History Faculty Library
Collections and Resources

Catalogues

Of the History Faculty Library's total holdings of over 74,000 volumes, most of them (about 57,500 books), including all of the lending collections and the most heavily-used reference materials, can be found on OLIS, our online catalogue (the Oxford Libraries Information Service). About 16,000 of our older and less-used reference books, which are mostly shelved in closed stacks, remain to be added to the online catalogue. For the present, these may be found by consulting the card catalogue, which is located in the West Room, just inside the main Library entrance. Entries for all materials added to our collections up until the end of July 2002 are also held on the card catalogue, at which point the card catalogue was closed. No further records will be added to the card catalogue.

Computer Workstations

  • The West Room has six reader workstations and one dedicated OLIS terminal.
  • The Maitland Room has two reader workstations and one dedicated OLIS terminal.
  • The Maitland Gallery has one multi-media machine, three reader workstations, and two dedicated OLIS terminals.

Document Packs

Many of the texts set for the Honour School of Modern History Optional, Further, and Special Subjects can be difficult to obtain, therefore the Library compiles, with copyright permission where necessary, ready-made sets of photocopies of particularly scarce texts for students to purchase. Currently, some 34 document packs are available for sale. Sets are priced at roughly the same rate as self-service photocopying, plus 10%. The Library will usually repurchase, at a lower price, sets sold for £25.00 and over, provided that they are in reasonable condition. A list of the document packs available for sale in 2003-2004 is available.

Maps

The Library has a small teaching collection of wall maps available for loan to senior members. Anyone interested in borrowing one should contact Library staff.

Microfilms

All the items within the collection of Microfilms held in the History Faculty Library are available for loan to both senior members and to research-level students. Microfilm reading and printing facilities are currently not available within the History Faculty Library; however, these facilities are available within the Bodleian Library, which is located a few metres from the History Faculty Library. Anyone interested in borrowing a microfilm should contact Library staff.

Periodicals

The Library currently subscribes to over 60 major journals in the subject field of History. These are available for reference use only, shelved in the Maitland Gallery. Our periodicals have all very recently been listed on OLIS, our online catalogue, and in addition an online listing of History Faculty Library Periodicals is available and printed lists are also located in the Reading Rooms.

Prize Essays

Undergraduate essays submitted within the Faculty of History and awarded the Arnold, Gladstone, and Gibbs Prizes from the year 2002 onwards, are held within the Library. They are available for reference use only within the Library and are consulted on the customary basis for theses: neither quotations from the essays nor information derived from them may be published, nor photocopies made from the essays, without the prior consent of the author. A listing of History Faculty Library Prize Essays for 2002 is available online.

Reserve Collection

The Library maintains a Reserve Collection of materials which are available on request. The majority of the items are for reference use only, and may not be removed from the Library. Some of the non-book media, however, may be borrowed. All reference items have to be signed for before use and then handed back to in to the Issues and Enquiries Desk before departure. The types of material that can be found within the Reserve Collection are:

  • Set texts
  • Festschriften and collected essays;
  • Heavily-used, rare, or costly items from the general reference collection;
  • Pamphlet collection;
  • Non-book media (videos, CD-ROMs, and microform materials);
  • History of Science Chemistry Part II theses;
  • Unbound Examiners' Reports;
  • Unbound Schools and Honour Mods papers; and
  • Unbound Higher Degree papers.

Undergraduate Set Texts

Some material for undergraduates is now available in electronic format:

Videos

Our Video Collection includes some items which are available for loan. A video machine, with a 24-inch screen, is located in the Electronic Media Room off the Maitland Gallery, on the second floor of the building. The room can accommodate small groups of up to four people, and may be booked in advance, at the main Issues and Enquiry Desk.

CD-ROMs

Our small CD-ROM Collection also includes some which are available for loan; others may be consulted only in the Electronic Media Room off the Maitland Gallery, on the second floor.

Electronic Datasets and Primary Resources (across the Oxford University Library Services)

Additionally, a wide range of Electronic Datasets and Primary Resources for History is also available as networked resources across the University and beyond via the OxLIP (Oxford Libraries Information Platform) interface.

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University of Oxford

Faculty of History

Last updated:26 November, 2003