Wadham College Library
Detailed Guide
Some Library Stats
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We have just over 50,000 books in our main lending collection. They are all catalogued onto the central university libraries catalogue, SOLO
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We acquire, on average, around 1,000 new books each year
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The fastest time in which we have bought and then processed a new book, once a reader has recommended it for purchase, is 33 minutes. This is only made possible by our proximity to Blackwells!
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Over 20,000 books are usually checked out or renewed during each academic year
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During the same period, around 60% of our registered users borrow books from the library (of course there will be others, usually graduates because of the nature of our collection, who don't borrow but do use the library)
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On average, in term-time, a total of around 1,500 college library books are on loan at any one time
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We have around 17,000 antiquarian books. The oldest dates from c.1080 AD
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The library basement houses the 'Dorothy shift' - a smock probably owned by the college founder Dorothy Wadham
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Every now and then, the library interior attracts a visit from an architectural practice, or students of architecture. The library was built in 1974-6 to a design by the Glasgow firm Gillespie, Kidd & Coia. It was opened on 12th July 1976 by Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
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The library is named after the tenth-century Persian poet Hakim Abu'l-Qasim Firdawsi Tusi, transliterated as Ferdowsi. See his entry on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdowsi.