Use the tabs for more detailed guidance on finding books in the major Oxford University libraries supporting refugee studies.
Both the collections held by the Bodleian Law Library and the Bodleian Social Science Library are fully catalogued on SOLO, Oxford University's online resource discovery tool.
Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc
Refugees -- Protection -- International cooperation
War - protection of civilians
Political refugees
Refugee rights
Legal assistance to refugees
Asylum, Right of
Asylum Seekers
Refugees -- Civil rights
Political refugees -- Civil rights
Refugee children --
Immigrant children -- Legal status, laws, etc
Immigrants -- Civil rights
Aliens -- Civil rights
Emigration and immigration law
Safe third country
Forced migration
Population transfers
Freedom of Movement (International law)
It is also probable that books classified just under broader subject areas - such as Humanitarian law or Human rights - will also have useful material.
For those wishing to learn more about getting the most out of SOLO searches, we recommend the following:
Further guidance on particular aspects/topics:
For English asylum, migration and nationality law
Holders of an Oxford SSO can access Halsbury's Laws of England (and its related services) online via LexisLibrary. The print copy is available at KZ1 on Level 2, the entrance level to the Law Library
For international law aspects
Holders of an Oxford SSO have access to the Max Planck Encyclopedias. These are the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (MPEPIL) and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (MPEIPL) The two can be searched and browsed together, or separately by using appropriate filters. They are regularly updated - in the sense of both existing entries being revised and new entries being added.
The following works are encyclopaedic in scope if not by name!
The first three require an Oxford SSO for remote access.
Open access resource available to anyone with access to the internet:
Please use the box on the right to find other pages in this guide relevant to your research interests.
A brief description of the arrangement of the Law Library's book collection.
There is an Enquiry Desk on Level 2, just as you enter the main Reading Room: please do come and have a word if you are having any difficulty in using the library as the collection is shelved across four floors.
Level 2, the floor at which you enter the Law Library
Here you will find books relating to the national laws of the jurisdictions of the British Isles, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and USA. These books have shelf marks beginning K.
Level 2 is also where you can find comparative studies, with shelf marks beginning General or Cw Gen.
Level 3, one floor above the entrance level to the Law Library.
European jurisdictions
European Union Law These books have shelf marks beginning Euro Comm.
Public International Law books are arranged according to a broad in-house classification. Those sections most likely to have useful titles are:
Internat 500 General and theory
Internat 565 Nationality
Internat 570 Human rights
Internat 575 European Court of Human Rights: literature
Internat 610 Social legislation and organisation
Internat 750 War and armed conflict
Criminology - with shelf marks beginning Crim
Level 1, one floor below the entrance level to the Law Library.
Remaining national jurisdictions
Depending on the focus of your research, you may well find that SOLO results are directing you to our nearest neighbour the Bodleian Social Science Library. The SSL is the holder of the Bodleian collections on Migration Studies and Refugee & Forced Migration Studies among others.
The SSL uses the Library of Congress classification system for its collection. Key sections of the collection supporting your studies will be:
To get the most out of the SSL's collection, we recommend the guide below written by our SSL colleague, the specialist librarian for refugee studies.
If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the print or ebook you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below (Oxford Single-Sign On required).
If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the book you are looking for, we may be able to source it through Oxford's inter-library request service.