|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Student life in an alien world: Haunting the Libraries by Jeevani Mantotta Oxford is built upon its libraries. Quite literally, in some cases. The Bodleian (fondly called 'The Bod') has such a huge collection that a lot of it is housed underground. So, if you tunneled under some bits of the city centre, you're likely to find yourself lost among miles and miles of bookshelves - or possibly in the path of the underground book train. I've never managed to catch the elusive tour of the Bod's stacks (which happens once a year) but I imagine it's a bit like Gringnott's bank in Harry Potter (minus the goblins, of course). University students are allowed access to any of the libraries and some are worth visiting for the atmosphere alone. Some of the reading halls in the Bodliean look like they haven't changed in centuries (save for the addition of plug sockets and Ethernet points that peer incongruously out of mahogany desks). There are about a 150 libraries in all, ranging from the grandiose and pompous, to a small cupboard in a corner. Every college, department and institution has one. The sciences are housed in the Radcliffe Science Library. Most biological journals are kept in the upper reading rooms, which smell of woodpolish and have a lovely view. The physical sciences are in the more modern (underground) rooms where the light is artificial and the view is non-existent but the padded book rests are ideal for resting a weary head on. I also spent a lot of time in my college library (no really, I did). As exams drew near, the libraries got busier and soon were packed with students sitting in large groups. It became the place to be. People started arranging to meet up in the library, sometimes turning up early to 'get a good seat'. You met up for friendly coffees from the vending machine or swapped notes like naughty children under the eye of the librarian who was there more to maintain the collection than discipline. Occasionally, a group of us would pack up our papers and go to a different library, for a change of scene. My favorite was the Radcliffe Camera - that domed building that appears of all the Oxford calendars. The reading rooms are round and ever so stately. The desks were partitioned so that you can't see the person opposite you and the silence is undisturbed apart from the occasional turning of a page or a snigger from my friend coming across a title like 'The lure of muddy bottoms' on her reading list (Geologists eh? What jolly jokesters!). The university is entitled to a copy of any book published in the country so you can, in theory, request anything. (You can't take the books out though, so if you request that romance novel you couldn't afford to buy, you'll have to sit and read it in the reading room). This meant that we had access to just about any book in the world within a few hours. It was only after I left that I realised what a privilege that was. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
