Study spaces in Oxford

Oxford has a wealth of study spaces, from some of the most famous traditional libraries if you prefer the quiet to the many cafes if you prefer the bustle, read here to find out some more! All the information here is taken from Bodleian Libraries.

This page has been put together to hopefully let you know a little more about the system here in Oxford, on this page:

  1. Helpful Links

  2. Other services provided by Bodleian Libraries

  3. The Bodleian Libraries

  4. Cafés

  5. In College

1. Helpful Links

2. Other Services provided by Bodleian Libraries

  • SOLO is an online platform to access and search for printed and electronic copies of books, journals etc. You can search for a specific book to see which libraries have it available, this covers Bodleian Libraries and most College Libraries: https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

  • Some guidance on Subject and Research Guides (there is so much information on here about each subject if you have a rummage around it will pretty much answer all of your library questions!): https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/oxford

  • Bodleian Libraries also run a range of workshops on information discovery and scholarly communications. The workshops cover a range of academic skills and software utilisation, have a look on the link to see what is coming up! https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/workshops

  • OxLIP+ is similar to SOLO in which individual e-journals and databases may be accessed, however OxLIP+ offers some additional functionality including the ability to browse lists of databases by subject. https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/az.php

3. The Bodleian Libraries

As a student, you are able to get into any of the Bodleian Libraries with your BOD Card (don’t forget it!). Just because it is a humanities library and you are a STEM student, doesn’t mean you can’t go! General opening times for Bodleian Libraries vary from library to library and day to day but have a look in the Library Information and opening hours paragraph above for the link! Unfortunately, these libraries don’t stay open very late particularly on weekends so bear this in mind for any last minute deadlines (definitely not because you have procrastinated that essay for the whole week) or if you need to borrow any books! It is also worth noting that food is generally not allowed in most of these, some are more strict than others but a water bottle and a hot drink IF it is in a keep cup are no problem (helps to fuel the inevitable caffeine addiction)!

Here are some reviews of some of the most popular ones to try out (Rad Cam, Bod, Gladstone Link, Taylor Institution, Rad Sci, SSL):


Rad Cam

o   Pros: it is a stunning library (particularly the upstairs when the light floods through), it THE tourist attraction in oxford and cool to be able to go in it, its right next to Jesus (like a 3 minute walk)

o   Cons: can get very busy particularly around exam season so go early!, there is little to no wifi upstairs especially on the balcony, some of the charging points don’t work sometimes, its right next to University Church and so the bells are sometimes frequent and loud


Bod

o   Pros: lots of professors etc. here so an incentive to not read Oxfess’s entire Facebook page, you can order books online (through SOLO) and they appear on the shelves there so you can go collect it, lots of desks in the upper and lower reading rooms (pretty much guaranteed to find a seat most of the time, Duke Humfrey’s is the Harry Potter library and so a very cool environment to work in

o   Cons: reading rooms can get hot in the summer (just open a window), but they’re cosy in the winter, the tourists can be a bit noisy in the courtyard, also get busy during exam season (there’s a theme here), if you go to Duke Humfrey’s you have to put your stuff in a locker, there are spots of bad wifi (e.g. the end of the Upper Reading Room with the desks U220 rather than the end with U20 which is the good end)


Gladstone Link
o   Pros: a popular choice for English students, the movable shelves are good fun (try not to squash anyone!), a modern build (shake it up a bit)

o   Cons: no daylight and low level lighting (maybe too conducive to wanting to nap), ceilings are quite low, wifi is not wonderful

Taylor Institution (Taylorian)
o   Pros: rivalling rad cam beautiful, only a 5 min walk from Jesus (they’re all pretty close as most of them are in the centre), lots of hidden nooks and crannies, this is a hidden gem :)

o   Cons: like a maze, difficult to get a desk in the main room so go early!

Rad Sci - for all of your stem-y degrees, even got some controversial inclusions *cough* geography *cough*
o   Pros: very big so hopefully you’ll find somewhere you like and have some space to spread out, vending machines with sandwiches and coffee, some areas for group work, has some tables you can draw on!

o   Cons: the basement (level 2) is notorious for its lack of light, heat and just its general atmosphere of despair, some say motivation some say unbearable

SSL - The Social Science Library
o   Pros: Plugs on every table (unlike the law faculty (sorry law faculty!))

o   Cons: It’s a bit further out, about 10-15 mins walk away (next to St Catz), in the cloisters if you’re using a MacBook charger the big block won’t fir so you’ll need to use the extender wire (first world problems…)

We have listed every library here - there are lots more to review (the law library, oxford union library etc.), but definitely try some of these find your favourite, try your faculty library and of course the college library (more about that later).

4. Cafes

If the silence of a library doesn’t suit you, then cafes are a great alternative, here as just a few of your options, but again, shop around and find what works for you.

  • Waterstones café – really close, gets very busy at peak times (11-1 and 3-4) and not many tables, particularly not many with plugs, ideal for ploughing through a reading list though!

  • Mortons (on New Hall Inn Street) – they have a few outlets but this one has a big upstairs, in the winter they have a fire going downstairs, perfect for some cosy winter vibes

  • Pret – can get busy but literally below part of jesus so very close! Perfect place to make the most of your pret subscription

  • LEON – on cornmarket street so very close, good wifi, lots of seats and plug access upstairs

  • Café Nero – apparently has the best air conditioning in the summer (thank us later), strong coffee

5. In College

In college there are a number of places you can study….

Your room - its like marmite, some people swear by it, some people hate it, here you’ll have nobody but yourself to distract you, which depending on the power will mean you might have either a very productive few hours or a fantastic nap

JCR - a very relaxed space and it is good for group work, but it might be noisy or there might be an event on

The Conservatory in the JCR​ - gets lots of light and seeing people walk past can remind you that other people exist when you’re on that work grind, it can get really hot in trinity if its sunny


Room hire in College - you can hire out a few of the rooms within college through the intranet page (at the bottom of online services there should be a meeting room request link), I found these really good last year for subject group revision last year (particularly Seminar Room A + B)

Jesus College library
IT IS 24 HOUR ACCESS!! which is good for all of those last minute deadlines that you have been procrastinating, the Jesus Library is made up of three rooms:

  • Periodicals - good for social work (if you get distracted easily I will let you know now that 3 hours will magically pass and you will have written 15 words)

  • LM (Lower Meyrick) - the light is bright and you should be able to fin d a desk on the balcony, if its nearing exams try to get there early, can sometimes hear the noise from ship street

  • UM (Upper Meyrick) - has softer light than downstairs and has different workspaces including round tables at the back up the stairs, unfortunately it can be quite noisy due to ship street

They all get quite busy around exam season so get up and head down early! You can also request a book through the college intranet for the librarian to order and will be notified when the book arrives. There is a book grant for which the college will pay you back for for a certain percentage of the books you buy for your degree, you should hear information about it and submit it at the end of trinity (so try to keep the receipts of any books you do buy.

There is also a welfare section in LM where you can take the books out anonymously and for as long as you need :)


The Northgate Study Space - you can see it through the window to your left as you walk up towards 4th quad but the door to it is on your right! Its a modern study space, it can get quite busy around early afternoon, there are also some standing desks!

The Northgate Café - with lo-fi music and £1.80 cappuccino this is a great space to study alone or with a few friends, it can get popular so head down early (a running theme) to get one of the desks next to the plug sockets - the desks against the glass don’t have any sockets nearby!