The Gladstone Link is an underground library that connects the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

with the Radcliffe Camera. It was developed and opened to readers on 5 July 2011. It is named after former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, who had also studied at Christ Church. It is more modern than traditional Oxford Libraries, many of which are members of the

Bodleian Libraries The Bodleian Libraries are a collection of 28 libraries that serve the University of Oxford in England, including the Bodleian Library itself, as well as many other (but not all) central and faculty libraries. As of the 2016–17 year, the librari ...

History

The tunnels in which the library is now located were previously the Underground Bookstore. The tunnels were used for transporting books between the Old Bodleian and New Bodleian libraries (now Weston Library) and to the Radcliffe Camera. The books were transported via conveyor; a section of this system is preserved in the New Bodleian tunnel. When the New Bodleian was developed into the Weston Library, a shift to open shelving was made so that the transportation of books from the vaults was no longer needed. This development changed the way books and materials were moved around the Central Bodleian Complex.

Layout

The Gladstone Link has two levels, the upper and lower levels. The Gladstone Link is accessed via the lower reading room in the Radcliffe Camera. A platform lift provides greater access for readers with disabilities. From the Bodleian side, access is available via a tunnel from the north staircase. The Upper Gladstone Link is home to the History Faculty main lending library, which continues from the Lower Camera Reading Room. The Lower Gladstone Link houses a collection of widely read Bodleian library material which was previously only available by request off closed stacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladstone Link 2011 establishments in England Libraries established in 2011 Libraries of the University of Oxford Bodleian Library