| Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library | |
|---|---|
 The library entrance on St John Street, Oxford | |
 | |
| Location | St John Street,Oxford,England |
| Type | Academic library |
| Established | 2001 |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | TheUniversity of Oxford collection specialising inarchaeology,art history andclassics |
| Size | 300,000 |
| Legal deposit | receives legal deposit books in relevant subject areas via the Bodleian's copyright receipt office |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Current University Card.Bona fide researchers may register to use the Library for reference only. |
| Other information | |
| Employees | 32 |
| Website | https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/art |
TheBodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library (‘Bodleian Art Library’ in its shortened form, formerly theSackler Library) holds a large portion of theclassical,art historical, andarchaeological works belonging to theUniversity of Oxford,England.
The library building was completed in 2001 and opened on 24 September of that year, enabling the rehousing of the library of theAshmolean Museum. The library entrance is at 1St John Street. It was principally funded by a donation from the multi-millionaireMortimer Sackler. It was designed byRobert Adam with Paul Hanvey ofADAM Architecture. Its main building is a circular drum, a reference to theClassical origins of many of its holdings. One of the outer walls of the drum is decorated by a Classical frieze. The architects claim the circular entrance vestibule is derived from theDoricTemple of Apollo at Bassae, first excavated byCharles Robert Cockerell, the architect who designed the adjacentAshmolean Museum.[1] The library is administered as part of the multi-siteBodleian Library, the central libraries of theUniversity of Oxford
The library was originally named for theSackler family, whose funding of the arts became controversial in the context of theopioid epidemic.[2] It was renamed the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library at a meeting of the University Council on 15 May 2023, following a review of the university's relationship with the family.[3]
The library's holdings incorporate the collections of four olderlibraries, namely theAshmolean library, the Classics Lending Library, the Eastern Art Library, theGriffith Institute and the History of Art Library. Major subject areas are:
Among the celebrated holdings are theHeracles Papyrus, a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript containing a poem about the Labours ofHeracles, along with over 100,000 fragments found atOxyrhynchus known as theOxyrhynchus Papyri.
51°45′20″N1°15′40″W / 51.75556°N 1.26111°W /51.75556; -1.26111
