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29th March 2008
A £5 million donation has allowed Oxford University’s Bodleian Library to showcase some of its finest hidden treasures.
Oxford publisher Julian Blackwell - who has made his fortune though the Blackwell’s chain of academic bookshops - made the donation to the historic library after declaring it “unique.” He said: “The Bodleian is unique. It not only has the largest and most important university collections in the world, but it is leading the development of cutting-edge information services which are so vital to academic research.”
Blackwell’s substantial donation represents a long-term friendship between the bookseller and the Bodleian. As Richard Ovenden, keeper of special collections at the library, explains: “Julian Blackwell's magnificent donation to the Bodleian reflects the long established connections between these two institutions. Not only are they neighbours on Oxford's Broad Street, but for 130 years they have jointly engaged in projects which have both celebrated and preserved our global written heritage.” Julian Blackwell echoed this sentiment, he said: “I am proud that my personal Trust can support the Bodleian and thereby enable its neighbour, Blackwell's, to be a shared destiny lifetime partner.”
The money will be used to create an exhibition hall on one of the library’s sites, which will allow an array of the university’s finest artefacts to go on permanent display to the public. These artefacts include four original copies of the Magna Carta that date from the 13th century, an embroidered book that was handwritten by Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare’s first folio, around 10,000 medieval manuscripts, and one of only eight Gutenberg Bibles. Another one of the Bodleian’s important treasures is an original copy of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, which is thought to be the earliest complete book written in English, having been translated by King Alfred in 890 AD. Currently, these fantastic treasures are only accessible by a few scholars.
The new exhibition hall is part of a planned £70 million refurbishment of the well-respected library, which is the second largest in the UK. The Bodleian Library boasts a copy of almost every book printed and a massive 5,000 books are added to its library catalogue every single week.
The Bodleian caused controversy last November by submitting plans to build a massive £29 million book depository, which would help to ease critical storage problems at the library. However, these plans were turned down by Oxford city council due to fears that the building would ruin the city's historic skyline. Oxford University has since said it will appeal against the decision.
The Bodleian was founded in 1602 and is the biggest university library in Britain. Its rich archive attracts scholars from all over the world, although those wanting to study items in the collection are required to take an oath that they will not remove any document from the library, damage it or light a fire in the library.
In addition to the Bodleian Library, Oxford University also owns a range of other buildings in the city. Many of these buildings are available to hire as conference venues or for other events.