Bodleian Library - Radcliffe Chamber

Bodleian library Oxford, better known as the Radcliffe Chamber is part of Bodleian library at Oxford University and also its biggest and most important research unit in terms of archival literature. Itself The Bodleian library is unique in nature. It is one of the oldest in Europe and second largest on the island, after the British Library in London.

Library Radcliffe is part of the library with the most content rich literary works of all genres and most important research library of Oxford University. It is named after Sir Thomas Bodley. This man in 1610 failed to agree with the Stationers' Company, a copy of every book published should be given to the library.

Thus, the library won the rights to the stored books. In Bodleian library are kept millions of volumes of books, none of them can be exported from the library building. If any student or reader wants certain titles, it is best to give your order the previous day to allow books to be found and removed from deep underground, where titles are kept for hundreds of years.

Radcliffe was built in the 18th century next to the New Bodleian in 1940 together with the main library, Bodleian dungeons of the three buildings form a crowded maze of books. Underneath the earth extend long corridors, congested over 200 km of shelves with 4.5 million books.

Among the titles at least 10, 000 are of the Middle Ages , manuscripts with lavish illustrations, the original of "process" of Franz Kafka. Here are kept even military maps of disembarkation in Normandy. Every day about 6000 books were transported to and warehoused in conveyor belts, built 30 years of 20 century. Old books and manuscripts placed in special boxes and the only way to be transported is by pipelines.

Bodleian library itself was founded in 1602 is considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. At that time, the library started with an archive of 2000 books collected by Sir Thomas Bodley. The new reading room to the library was opened in 1930.

Library Radcliffe has over 1 million titles, specializing mainly in the physical sciences, biological sciences, medicine, experimental psychology, mathematics, computer science, geography and history of science.

Only ¼ of all the books, however, are exposed to levels of Radcliffe Camera. The remaining titles are kept in separate dungeons, most of them are available electronically. Building of library Radcliffe was opened in 1861. It is named after John Radcliffe, who is a known benefactor of Oxford University.

In fact, today this unit of Bodleian library is not located in the chamber Radcliffe and is located near the Natural History Museum of Oxford University. The chamber is built in the years between 1737-1749, being circular impresses with its spectacular architecture built in the spirit of the British Paladin.