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My first full day in England was a long one but it did not disappoint. I’d taken extra pains to make sure that even though I was going to join the group late due to my attendance of the ALA Annual Conference, I would be there for our Oxford trip. It was one place I had not visited in England when I’d been in 2013 that had been on my list of top destinations.
Thankfully Oxford and the Bodleian Library hold up to their high regard and were able to stave off my jet lag. Much of this was due to the wonderful docent on our tour at the Bodleian – her enthusiasm and way of presenting the information felt as if I were being told a story. I was excited to see the library of the Harry Potter movies and thrilled when our docent pointed out the exact area where Harry pulled the screaming book off the shelf in the restricted section.
One of the most interesting bits of the tour for me was the story of the namesake of the Bodleian Library, Thomas Bodley. The Bodleian Library began with a donation of lecterns (think car-sized, heavy, locked books) from Sir Humphrey, Duke of Glouchester, to the Divinity School in Oxford in the 14th century. Due to the enormous amount of space the lecterns took up and to protect them from the damp, a library was built above the school to house the books. However, in 1549 Sir Humphrey's donations were destroyed by order of the King and sadly, the library fell into a state of great disrepair. I was very disappointed to hear that the lecterns no longer existed - I really wanted to see those giant sized books!
Inside the Divinity School, which the library is built above
Thomas Bodley, a former student at Oxford, keenly felt the destruction of the library and longed to see it returned to its glory. But a few items would prevent him restoring the library, most notably his kidnapping and being made a secret agent for Queen Elizabeth I. Our docent described Bodley as the “James Bond” of libraries – very exciting for us librarians! Sent on various spy missions, Bodley proved to be quite adept at his job - good enough to be promoted to the position of Ambassador of all of Europe. But despite the great success in his working life, the library world's James Bond never stopped thinking of the devastated library in Oxford. Not until after his retirement and marriage did his dream begin to come to fruition.
Due to his successful employment by the Queen, Bodley had amassed quite a fortune. With this money he repaired the library and paid to hire a librarian that he stipulated be given a decent wage. Books begin arriving in 1602, along with maps and scrolls from all over the world, and within a year's time the library was already full and in need of an extension. This was only the beginning of the massive amount of books and other materials poured into the library, continuing even into the present day. The Bodleian Library has a total collection of 13 million items and is one of the depository libraries of England, entitled to receive all publications in the United Kingdom such as books, maps, magazines and more. If this is not enough, the copyright was invented in the Bodleian Library, changing publication forevermore.
Bodley's dedication to the library continued even after his death. He donated all his money to the library, but only after he had ensured the board of trustees would match his donation. These funds brought the library building to its current three-story state, along with the Radcliffe Camera just a few steps away.
Radcliffe Camera, the final addition to the Bodleian Library
Sir Thomas Bodley is not a household name, but librarians should be aware of his great contributions to our field and to the Bodleian Library in particular. It seems reasonable to think he'd be quite impressed with the library named for him and I think many of us wish there were more benevolent, book and information loving souls like him today!
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