Oxford. Christ Church College Library. 8 June 2018

Friday. 8 June 2018
Christ Church Library, University of Oxford
https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/library

Wow. Just Wow. I could hardly believe the treasures we were shown today.

Christ Church War Memorial Garden

Christ Church Library and Archives.

Our tour was led by Steven Archer, College Librarian for Christ Church, University of Oxford. Steven is only the third librarian to hold the position in the past sixty five years. One of his predecessors was none other than CS Lewis--our group met in the office and around the table that was once his.  The view out the window was of a picturesque courtyard, the very one where CS Lewis met Alice, the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Steven enjoys his job so much that he endures a mind-boggling three hour commute to and from work each day! He sees the librarian's role as pastoral, as taking care of students and describes the library as a relaxed, informal, comfortable space for students (despite its long, storied history and opulent spaces).  Steven explained that his half of his time is spent managing the special collections and the other half interacting with and helping students, the latter of which he considers to be his most important function.

Steven Archer, College Librarian.

Steven's office.

Courtyard where CS Lewis first met Alice.

Christ Church is part of the Oxford University system and currently enrolls 450 undergraduate students. Tuition costs 9000 pounds per year and students receive one-on-one tutoring. Students are expected to produce a 3,000 word essay every six days and present for discussion with their tutor. Christ Church was founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, but at that time there was no provision for a library. The current library was built in the 1860's and was modeled after the Palace of Versailles. The lower level houses the lending library and the upper floor, the special collections.

Versailles-inspired ceiling of the Special Collections room.

Chippendale stools that are actually used by students and staff.

Bible owned by Queen Elizabeth featuring purple velvet and gold stitching.
This manuscript was created by hand. The value of the item comes from its provenance.

An illuminated manuscript of Cardinal Wolsey's gospel lectures dating back to 1530.

Example of a music table book dating back to 1640 - 1650. The individual musical parts were written
at different angles so the performers could stand around a table and read their parts simultaneously.

First edition of Isaac Newton's Principles of Mathematics.

First edition of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species.

A lift-the-flap book about human anatomy.