Using the Taylor Institution Library

A student sit in a small alcove desk - there is a small lamp on the table and the student is working on a laptop

Taylor Institution Library: Roof repairs project

An essential roof repairs project requiring full scaffolding over the building is underway at the Taylorian. The library will remain open throughout the work, but alternative study spaces are also available at the Art Library and Nizami Ganjavi Library (3–4 minute walk). Please contact humslibs-admin@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you have any queries. 

Reading room closures

Due to water ingress the Periodicals & Reference Room and the Slavonic Reading Room in the Taylorian are closed until further notice. Please ask library staff for help finding alternative materials or study spaces. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Rules and regulations

The Bodleian Libraries Regulations and Rules of Conduct apply in this library. Please also observe the following local rules: 

  • Bottled water is permitted in the library, except in the Voltaire Room. KeepCups (or secure flasks for hot drinks) are only permitted in the Teaching Collection and Room 16 (Graduate Reading Room).
  • You may not eat in the library.
  • When using a computer, phone or other equipment, you must do so as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing other readers. You should not use applications or play media which produce sounds audible to other readers, unless this is required in order to overcome a disclosed disability.  
  • You must not smoke or vape in any part of the library.
  • You may photograph library material using personal digital cameras (in accordance with copyright restrictions), but please ask staff before taking photographs in the library.
  • Please do not reserve desks if you know you will be absent from them for more than 30 minutes.  
  • Please observe safety instructions relating to the use of library ladders and ask staff for assistance when appropriate.

 

General information

  • View a map of the library (PDF).
  • The library is divided into two sections: the Teaching Collection and the Research Collection. It is spread over five floors, with the issue desk in the Teaching Collection on the ground floor and the research enquiry desk on the second floor.
  • Wi-Fi access is available, with the exception of the Main Stack in the Research Collection.
  • You may use laptops in all parts of the library. Power sockets are provided at most reader desks.
  • Readers may use personal digital cameras to take pictures of library material. There is a digital camera available on request. Please ask staff before taking photographs in the library.

Layout and classification

All books in both the Teaching and Research Collections are arranged in classification schemes, with each book having its own shelfmark. The best way to locate a book is to search SOLO and note down the shelfmark, as well as the location. Maps and shelfmark signs are on display in the library to help you find the books you need. 

If you have any difficulty locating the book you need, please ask at the issue desk or the research enquiry desk. The staff will be happy to help.

Find out more about the Taylor Institution Library’s collections.

 

There are two types of classification scheme in the Taylor Institution Library.

New books in the Research Collection and the Teaching Collection are classified according to a standard version of the Library of Congress classification (LCC) scheme. This scheme is used across all the Bodleian Libraries.

Older books in both collections are classified according to in-house schemes. Some of the in-house schemes can look similar to LCC. LCC shelfmarks always have a year at the end.

 

The Teaching Collection is sometimes referred to as the Undergraduate Collection or the Modern Languages Faculty Collection and is housed on the library’s ground and first floors. It includes books for undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses, as well as a small selection of language magazines.

Oversize books are located in the Teaching Collection Reading Room on the first floor, along with a selection of dictionaries and reference materials. 

Maps are displayed in the Teaching Collection to help you find your way around. 

The collection is intended primarily for use by undergraduates and taught postgraduates at the University, although other readers are welcome. 

 

Research Collection books are housed on the second and third floors, as well as in the basement. The collection includes books for Linguistics. All readers can access the shelves to fetch their own books.

 

For West European languages you can find a selection of journals in the Periodicals & Reference Room (PRR), the reading room for Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American, Linguistics and Italian, and a selection of French and German journals in the Main Reading Room (MRR). PRR is on the second floor, opposite the Enquiry Room. There is also a Basement Periodicals (BPer) section. All West European titles are shelved alphabetically.

Slavonic periodicals are housed in the Slavonic Reading Room (Room 3) and the basement. Slavonic journals are shelved using an in-house classification sequence.

 

Rare materials are generally housed in closed stacks, either onsite or offsite at the Bodleian Libraries' Book Storage Facility. Onsite items are fetched by library staff upon request. You can request these in person at the Enquiry Desk, or by emailing tay-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk with details.

You can request offsite items online via SOLO, and these may be collected in the Enquiry Room.