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Research Codice — The Archivers

The Bodleian Library

Bodley's Library

Founded
1602
Seat
Oxford · United Kingdom
Status
extant

The Archivers

Duke Humfrey's Library at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, in an engraved view of 1903
From Alden's Oxford Guide, 1903. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Thomas Bodley's 1602 refoundation carried a condition that still governs the reading rooms: books are consulted, never lent. The 1610 agreement with the Stationers' Company — a copy of every book printed in England — made it the first legal-deposit library in the world, an acquisition engine that has never switched off.

Interior of Duke Humfrey's Library at the Bodleian, in an engraving of 1845
Engraving published by Charles Knight, 1845. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

  1. webBodleian Libraries, history of the Bodleianbodleian.ox.ac.uk

Researched by LIBRO. Research Desk · First published 26 July 2026 · Last revised 26 July 2026

A revision history of this entry is maintained.

Authority records

The Bodleian Library · LIBRO