Applications
The Library is open by application (or by appointment to see specific material) to anyone undertaking academic work.
Any current member of the University of Oxford is welcome to apply to be a Library Reader: this applies to both undergraduates and graduates, as well as to fellows, tutors, researchers, and staff from other colleges and departments.
If you do not have a University of Oxford affiliation, please email reader.services@all-souls.ox.ac.uk for the link to the appropriate Reader application form. Independent researchers, private scholars, and students without a current University of Oxford affiliation should outline their need to use the Library's collections, and may be required to provide a letter of introduction from an academic referee. Please note that permission to use the Library may only be granted on a temporary basis, depending on research needs.
The Library traditionally supports those studying law and history, but the collections, especially the early printed books collections, are much broader in subject coverage. Although most college libraries are exclusively for their own members, the Library, All Souls College often acquires material which is not held elsewhere in Oxford, to allow anyone studying here to have access to otherwise inaccessible or unavailable items.
The Reader application form for those with a University of Oxford affiliation may be found here: Reader Applications
Registered Readers are required to renew their access every academic year; the forms may be found here:
For those Readers with a current University of Oxford affiliation, please click here for the renewal form.
For those Readers without a current University of Oxford affiliation, please click here for the renewal form.
A registered Reader with a new Bodleian/University card will need to book an appointment for their card to be added to the Library’s door access system.
The Library’s Rules of Conduct, which Library Readers must follow, may be found here: https://library.asc.ox.ac.uk/rules_of_conduct.html