Service updates

Updates on services, resources, and support available to help you carry on with your work and research.

For further help or questions, please email reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or use our Live Chat service in the footer of this page.

Page last updated: 1 June 2026

Latest service changes

Summer building works affecting the Law Library

Two essential building infrastructure projects that will affect the Law Library are taking place from Monday 8 June – Friday 7 August and from Thursday 13 August – Friday 4 September.

The noisiest work will be carried out before 9am, but library users are likely to experience some disruption at times during daytime hours, especially on the north side (University Parks/playing fields side) of the building.

Monday 8 June – Friday 7 August: Air handling unit replacement

Ventilation equipment in a plant room at ground level on the north side (University Parks/playing fields side) of the building will be removed and replaced. The Graduate Reading Room, Small Computer Room and Official Papers seating area are relatively close to the work area so will be most affected by any noise. Please note that during this time there will be no mechanical ventilation on the Ground Floor or Level 1 of the library.

Thursday 13 August – Friday 4 September: Transformer replacement

Transformer replacement work will be taking place in the electrical substation which powers the St Cross and Manor Road Buildings. This is in the carpark, directly opposite the Graduate Reading Room and Small Computer Room. For the duration of the project, the building will be powered by a diesel generator which will run continuously in the carpark next to the substation. This will generate some noise and smell, especially along the north side (University Parks/playing fields side) of the building. To mitigate this, library staff may need to close windows along this side of the building at times.

Extended offsite lending from Michaelmas 2025

• An additional 1.4 million books housed in Bodleian offsite storage are now available to borrow for University members, bringing the total to 2 million.
• Books published from the year 2000 onwards will be available to borrow unless they fall into excluded categories. 
• Older offsite items that can already be borrowed will stay that way.

Borrowing terms

Items can be borrowed according to our usual rules for borrowing and reserving books.

All Bodleian card holders can reserve books that are currently on loan. Items will have a one-week loan period, so they should be unavailable for no longer than 7 days.

Why this matters

• This creates a more inclusive service for readers who face challenges in accessing collections during available opening hours.
• It offers more flexibility for readers who find library spaces difficult to use, allowing them to choose environments that suit their study preferences or needs.
• It responds to feedback from 2024 University consultations and repeated concerns from reader surveys.

Review and feedback

We will closely monitor extended lending for items held offsite. A formal review will take place in 2027.

Please send any feedback, or forward any comments from readers, to reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Specialist digital resources

At the end of 2024, we had to take a number of specialist digital resources offline. This was a precautionary step in line with University guidance to ensure we were protected from a hostile cyber-attack.

We acknowledge this had to happen faster than we would have liked and we were unable to give much advance notice to the affected scholars and communities who used the resources. We apologise for the disruption to your research.

For the resources that are currently unavailable we have been developing plans to either rebuild and replace the sites (which requires additional funding to be secured), or to incorporate the data into existing digital infrastructure, or in some cases to allow other organisations to take responsibility for hosting the data.

The following information shows how each of our resources are being managed through this transition.