War Memorial
Library
Built as an enduring monument to the College’s fallen in the First World War, for almost a century the War Memorial Library has provided college members with an inviting space to study and a growing book collection. Our 50,000-volume selection covers all subjects taught at undergraduate level and is tailored to our readers’ evolving needs.
Our helpful library team, Sarah and Clara, are on hand to give a friendly welcome, provide advice and offer a priority book request service.
Library Rules
The library is open 24/7 during term time; there are 100 seats.
Please observe the following rules:
- The Library is for Trinity members only. No guests are permitted.
- Personal property cannot be left on desks (free lockers can be requested). Please check lost property in the library foyer.
- Drinks (no alcohol) in lidded cups are allowed, but food must not be brought into the library.
- Conversations, phone calls and video calls should remain outside.
- Books cannot be borrowed on behalf of other students.
Readers who break the rules may be reported to the Fellow Librarian or Dean.
Finding Your Books
Search the SOLO website to locate books across Oxford's many libraries. SOLO also provides paywall-free access to journal articles, ebooks and other digital resources. To get full results, sign in using your SSO account.
To find out what we have, enter some keywords and select Trinity College Library from the drop-down list next to the search bar.
Click Find & Request on your chosen book and select Trinity from the library list. You will see whether the book is available, on loan or to be used in the library only. You can also see how long you can borrow the book for, and its location including its position on the shelves (shelfmark). You may need to click on the item twice to display full details.
To work out which area of the library your book’s shelfmark will be found in, please see the Library map and Library shelfmark guide (a separate guide for the Law section is here). The library team are happy to guide you.
Please note that SOLO has a technical issue displaying over 100 copies of the same book. If you are looking for a popular book and SOLO shows that Trinity has no copies or few copies, get in touch with the library team and we’ll look into this for you.
Ebooks with instant access from your own devices will display a green dot next to results on SOLO. Amber dots indicate that those ebooks are restricted to access from a Bodleian Libraries PC.
For more guidance on SOLO (including checking your account, accessing ebooks and finding journal articles) see this Bodleian Libraries guide. The library team are also on hand to help with any queries.
Borrowing, Returning and Renewing Books
Trinity students can borrow up to 30 books at a time for an entire term or vacation. Trinity academics can borrow for the full academic year. WISC visiting students can borrow for 28 days until their membership expires.
You can borrow books using your library card on the self-service machine in the library foyer. Please fill in the loans form by the printer if there are any issues.
If you can’t access the library due to a disability, we can offer a fetching service or you can nominate another person to borrow books on your behalf. Please contact library@trinity.ox.ac.uk for more information.
Please take care of all books on loan to you and return reserved books promptly. Damaged, lost or unreturned books will result in a replacement fee and admin fee.
Books can be renewed online via your SOLO account or by emailing library@trinity.ox.ac.uk unless a book has been reserved by another reader.
To return books, post them into the book return box in the library foyer by the mezzanine stairs.
Reserving Books
If the book you need is already on loan, please email library@trinity.ox.ac.uk. The book will be reserved for you when it is returned, or we will buy an extra copy if appropriate.
Please return books promptly if you are emailed to say another student needs a book on loan to you.
You can request books from Bodleian and departmental libraries by signing in to SOLO. Note that you cannot reserve or borrow books from other colleges’ libraries.
New Book Requests & Fiction
If we do not have a book you need, or there are not enough copies of a recommended text, please get in touch via library@trinity.ox.ac.uk.
We purchase the vast majority of book requests, and there is no limit on the number of suggestions you can make.
Requested books are treated as priority orders and we will email you as soon as requests are ready to collect.
For any books which are too costly or would not benefit other students, a book grant is available from the Academic Office.
We also welcome requests for wider reading, including fiction. You will find modern fiction in English in the Upper Library – look for the dark blue shelf sign in the middle of the room.
Chapter Scans and Printing
Trinity members can make copies for free (within the copyright limits of 1 chapter or 5% per volume). The printer-scanner is in the library foyer.
Printing is free for all Trinity students. Please only print what you need and collect promptly to reduce waste. Instructions for printing are online and technical issues can be resolved by contacting support@trinity.ox.ac.uk.
Readers can also benefit from the Bodleian’s Scan & Deliver service, which allows you to request free scans of up to 2 chapters/articles at a time. Sign in to SOLO to see if this option is available for your chosen book or journal.
If you can’t access the library due to a disability, the library team can send scans to you. If you have a visual impairment and need enhanced scans, please contact Sarah (Acting College Librarian)
Extra Support
We can offer additional support if you have a disability, health condition or specific learning disability, regardless of whether you have formally disclosed it or not.
Please get in touch with Sarah (Acting College Librarian) in confidence to discuss how we can help. The Bodleian Libraries also offer extra services for disabled readers.
Example options include:
- Personalised library tours
- Higher library borrowing limit
- Automatic renewals
- Reserving a library study space on request
- Book delivery service to the Lodge or a collection point within college
- Book chapter scans
- Equipment for use in the library
- Range of wellbeing books in the lower library (self-service or books can be fetched by staff) and ebooks here
Access for Non-Trinity Members
Trinity Library access is only available to Trinity College members.
If you need an appointment to consult a book which is unavailable elsewhere in Oxford, contact library@trinity.ox.ac.uk with the book’s details.
Please note that Trinity Library does not offer inter-library requests or loans.
Feedback
If something needs fixing or could be better, tell us! Come and see us in the library office, email or you can fill in our feedback form anonymously.
Library Donations
Please consult the college's Library donations policy if you wish to make a donation.