Built in 1903, the Somerville College library holds a special place in the heart of every Somerville student. Its treasured nooks and corridors hold almost 100,000 items, as well as a rare book collection and internationally important special collections. The archives, which are physically separate to but strongly aligned with the library, were brought together in a single location in 1992. The college had been preserving its history in document form since its foundation in 1879, so the earliest records in the archive date from 1879.
The library and archives are an integral part of the identity of Somerville College. Created at a time when undergraduate libraries were rare among the colleges and borrowing by undergraduates from central university libraries limited, Somerville College library was founded at the outset as a lending library for its students. Through generous donations over the decades, from notable individuals such as John Stuart Mill and Amelia Edwards, and through a plentiful annual budget supplemented by funds from several legacies, the initially small collection has expanded to one of the largest college library collections in Oxford.
The library and archives comprise several distinct collections: the library lending collection, the library’s antiquarian collection, the archive, the special collections and the chattels (which include collections of artworks and ceramics). For more information about the library and archives, including how to access the collections or request services, please see the Somerville College Library and Archive website.
The Lending Collection
The lending collection is particularly strong in the areas of English literature and European history, and has several research-level collections such as in medieval European languages. The research collections, acquired through donations from experts in their fields, have enhanced the research potential of the library beyond that of a typical undergraduate lending library. Small collections on topics not taught at Somerville (such as theology, geography and art history) remain as part of the collection and are valued for their tangential contributions to the understanding of those subjects which are taught. Students wishing to know the latest guidance on accessing the library should consult the Somerville Library website.
The archive
The archive contains the record of the college’s history. Only those items which pertain to the history and functioning of the college are considered to constitute the archive. The collection increases in size through the acquisition of records created by the college (which increasingly are born-digital items), and through the donation of items by Somervillians.
Special collections
The special collections are the joint responsibility of the library and the archives. They are collections of published and unpublished writings and of objects, normally acquired through donation, from donors who usually (but not always) have some connection to the college. The majority of the collections are housed in the archives, but the John Stuart Mill Library is housed in the library, and the Mary Somerville papers are housed in the Bodleian.
The Team
The Somerville library and archives team work tirelessly to ensure that the library’s resources remain available to every person who wishes to use them. A friendly bunch, they’re always happy to help with any question or query you have.
If you would like to get in touch, reach us at library@some.ox.ac.uk or archives@some.ox.ac.uk.
Sarah Butler
Librarian and Head of Information Services
Kate O’Donnell
Archivist
Susan Purver
Assistant Librarian
Matthew Roper
Library Assistant
Jane Robinson
Special Collections Assistant
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