How do I find books in the Library?

  • First, search SOLO - the online catalogue for all of Oxford’s libraries. For guidance on how to use SOLO, see the online guide. The Bodleian has also produced a series of short videos for Masters students and DPhil students showing you how to do the most common tasks.
  • Once you find a book you are looking for in SOLO, click on the record and look for the list of libraries which hold it. If you see Nuffield College Library listed, click on that to find the shelfmark.
  • The shelfmark will tell you where in the Library to go to find the book. Our Library floorplan (see our Library Guide and on the wall in the Library) and Guide to Location of Books (also on the walls) will tell you where in the Library to go. Very quick summary: Economics & Statistics are in the Basement, History on the 3rd floor, Sociology on the 4th floor, Politics on the 5th & 6th floors and International Relations on the 6th
  • Once you are on the right floor, use the maps on the door and the shelf-end signs to find the right place.
  • Important to note: in the shelfmarks, the first set of numbers are whole numbers, while any further numbers should be read as decimals, ie, HM 87.14.K comes before HM 87.2.D. Shelfmarks with letter/number combinations after the initial numbers come after shelfmarks without these combinations (eg JZ 49.4.S comes before JZ 49.G7.B). The letter at the end of the shelfmark is usually the first letter of the author's surname; if multiple books have the same shelfmark, the books will be filed in alphabetical order by author’s surname.
  • If you are on a Taught Course, you should find copies of the core readings on your core courses in our Taught Course Collection in the Small Reading Room or available on SOLO as an e-book. Please note that Taught Course books cannot be borrowed, but this means there should always be a copy available for you here even if all the lending copies are out.

 

How do I borrow books?

  • Bring the book(s) to the 1st floor Lobby and check them out using the self-issue PC. You will need your University Card.
  • Follow the instructions by the PC, and we also have a video showing you how to use it.
  • Unless it is a short loan book, it will be yours until the end of the academic year, unless another College member asks us to recall them, in which case you will need to bring them back sooner. We won’t recall books from you if you’ve had them for fewer than 28 days.
  • You can borrow up to 100 books, so you shouldn’t need to worry about running into a limit!

 

How do I return books?

  • There are two ways to do this. Either drop the books in the book return box on the ground floor…
  • … or bring them up to the self-issue PC in the 1st floor Lobby. Put them on the black pad and press ‘return’ on the screen, then put the books on the shelves beneath the PC.

 

What if I can’t find a book I’m looking for? SOLO says Nuffield has it…

  • Check SOLO to see if it is on loan – if it is, it will have a due date next to the shelfmark. You can then either get the book from another library (if available) or email us to ask us to recall it for you from the person who has it out. We can do that as long as it’s been on loan for at least 28 days.
  • Check SOLO to see if it is marked as missing – you’ll see this next to the shelfmark in the same way as you would the due date. If it’s missing, have a look to see if another library has it, or email us to ask if we can buy a replacement.
  • If there’s no indication on SOLO that it’s on loan or missing and you can’t find it, let us know by email or by popping into the Library Office. We’ll have a good look for it and if we can’t find it, we’ll either direct you to another library, buy a replacement copy for you, or see if we can borrow one from elsewhere via inter-library loan.

 

What if I can’t find a book I’m looking for? It’s not coming up on SOLO…

  • Double-check your spelling and that you have the title and/or author’s name correctly.
  • If you’re sure you have all the details right but it’s not coming up, use our Book Request form to ask us to buy a copy for you. We will generally do so as long as it is available and in the broad field of the social sciences. If we can’t buy it, we’ll advise you how else you could get hold of it or see if we can borrow a copy from another library via inter-library loan.

 

What if I need a book that is out on loan?

  • Email us to ask about a recall. We can ask the person who has it to return it so you can borrow it, as long as they have had the book for at least 28 days.
  • You could also check SOLO to see if it is available to borrow from another Oxford library, or as an e-book.

 

What if I need a book that Nuffield doesn’t have?

  • If it’s available in another library you can use, such as the Social Science Library, you could go and get it there. You may or may not be allowed to borrow it – click on the little (i) symbol next to the library’s name on SOLO to go to their website and check their lending policies.
  • Alternatively, use our Book Request form to ask us to buy a copy for you. We will generally do so as long as it is available and in the broad field of the social sciences. If we can’t buy it, we’ll advise you how else you could get hold of it or see if we can borrow a copy from another library via inter-library loan

How can I find e-books?

 

I want to read this book in hard copy, but it’s only available as an e-book…

  • Use our Book Request form to ask us to buy a copy for you. We will generally do so as long as it is available and in the broad field of the social sciences. If we can’t buy it, we’ll advise you how else you could get hold of it or see if we can borrow a copy from another library via inter-library loan

 

I want to read this book as an e-book, but it’s only available in print/as a restricted e-book…

 

What are those restricted e-books? Why can’t I read them at home/in my office/in Nuffield Library?

  • Restricted e-books (orange dots on SOLO) are electronic legal deposit copies which have been made available to the Bodleian under the UK copyright deposit arrangement. This is the law that states publishers must provide copies of all books published in the UK to six libraries, including the Bodleian and the British Library. When the regulations were updated to enable publishers to deposit e-books, those regulations specified that the books could only be read on library premises. This means you can only access them in one of the Bodleian Libraries when using their computers – the main Bodleian, or Social Science Library, for example, but not the college libraries or anywhere else even if you are on the University network. To make them available elsewhere would require a change to the regulations.
  • If a book you need is only available as a restricted e-book, use our Book Request form to ask us to buy a copy for you – either in hardcopy or as a ‘proper’ e-book. We will generally do so as long as it is available and in the broad field of the social sciences.

Where can I work?

  • There are several reading rooms and study spaces: the Main Reading Room and the Small Reading Room are on the 1st floor, the 2nd floor Reading Room is above them and there are individual desks on each floor of the Tower. All spaces are first come, first served!
  • The Cole Room can be accessed via the 2nd floor of the Tower and may be used as a study space if it has not been booked

 

Do you have any equipment available to help me study comfortably?

  • Yes!
  • Monitors with a variety of connectors are available on selected desks in the Main Reading Room, Small Reading Room, 2nd floor Reading Room and on floors 3-6 of the Tower
  • Book rests, laptop stands, and cushions are available in the corridor outside the Main Reading Room – feel free to take these anywhere in the Library (but don’t take them outside!)
  • There are height-adjustable desks in the 2nd floor Reading Room and on floors 3-6 of the Tower.

 

Can I leave things in the Library?

  • You may leave personal possessions temporarily in the Reserve Cupboards in the corridor outside the Main Reading Room. Fill out one of the slips provided with your name and the date and leave it with your stuff so we know it hasn’t been abandoned.
  • Don’t leave anything valuable – the cupboards don’t lock so anything left is at your own risk.
  • If you leave things there for more than 7 days without changing the date on the slip, we will clear it to lost property.

 

Can I bring in drinks/food?

  • You may bring in drinks in closed cups or bottles.
  • Please do not bring in open cups or food. If you’re hungry, take that as a good prompt to take a break!

 

Can I work with friends/coursemates?

  • Other members of the University (postgraduate students, researchers and staff), and Nuffield alumni who wish to apply for access to the Library must register online; see Access and Admission for more details.
  • Please don’t bring in non-Nuffield members, or borrow books for them. You are responsible for any books you borrow from us; if your friend loses it, you will be charged!

 

Can I book a room for group study/teaching/seminar?

  • You can book the Cole Room, accessed via the 2nd floor of the Tower
  • For other rooms in College, contact the Conference team

 

How can I print/copy/scan?

Which other libraries can I use? Can I use college libraries?

  • All members of the University may use all the Bodleian Libraries, though depending on the library and your status you may not be able to borrow. The Bodleian website has a good list of libraries which you can filter by feature; individual library websites will set out their policies.
  • As a general rule, you can’t use other college libraries. If you find that a book you need is only in another college library, you could email them to ask whether you can have access to consult it. Or alternatively, use our Book Request form to ask us to buy a copy for you.

 

Can my friend (from another college) use the Library with me?

  • Other members of the University (postgraduate students, researchers and staff), and Nuffield alumni who wish to apply for access to the Library must register online; see Access and Admission for more details.
  • Please don’t bring in non-Nuffield members, or borrow books for them. You are responsible for any books you borrow from us; if your friend loses it, you will be charged!

How do I find journal articles?

  • Many journal articles are indexed in SOLO, so start your search there. As for e-books, if you are at home, or otherwise not on the University network, sign in to SOLO first (using the link in the top-right corner) with your single sign-on for access.
  • If you are looking for a specific article and can’t find it on SOLO, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t available as not all journals allow SOLO to index their articles individually. Try searching SOLO for the title of the journal itself – if it’s available online (green dot), you can click through and look for the article on their website.
  • In some circumstances the journal may only be available either in hard copy or as a restricted e-journal (orange dots, see the bit about restricted e-books above). For these you will need to either go to the library which holds the journal and find it in print, as if it were a book, or go to a Bodleian Library to read the restricted e-journal version on their computers. At Nuffield, you can find current and recent issues of printed journals in the Small Reading Room, for older issues, please ask Library staff.
  • You may also want to check the Oxford Research Archive (ORA) for pre-prints/accepted versions of articles/working papers by Oxford authors.
  • There are lots of bibliographic databases and citation and indexing services which can help you find relevant articles for your search. See the FAQ below for more.

 

I need to do a literature review. Where should I start?

How can I find and read theses?

  • Nuffield Library holds copies of theses by Nuffield members. You can view a list on our website, and just email us the details if you want to look at any of them.
  • E-copies of recent Oxford University theses should all be on the Oxford Research Archive (ORA), and print copies will be held in the Bodleian – the best way to find them is to search SOLO and include the keyword ‘thesis’ in your search.

 

How can I find other online resources? Databases, government publications, digitised archives…

 

I need to access some data. How can I do that?

 

Does Oxford have access to paywalled newspapers online?

  • Most paywalled newspapers and magazines don’t offer good value institutional subscriptions, so being on the University network won’t get you to paywalled content. The Financial Times is a notable exception though you have to register with your University email address. You can also access The Economist directly online if you are on the University network (or have signed in to SOLO using your single sign-on).
  • For other paywalled newspapers, you can access almost all their content using one of two aggregator databases: Nexis UK or Factiva. You won’t get the pictures/layout, but you can get the text that way.
  • We subscribe to several newspapers and a range of current affairs magazines in the Library so you can come and read those in print. Find them in the 1st floor Lobby.
  • The Bodleian has a comprehensive guide to finding and accessing newspapers (current and historic).

 

How do I find archives or special collections?

  • Help you develop your skills or support your wellbeing: take a look at the Skills & Wellbeing Collection in the Small Reading Room (SOLO list)
  • Provide some light reading: take a look at the Oxford Collection or Art Collection in the 1st floor Lobby  These may be borrowed in the same way as normal books
  • Keep up to date with current affairs: daily newspapers and a range of weekly current affairs magazines can be found in the 1st floor Lobby.
  • Keep up to date with new research and publicise your work: let us know if you publish any articles/working papers etc, and we will include it in our weekly Research Digest Follow us on BlueSky and we’ll do the same there.

If you need help or advice with any of the following, please email us or come into the Library Office during office hours (Monday-Friday 9:30-12:30 & 13:30-17:30) to book an appointment. We can help you get set up with:

 

  • Google Scholar: claim your profile and make sure your work is listed and credited to you. Also learn how you can use Google Scholar to get updates on new research and publications.
  • ORCID: ORCID iDs are unique researcher identifiers, designed to help you identify yourself when submitting publications or grant applications and to ensure your research outputs are correctly attributed to you. ORCIDs are particularly useful in that they are linked to you, not your institution, and so mean you can ensure your work remains correctly linked to you online throughout your career. You can also connect your ORCID to your University SSO in order to make things like depositing/claiming your research in ORA (via Symplectic) simpler, and use it to track your research impact in Altmetric (see below) as well as traditional bibliographic databases. Research funders are increasingly integrating ORCID and other persistent identifiers in their application processes. You will find that many publishers now require you to enter an ORCID iD when you submit a publication. See Home | Oxford ORCID and https://orcid.org/ for more information
  • Symplectic Elements: Symplectic is the University’s tool for monitoring and manging compliance with open access policies and funder requirements, as well as to collate information for the REF and populate web profiles. See Symplectic Elements | Research Support for more information.
  • OSF (Open Science Framework): The Open Science Framework(OSF) offers a complete platform for managing your research, from planning through to publication. You can access it using your Oxford SSO credentials, and can also be used to pre-register your research and deposit pre-prints.
  • Altmetrics: Altmetrics are alternative metrics to traditional metrics like citations. They are an indicator of the online attention received by a research output (eg journal article, conference proceeding, book, dataset), and can be used to support traditional metrics to highlight interest in research that could not be measured in a traditional citation count. University members can set up an account on com to track non-academic attention received by your research.
  • Social media/BlueSky: The Library has long used social media to share and publicise research by College members. We used to do this mainly on X/Twitter but activity is increasingly moving to BlueSky, a Twitter alternative that is growing rapidly and now has strong use in academic circles. If you are on BlueSky already, follow us @nuffieldlibrary.bsky.social and tag us in your posts to share your research, or use the #NuffSky

 

Don’t forget we can also help with more traditional research management and search tools, such as reference management, bibliometrics/citation tracking, and finding and accessing all sorts of materials from books to articles to sources to data. And if we can’t help, we know who in the Bodleian can!