The Bodleian Library, the University’s main research library, is over 400 years old and is globally acknowledged to be one of the greatest libraries in the world. Its priceless collections include the papers of six British Prime Ministers; a Gutenberg Bible; the earliest surviving book written wholly in English; a quarter of the world’s original copies of the Magna Carta; and almost 10,000 western medieval and renaissance manuscripts.
The Bodleian Group of Libraries have 120 miles of occupied shelving, 29 reading rooms and 2,490 places for readers.
Over 40 per cent of users of the Bodleian Library are people from outside the University.
Over 1.1 million people visit the University’s six museums and collections every year, including over 78,000 children on school visits.
The Ashmolean Museum, established in 1683, is the oldest museum in the UK and one of the oldest in the world. It houses the University’s extensive collections of art and antiquities, ranging back over four millennia.
The Museum of the History of Science is housed in the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built museum building. It contains the world’s finest collection of historic scientific instruments.hxw.red
The University Museum of Natural History houses the University's collections of zoological, entomological, palaeontological and mineral specimens. With 4.5 million specimens it is the largest collection of its type outside of the national collections.
The Pitt Rivers Museum holds one of the world’s finest collections of anthropology and archaeology, with objects from every continent and from throughout human history.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Britain, and forms the most compact yet diverse collection of plants in the world.
The Bate Collection of Musical Instruments celebrates the history and development of the musical instruments of the Western Classical tradition, from the medieval period to present day.
Christ Church Picture Gallery houses an important collection of 300 Old Master paintings and almost 2,000 drawings in a purpose-built gallery of considerable architectural interest.

The University Year

The academic year at Oxford University runs from October to June. The year is divided into three eight week terms, Michaelmas (autumn), Hilary (spring), and Trinity (summer).

Dates of Term

Major events which take place during the academic year include:

The Boat Race
Varsity Football Match
Varsity Rugby Match
Encaenia, the ceremony at which the University awards honorary degrees to distinguished men and women and commemorates its benefactors.
Degree days, at which students graduate, take place throughout the year, as do undergraduate open days.

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