Merton College Library
Encyclopedia
Merton College Library (in Merton College, Oxford
) is one of the earliest libraries
in England
and the oldest library in the world in continuous daily use . The library is housed in several parts of the college, and houses a priceless collection of early printed books and more than 300 medieval
manuscript
s. The main collection runs to approximately 70,000 volumes.
The oldest part, known as the Upper Library, is on the first floor of two orthogonal ranges of buildings that were built around 1373 by William Humberville as part of the completion of Mob Quad
, one of the first collegiate quadrangle
s.
The Upper Library was improved in the 16th century under Warden Sir Henry Savile
. Large dormer
window
s were added to the roof to allow more light in, and Thomas Bodley
reorganized it in the new Continental style; the old book chests and lectern
s were replaced by book shelves — among the first to be used in England — with benches between them. The Upper Library still retains these 16th century fittings.
It also contains a number of book chests, some chained books, one of Elizabeth I's
Welsh Bible
s, a matching pair of 16th-century globes (one of the earth, the other of the heavens), and a collection of astrolabe
s and other early scientific instruments.
Although the main academic library is housed elsewhere, the Upper Library is still regularly used by members of the college, and is open to visitors by arrangement.
The library also has important collections of papers and manuscripts from three former Mertonians: mountaineer Andrew "Sandy" Irvine
and authors T. S. Eliot
and Max Beerbohm
.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) is one of the earliest libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the oldest library in the world in continuous daily use . The library is housed in several parts of the college, and houses a priceless collection of early printed books and more than 300 medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s. The main collection runs to approximately 70,000 volumes.
The oldest part, known as the Upper Library, is on the first floor of two orthogonal ranges of buildings that were built around 1373 by William Humberville as part of the completion of Mob Quad
Mob Quad
Mob Quad is a four-sided group of buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries in Merton College, Oxford surrounding a small lawn. It is often claimed to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford, but Merton's own Front Quad was certainly enclosed earlier and the same form was probably developed...
, one of the first collegiate quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
s.
The Upper Library was improved in the 16th century under Warden Sir Henry Savile
Sir Henry Savile
Sir Henry Savile was an English scholar, Warden of Merton College, Oxford, and Provost of Eton.-Life:He was the son of Henry Savile of Bradley, near Halifax in Yorkshire, England, a member of an old county family, the Saviles of Methley, and of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Ramsden.He was...
. Large dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s were added to the roof to allow more light in, and Thomas Bodley
Thomas Bodley
Sir Thomas Bodley was an English diplomat and scholar, founder of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.-Biography:...
reorganized it in the new Continental style; the old book chests and lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
s were replaced by book shelves — among the first to be used in England — with benches between them. The Upper Library still retains these 16th century fittings.
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
Welsh Bible
Welsh Bible
Bible translations into Welsh have existed since at least the 15th century, but the most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, as revised in 1620...
s, a matching pair of 16th-century globes (one of the earth, the other of the heavens), and a collection of astrolabe
Astrolabe
An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, determining local time given local latitude and longitude, surveying, triangulation, and to...
s and other early scientific instruments.
Although the main academic library is housed elsewhere, the Upper Library is still regularly used by members of the college, and is open to visitors by arrangement.
The library also has important collections of papers and manuscripts from three former Mertonians: mountaineer Andrew "Sandy" Irvine
Andrew Irvine (mountaineer)
Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine was an English mountaineer who took part in 1924 British Everest Expedition, the third British expedition to the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest....
and authors T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
and Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
.