Books book and more books!

Today we (finally yay – woot – and huzzah) got our Bodleian Library cards!  This is the awesome 11 million volume, it is a big deal.  I even had to take an oath when I was made a reader:

"I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library." (Taken from the Oxford University Library Conduct webpage)

So the library here (several buildings in fact – I am including a link to the map of them) is not a ‘lending’ library like we have at home.  You go to the books, and the books are brought to you at the reading rooms if they are not on site via an ordering system that makes the card catalog seem like child’s play, but the books do not go anywhere with you – not even within the building.  Once you order a book to a reading room, that reading room is where it stays until the staff return it to its general resting place. 

Now I just have to find my perfect reading room, which is where the books are sent to for you to (obviously) read them.  Of course, I want to match up the area of study where ‘open shelf’ books will be handy to the ‘closed stack’ book requested to be delivered to that room since the library cannot house its massive collection in its useable facilities.  If I had time to take the tour this week I would, but it is Fresher’s Week already, there’s an exam on Thursday, and I have a full plate.  Ah well, I will just have to wander around a bit since I have access now with my magic reader card of happiness and joy (soon to be misery and being overworked – but today it is happiness and joy) that lets me enjoy a facility that is considered to be one of THE places in the world to do research. 

…Also, I suppose it is worth mentioning that the Bodleian Library has been used in scenes from the Harry Potter movies (the Infirmary scenes took place just outside the room we were sworn in at and the Duke Humphrey’s library area is featured as many sections of the Hogwarts Library, particularly the “Restricted Books Section” I believe).  That isn’t why it is so ridiculously awesome, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt.  Some other places I have been (Gloucester Cathedral, Christ’s Church’s Great Hall, and I think some bits of other places as well) have all been noted by our guides or professors –in passing – as locations used in Harry Potter movies as well.  So I guess if you are really into the movies you’ll go “ooooh!” and “ahhhh!” just like half the class usually does every time it is brought up while the other half roll their eyes or pretend they are with another passing group of strangers for a moment. 

After dinner tonight I need to buckle down and get two books noted and sorted so I can return them to the library for others who may need them for the upcoming exam.  Tomorrow I meet both my tutorial professors and then Wednesday I have my first seminar class as well – busy, busy, busy this week as the official semester gets underway. 

(We’re in 0^th week, or naught week, which is basically the same as the first week of the semester in a US college – meet your teachers, check out the school, get your stuff in order – but instead of having a short week like we usually do with Labor Day in there they just acknowledge it as its own week and begin officially after with 1^st week being the following week)