The Weston Library is the Bodleian Library's Special Collections library. As well as providing readings rooms for the consultation of archives and rare books, it also has many open-shelf collections of use to historians.
R. Ref Dictionaries and other reference works (principally medieval), biography, Bodleian history, Bodleian exhibition catalogues, and Bodleian manuscript catalogues
R. Ref. Summary Catalogues, Quarto Catalogues, Oxford
R. 5 Bindings, book collectors, emblems, medieval bibliography, medieval libraries, essays and festschriften
R. 6 Bodleian manuscript collections, Oxford museum and college collections, local history and genealogy, heraldry and peerage. Includes e.g.
R. 6.406 Grand armorial de France; catalogue général des armoiries des familles nobles de France. 6 vols. [Paris], 1934-49
R. 6. 407a Armorial général et nobiliaire français / Hubert Lamant. Eaubonne : Lamant ,1975-
R. 6.454 Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry 17th ed. London : Burke's Peererage, 1952.
R. 6.432 Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the peerage, baronetage and knightage. 105th ed. London : Burke's Peerage Limited, 1970
R. 6.434 Cokayne, George E, The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. 13 vols in 14. London : St Catherine Press, 1910-1959
R. 9 Art, Architecture, iconography
R. 12 Bible, liturgy, saints, religious houses, clergy. Includes, e.g.:
R. 12. 139 The heads of religious houses, England and Wales / edited by David Knowles, C.N.L. Brooke, Vera C.M. London. 3 vols. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1972-2008
R. 12. 144 Lexikon der Kardinäle, 1058-2010 : in acht Bänden. Köln, 2012-
R.12.145 Die Bischöfe des Heiligen Römischen Reiches : ein biographisches Lexikon
R. 12. 149 Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae [much also available online via BHO]
R. Bibl. Catalogues of and books about Incunables
R. Cat. Catalogues of manuscripts in other collections, arranged alphabetically by country and town
R. Cat.Exhib Catalogues of exhibitions of MSS arranged alphabetically by location
R. Pal. 1 Palaeographical Society facsimiles
R. Pal. 2 Greek palaeography (see also R. Pal. 15)
R. Pal. 2 [90 onwards] Manuscripts of Greek classical authors
R. Pal. 2 [175 onwards] Greek biblical manuscripts
R. Pal. 4 Latin palaeography (see also R. Pal. 16)
R. Pal. 4 [500 onwards] Dated and datable manuscripts
R. Pal. 5 Diplomatic (see also R. Pal. 17)
R. Pal. 6 Facsimiles of manuscripts in particular collections
R. Pal. 7 Manuscripts of Latin classical authors
R. Pal. 7 [120 onwards] Latin biblical manuscripts
R. Pal. 8 Latin manuscripts: religious texts (see also R. Pal. 18)
R. Pal. 9 Latin and vernacular manuscripts: secular texts (see also R. Pal. 18)
R. Pal. 10 Illuminated manuscripts: general (see also R. Pal. 18)
R. Pal. 11 Illuminated manuscripts: collections (see also R. Pal. 18)
R. Pal. 12 Schools of manuscript illumination (see also R. Pal. 18)
R. Pal. 13 Autographs
R. Pal. 14 History of the book
X. 1 Library guides and catalogues of rare books
X. 2 Book-trade history
X. 3 Book-collecting and book sales
X. 4 Printing history
X. 5 Printers and publishers
X. 6 Children's books
X. 7 Book illustration
X. 8 Theatre history
X. 9 History of photography
X. 11 Literature associated with collections
X. 12 Modern History and Politics associated with Modern Political Papers (esp. Asquith, Clem Attlee, Isaiah Berlin, James Callaghan, Benjamin Disraeli, Edward Heath, Roy Jenkins, Harold Macmillan, Harold Wilson)
X. 13 General reference
X. Cat. Catalogues of Bodley special collections
X. Cat. Ref. Catalogues of collections elsewhere
All follow Library of Congress Classification.
[Arab] Arabic collections
[Arm] Armenian collections
[Copt] Coptic collections
[Egypt] Egyptian collections
[Georg] Georgian collections
[Heb] Hebrew collections
[Persian] Persian collections
[Sansk] Sanskrit collections
[Syr] Syriac collections
[Turk] Turkish collections
[selections from the classification scheme}
30 Biography
Bibl. Bibliographies
Bibl. Ind. I. Bibliotheca Indica
Enc Encyclopaedias
Ind gen General
Lex Dictionaries
Sansk ser Monographic series
Ind H Indian censuses
Ind P - U Prad Pa Gazetteers
Ind R-U Prov R Historical records
Bangla H Bangladeshi censuses
Nepal H Nepali censuses
Pakistan H Pakistani censuses
Sri Lanka H Sri Lankan censuses
Tib/Tibet Tibetan material
[uses A-Z of the Library of Congress Classification]
Of particular interest to African and Commonwealth studies are:
C Auxiliary sciences of history
D World history and history of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand etc
F History of the Americas
H Social sciences
J Political science
L Education
All Weston Library books are
CONFINED
to the library.
The Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room is for readers of medieval and modern manuscripts and archives, Oxford University archives, rare books, printed ephemera, and maps.
The Charles Wendell David Reading Room is for readers of oriental manuscripts and rare books, Commonwealth and African archives and Oxford University theses.
The Sir Charles Mackerras Reading Room is for readers of music materials.