access to the papers.
Further details of the admissions process can be found here.
Undergraduates
The Admissions Office will not issue a Category A reader’s ticket to undergraduates, which is usually required for manuscript access, but will issue a Category S card which only provides entitlement to consult printed books.
Provided that material has been requested in advance from the Conservative Party Archivist, the printed books only restriction will be waived and you will be given access to the papers on the basis of your S card. You still need to obtain your supervisor’s recommendation and follow the steps outlined above, including completion of Admissions Forms A and B.
Undergraduates from Oxford University who already hold a Category S Bodleian Library reader’s card must ask their supervisor to complete the Application for Undergraduate Access to Research Collections form and present this to the reading room staff on their first visit.
Please note that Undergraduates from other universities are not usually allowed to visit the Bodleian Library during Oxford term time. Depending on the availability of space in the reading room, this restriction can be waived, but you will first need to check with the Conservative Party Archivist whether it is possible to accommodate you on your selected day, and your supervisor must contact the Admissions Office on your behalf, in advance of your visit, to explain why it is essential that you visit during term time. Failure to do this may mean that you are refused entry into the Library.