Using the Library in person

You can find books using SOLO on any device. If Somerville has a copy, the important thing to note is the shelfmark: there is a list of locations by shelfmark and a map in the library loggia.

For more detailed info, see the Bodleian libguide to SOLO. It is also worth checking out the Bodleian’s getting started page.

All our DVDs are catalogued on SOLO, but to browse a full list visit the IMDB website.

Once you have found all of your books on the shelves, you can borrow them using the self-issue machine in the loggia (this is on 24 hours a day).

Once you have finished with your books, you can put them in the returns box, also situated in the loggia, by the self-issue desk.

Our loan periods are a term or a vacation, you can borrow as many books as you like.

You can renew all your books remotely, by logging into SOLO, navigating to your loans list and clicking renew or renew all: there is no need to bring them all back to the library, unless you have finished with them!

If a book is listed as being on loan, but you are unable to find another copy, we operate a recall system: fill in the form, or email the library with your name and the book’s details and we will try and recall it from the reader who has it on loan — this will normally take up to three working days.

If a book that you want to borrow is not on the shelves, you can fill in our missing book form, or email us the book’s details: we will let you know if we find it, but we may also (as we might do if a particular book is recalled multiple times) purchase another copy.

We add ca.2000 books to stock each year, and are happy to buy books on recommendation: to ask for a book to be bought for the library, you can fill in our online form, or email us the details.

There are networked PCs for use in the Library in the Hodgkin Room (first room on the right off the right-hand corridor on the ground floor) and in the Lower Extension — you simply need to log in using your SSO to use them. There are also power sockets at all the desks, and wi-fi throughout the Library —  please see the IT blog for more information about getting online.

The main student printer is in the Library loggia, and you can submit jobs remotely via Papercut, as well as scan and photocopy things.

Bookings have been suspended for the summer, and will resume on 1st October 2024.

The Ruth Thompson Room and the Dorothy Hodgkin Room are available for college members to book for group study: there is a white board in each room, and replacement markers can be requested from staff at the library desk.

Please note the specific conditions for booking the room when making the booking.

We have some pieces of assistive equipment: there is a standing desk upstairs and another in the Lower Extension, and we also have various lamps, magnifiers and bookstands that can be borrowed by asking at the Library desk; there is an electronically adjustable height desk in the Lower Extension.