All Souls College, The Library: How to become a Reader

The Reader application form for those with a University of Oxford affiliation may be found here: Reader Applications.

Registered Readers are required to renew their access every academic year; the forms may be found here:  

For those Readers with a current University of Oxford affiliation, please click here for the renewal form. 

For those Readers without a current University of Oxford affiliation, please click here for the renewal form. 

A registered Reader with a new Bodleian/University card will need to book an appointment for their card to be added to the Library’s door access system. 

Researchers and students from other academic institutions, and independent researchers, are also welcome to apply to be Readers. If you do not have a University of Oxford affiliation, please email Reader Services for the link to the appropriate Reader application form.  

The Library is open by application (or by appointment to see specific material) to anyone undertaking academic work.

Any current member of the University of Oxford is welcome to apply to be a Library Reader: this applies to both undergraduates and graduates, as well as to fellows, tutors, researchers, and staff from other colleges and departments.

The Library traditionally supports those studying law and history, but the collections, especially the early printed books collections, are much broader in subject coverage. Although most college libraries are exclusively for their own members, the Library, All Souls College often acquires material which is not held elsewhere in Oxford, to allow anyone studying here to have access to otherwise inaccessible or unavailable items.

All registered Readers must follow three simple rules:

1. No food or beverages are allowed in the Library, except for still water in a clear plastic bottle with a secured lid, left on the floor when not in use.
2. Registered Readers may not bring any guests or tour groups into the Library.
3. Readers may not take photographs in the Library (including selfies), except for pages of modern books as allowed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Readers may not take photographs of special collection materials. These can be requested from the Librarian-in-Charge.

The full Rules of Conduct of the All Souls College Library may be found here.

Website: All Souls College Library

Email: Library, Reader Services

Opening hours:

The Library is open to registered Readers, Monday to Friday, 10am - 6:30pm during the full Oxford term (9th October - 1st December 2023).

Christmas vacation:

From 4th December, the Library will be open in vacation hours: Monday to Friday, 10am - 4:30pm.

The Library will close to Readers for Christmas on Friday, 15th December, 2023, 4:30pm, and reopen on Monday, 8th January 2024, 10:00 am.