The Faculty reference and lending library has exceptional holdings for the study of Western classical music from medieval to modern and is possibly the largest dedicated music library of its type in the UK. Along with the Bodleian Library, it forms the leading music research library in the country and is a much-valued resource for international scholars.
The Faculty library provides undergraduate and graduate students with the books, scores and sound and video recordings they need for their coursework and research. Unlike the Bodleian Library, which is a reference library from which borrowing is not permitted, most of the Faculty library stock is available on open-access shelving, and while some of the materials are of necessity restricted to reference use, the majority of stock can be borrowed by Music Faculty members.
More information about the Music Library collections is available at www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/music.
Bodleian Library
The 400-year-old Bodleian library is the University’s main research library with over six million volumes on all subjects. Its vast musical holdings range from medieval chant manuscripts through Elizabethan madrigals and first editions of Beethoven to the sheet music of the latest bands.
The Bodleian is the natural place for students to consult books and journals in related fields such as aesthetics or theatrical history alongside those concerning music itself. More information about the Music Room and its collections is available HERE.