10 years of the Weston Library
About the event
Join us for a series of talks, activities and workshops for all the family to celebrate ten years since the opening of the Weston Library.
Activities in Blackwell Hall
Saturday and Sunday
- Take part in a live communal artwork.
- Print a keepsake on our printing press.
- Check out the royal seals on the Magna Carta, then seal the deal by designing your own with embossing foil.
- Go on an oracles fortune teller trail.
- Test yourself against riddles from the Middle Ages to Middle Earth, then write your own.
- Join a hunt around the library for long-lost letters of the English alphabet.
- Take a mystery book home from our book exchange.
- The Toddleian, our space for the littlest visitors, will be open as usual with a selection of books, toys, and a soft mat for babies.
Sunday
- Explore the fantastical power of stories with storyteller Isy Mead.
Tours
Join one of our special behind-the-scenes tours of the Weston Library.
Beneath the Weston Library tour
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March
11.15am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm | Tickets free, booking required
The Beneath the Weston Library tour offers a rare glimpse into the underground passages once used to transport books between the Bodleian buildings. Visitors can see the old conveyor belt, which was once vital for moving volumes beneath the streets of Oxford.
Please note: Children must be 11+ to join this tour. Children aged 11–16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Most of the tour takes place underground. The tour includes stairs, and we regret that no lift is available.
This tour is now fully booked.
Faces of the Weston Library tour
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March
11.15am and 1.30pm | Tickets free, booking required
Take a tour of the portraits behind the scenes in the Weston Library and discover new stories, such as that of Edmund Halley, the astronomer who first predicted the return of comets. The portraits offer a fascinating record of social and academic history and feature a diverse mix of people with connections to the University of Oxford, the world of literature and, of course, Bodley’s Librarians.
Please note: Children must be 11+ to join this tour. Children aged 11–16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Our guided tour includes stairs, and we regret that no lift is available.
This tour is now fully booked.
Exhibition tours
Join a free tour of our exhibition Oracles, Omens and Answers led by one of our volunteer team. Sign up on the day at the welcome desk.
Talks
Come to these short talks by our curators on treasures in our collection.
Magna Carta and the Bodleian, 1215–2025
Saturday 22 March, 12–12.45pm | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre
Why is another anniversary of Magna Carta being celebrated this year? How many Magna Cartas are there? And why are so many of them in the Bodleian Library?
This talk is by Dr Matthew Holford, Tolkien Curator of Medieval Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries. It will be followed by a short talk at the Magna Carta 1215 1225 display.
An Upside Down Book: The Story of Sir Thomas Bodley’s Chinese Books
Saturday 22 March, 1.30–2.15pm | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre
This talk is by Dr Mamti Sunuodula, Head of East Asia Section and HD Ching Chinese Studies Librarian at the Bodleian Libraries.
All Maps Lead to Weston: 10 years of cartographic adventures in the Weston Library
Saturday 22 March, 2.30–3.15pm | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre
This talk is by Nick Millea, Map Curator at the Bodleian Libraries.
Booking information
This event is free and open to all. Booking is required for some of the individual talks and tours.
Location
This celebration takes place in person in Blackwell Hall and the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre at the Weston Library.
Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG.
Wheelchair access
Blackwell Hall and the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre are wheelchair accessible.
Weston at 10
This event is part of 10 years of the Weston Library. Preserving knowledge, supporting scholarship and sharing culture.
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