THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY OPENS TO THE PUBLIC IN 1602

Today, The Grandma has been doing one of her favourite hobbies, watching the Harry Potter movies. As a big fan she is, she knows them perfectly, remembers the dialogues and recognizes the locations. It has been easy to recognize the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, which was opened to the public on a day like today in 1602.

The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford. 

Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in Britain after the British Library. Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, it is one of six legal deposit libraries for works published in the United Kingdom, and under Irish law it is entitled to request a copy of each book published in the Republic of Ireland. Known to Oxford scholars as Bodley or the Bod, it operates principally as a reference library and, in general, documents may not be removed from the reading rooms.

In 2000, a number of libraries within the University of Oxford were brought together for administrative purposes under the aegis of what was initially known as Oxford University Library Services (OULS), and since 2010 as the Bodleian Libraries, of which the Bodleian Library is the largest component.

All colleges of the University of Oxford have their own libraries, which in a number of cases were established well before the foundation of the Bodleian, and all of which remain entirely independent of the Bodleian. They do, however, participate in SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online), the Bodleian Libraries' online union catalogue, except for University College, which has an independent catalogue. Much of the library's archives were digitized and put online for public access in 2015.

The Bodleian Library occupies a group of five buildings near Broad Street: the 15th-century Duke Humfrey's Library, the 17th-century Schools Quadrangle, the 18th-century Clarendon Building and Radcliffe Camera, and the 20th- and 21st-century Weston Library. Since the 19th century, underground stores have been constructed, while the principal off-site storage area is located at South Marston on the edge of Swindon.

Whilst the Bodleian Library, in its current incarnation, has a continuous history dating back to 1602, its roots date back even further. The first purpose-built library known to have existed in Oxford was founded in the 14th century under the will of Thomas Cobham, Bishop of Worcester (d. 1327).

The library went through a period of decline in the late 16th century: the library's furniture was sold, and only three of the original books belonging to Duke Humphrey remained in the collection. During the reign of Edward VI, there was a purge of superstitious (Catholic-related) manuscripts.

By the time of Bodley's death in 1613, his planned further expansion to the library was just starting.

The agreement with the Stationers' Company meant that the growth of stock was constant and there were also a number of large bequests and acquisitions for other reasons. Until the establishment of the British Museum in 1753, the Bodleian was effectively the national library of England. By then the Bodleian, Cambridge University Library and the Royal Library were the most extensive book collections in England and Wales.

In 1907, the head librarian, Nicholson, had begun a project to revise the catalogue of printed books.

In 1909, the prime minister of Nepal, Chandra Shum Shere, donated a large collection of Sanskrit literature to the library.

The New Bodleian building was rebuilt behind its original façade to provide improved storage facilities for rare and fragile material, as well as better facilities for readers and visitors.

In March 2010, the group of libraries known collectively as Oxford University Library Services was renamed The Bodleian Libraries, thus allowing those Oxford members outside the Bodleian to acquire the gloss of the Bodleian brand.

In November 2015, its collections topped 12 million items with the acquisition of Shelley's Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things.

More information: Bodleian Libraries

And just look at these books!
A Compendium of Common Curses 

and Their Counter-Actions...
The Dark Arts Outsmarted...
Self-Defensive Spellwork... wow...

Hermione Granger