Welcome
Our main public area is Blackwell Hall, the large hall inside the Weston Library. Here you'll find: our tours ticket office, Bodleian Café, the Weston Library Shop, the exhibition galleries, the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, toilets and seating areas.
The Old Schools Quadrangle (the outside courtyard area in the centre of the Bodleian Old Library) is also open to visitors. Here you will find the Old Quad gift shop, and the entrance to the Divinity School (ticket required).
The Bodleian Old Library and the Radcliffe Camera are working libraries. Members of the public can only go inside through library guided tours.
Learn more about our spaces
Getting here
We're located in central Oxford and accessible by public transport. Read our guide to getting here, and or learn more about accessibility in Oxford from Oxford City Council.
There are 9 Blue Badge parking spaces nearby: 4 spaces on Broad Street, and 5 on Parks Road. For more information on disabled parking spaces and procedures, visit the Oxfordshire County Council website.
Easy read visual story
Our easy read visual story can help you find your way around the Weston Library. This is a trial version; please email any feedback to: education@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Physical access
Tours
There is step-free access to Blackwell Hall (Weston Library), the Divinity School, and Convocation House and Chancellor’s Court (Bodleian Old Library).
The Bodleian Old Library is a historic listed building and some areas, including Duke Humfrey's Library, can only be reached by stairs. All library guided tours involve stairs, and the 90-minute library tour also includes a substantial amount of walking. We regret there are no lifts available.
If you or someone in your tour party has accessibility requirements, please contact us ahead of your visit on tours@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. We're working on improving accessibility for our guided tours to ensure visitors have an equitable experience.
Public areas
There is step-free access to all public areas of the Weston Library and Old Library. The entrance to the Weston Library has automatic doors. Our access guide includes images and detailed information about accessibility in the Weston Library.
Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome in our spaces. No other animals are allowed on our site or our tours.
Café
The Bodleian Café is on the left-hand side of Blackwell Hall when you enter via the main doors. The tables are a good height for wheelchair users, and there are plenty of light, moveable chairs. All of the food is reachable, and whilst the servery does not have a reduced section, it is a comfortable height for wheelchair users. Café staff are happy to help.
Places to sit
In addition to the café seating area, we also have a dedicated Space for Reading (near the information desk). You can sit here for as long as you want, to look at books and have a chat. There are also built-in wooden benches at the sides of Blackwell Hall.
Accessible toilet
The Weston Library has an accessible toilet. To find it, enter Blackwell Hall from the main entrance and turn left. The toilet block is straight ahead of you through the café area, and the accessible toilet is on the left-hand side. There are also standard men’s and women’s toilets.
Visual access
Large print information about the objects in our exhibitions is available is in booklets just inside each of the galleries.
We subtitle all audiovisual content on the screens in Blackwell Hall and in our exhibitions.
Auditory access
There is a fixed hearing loop at the information desk in Blackwell Hall. There is also a hearing loop in the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre.
Visitors on guided tours can request a hearing loop which connects wirelessly to the guide's microphone. We recommend contacting us prior to the tour via tours@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
Sensory access
The Weston Library and Bodleian Old Library are popular tourist attractions in central Oxford. Our public spaces can get very busy, especially during weekends and UK school holidays. Blackwell Hall, our main public space, is a large hall that can be noisy when crowded.
Blackwell Hall is typically busiest from 11am – 2pm. Quieter times to visit are on weekdays, particularly early in the morning and after 3pm.
