About the event
As part of Oxford Open Doors 2026, the Bodleian Libraries will be opening up some of our spaces and showing off some of the collections that are not usually accessible to the public. Join us for a wide range of free activities and tours for visitors to enjoy throughout the day.
Law Library tours | Saturday 12 September | Sunday 13 September
Law Library tours, Friday 11 – Saturday 12 September
The Bodleian Law Library is one of the largest law libraries in the United Kingdom. Housed in a landmark modern building by Leslie Martin and Colin St John Wilson, it was completed in 1964 and is now listed at Grade II*. With over 550,000 volumes and access to a vast array of legal databases, our resources cover almost the entire legal spectrum and are used not only by our own students and staff, but also by legal researchers and practitioners from across the world. The building will be presented as a work of architecture and as a centre of research and learning, with the hope that visitors will be able to see the relationship between these two aspects.
Tours are drop-in and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum of 20 per tour. Minimum age is 11; under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
- Friday 11 September, 15.00 and 17.00
- Saturday 12 September, 11.00
Saturday 12 September
Drop-in activities in Blackwell Hall, Weston Library
11.00 – 16.00
- Join the Imaging Services team at their discovery station in Blackwell Hall and explore some of the wonders of their work photographing the collections of the Bodleian Libraries.
- Have a go at using our Victorian printing press to make your very own printed keepsake to take home.
- At our conversation station, chat with volunteers about one of our free exhibitions.
Family craft activities in Blackwell Hall
11.00 – 15.00
Drop-in and get creative with some fun, creative family crafts to take home.
Us and Them: the story of pets with James Carter
11.30 & 14.00
Free, just drop in
Join in a lively session of storytelling, riddles and rhymes exploring pets in all their forms with James Carter, award-winning children's poet, writer and musician.
Ages 4+
Printing in the Old Library’s Schola Musicae
12.00 – 16.00
Join the printing team in the Bodleian Old Library’s printing press workshop and learn about historical printing methods from the time of Gutenberg, then have a go at making your own keepsake to take home, using an old, hand-operated printing press.
Conservation Tours Behind the Scenes
11.30 – 12.00 & 13.30 – 14.00
Free, booking essential
Take a tour behind the scenes at the Bodleian Conservation Studio in the Weston Library. Discover how the team preserve, repair and care for our wondrous collections and take care of our historic spaces.
Free, spaces limited – booking is essential. Age 11+ only.
This tour is fully booked.
Maps Show and Tell
11.00 – 12.00, 13.00 – 14.00 & 14.00 – 15.00
Free, booking essential
Explore some of the Bodleian’s marvellous map collections with a show and tell by staff members from the Bodleian Map Room at the Weston Library.
Free, spaces limited – booking is essential. Age 11+ only.
This tour is fully booked.
Portrait Tours
11 – 11.45 & 14.00 – 14.45
Free, booking essential
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 meet in Blackwell Hall at the Weston Library.
Free, spaces limited – booking is essential. Age 11+ only.
This tour is fully booked.
Introduction to the Bodleian Humanities Library, Schwarzman Centre
10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 14.30 & 15.30
There will be hourly talks about the Bodleian Humanities Library in the library’s Digital Study Room.
Talks operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Please sign up at the library information point in the Space for Reading at the Schwarzman Centre (opposite the Bate collection). The Space for Reading will be open to the public as usual (09.00–21.00)
Maximum of 30 per talk. Minimum age is 11; under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
Please note: the Humanities Library reading rooms will not be open for Open Doors.
Sunday 13 September
Free entry to the Divinity School
11.00 – 16.00
Explore inside the stunning Divinity School, the University of Oxford’s oldest purpose-built teaching and examination room. It is also a location made famous from featuring in the Harry Potter film series. Please meet in the entrance to the Divinity School (Proscholium), through the glass doors behind the statue.
Entry is free, drop-in and suitable for all ages. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Free activities in Blackwell Hall, Weston Library
11.00 – 15.00
Printing in the Old Library’s Schola Musicae
This event has been cancelled
Wonder of Birds: A creative dance and music workshop with MuMo Creative
11.30 – 13.00
Join us in a synergy of sound, movement and creativity in this workshop co-created by MuMo Creative and their Dance for Parkinson's and Dance for Joy groups. Inspired by our Wonder of Birds exhibition, the workshop combines live music, dance and creative exercises to boost physical and mental wellbeing, and to celebrate the transformative effects of dance and music. Whether you’d like to take part in the dance workshop or simply enjoy the performance from the audience, all are welcome to experience this inclusive and fun event.
The workshop is free, drop-in and suitable for all. It takes place in Blackwell Hall at the Weston Library.
MuMo Creative is an Oxford-based charity that offers creative dance, music and movement sessions to promote the physical and mental health of older people with age-related health conditions. This workshop is led by MuMo Creative’s lead artists Nia Williams, Roosa Leimu-Brown and Louisa Dalton.
Birdsong workshop
14.00 – 15.00
Inspired by the Bodleian Libraries’ Wonder of Birds exhibition, join us to learn simple, beautiful songs featuring our feathered friends. No previous singing experience is needed and everything will be learned by ear.
This event is ideal for those aged 8 and up, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
It takes place in Blackwell Hall at the Weston Library.
