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Commonwealth Studies: Home

Purpose of this guide

This guide is intended for students and researchers at the University of Oxford seeking support in Commonwealth Studies, although students and researchers from any field may find it useful.  Use this guide to find out about books, online resources and special collections for Commonwealth Studies, including ebooks, ejournals, and bibliographic databases.

Finding books for Commonwealth Studies

Oxford has a wide range of ebooks for Commonwealth Studies and printed books, including the main reference collection in the Weston Library.  For more detailed info about our book collections visit our books page of this guide.

Key journals

Many journals, as well as being available in print, are available online and can be searched via SOLO. Below are a few of the top journals for Commonwealth Studies but you can find a longer list on the journals page of this guide.

Key databases

Oxford subscribes to many bibliographic databases. They can be used to locate journal articles, conference proceedings, books, images, data, archives and more. You can find some of the key databases for Commonwealth Studies below, but take a look at the databases page of this guide for more titles.  For databases comprising archival and primary source material go to the archives page of this guide.

Archives

The Bodleian Libraries hold a range of manuscripts and archives in print and online which are relevant to the study Commonwealth countries. Below are a few key resources but for more detailed information about our archive collections visit the archives page of this guide.

Key news sources

The Bodleian libraries provide access to a wide range of current and historical news sources for Commonwealth Studies. Key printed African Newspapers including the Cape Times, East African Standard, and the Rhodesia Herald are held in the Weston Library. Browse or search SOLO if you are looking for printed newspapers held in the collections.

Oxford also provides access to current online news sources, subscriptions, analytical materials, and historical newspaper archives. You can find some of the key databases for Commonwealth Studies below, but take a look at the new sources page of this guide for more titles.

Subject Librarian

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Sarah Rhodes
Contact:
Bodleian Social Science Library,
University of Oxford, Manor Road Building,
Oxford,
OX1 3UQ
+44(0)1865 2-85998

Key libraries

SSL

Social Science Library (SSL)

One of the University's busiest lending and reference libraries supports students and staff in the Social Sciences Division, offering a wide range of workspaces, printing & IT facilities, borrowing services, and research support. This, along with the History Faculty Library, is the key lending library for Africa-related books.

The Weston Library 

Houses the main research and reference collections for African Studies. There is a selection of books on open shelves in the Charles Wendell David Reading Room with many additional items available on request for delivery from the Bodleian Storage Facility.

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