Archives and manuscripts:
During February and March 2012, all enquiries about the College Archives and medieval and modern manuscripts should be addressed to the Fellow Archivist Emeritus, Dr John Jones: john.jones@balliol.ox.ac.uk.
Early printed books:
All enquiries about the early printed book collection and other special collections should be addressed to library@balliol.ox.ac.uk
Library history
From an early stage the Scholars had a ‘library’ of books in common; a manuscript bequeathed before May 1276 is still with us. The collections of manuscripts and books have continued to grow by gift, bequest, and purchase. We serve both the Balliol community of undergraduates, graduates, and Fellows, and the worldwide scholarly community who come to study our special collections of early printed books and early and modern manuscripts. Our manuscripts and earliest books are now housed at the Historic Collections Centre in St. Cross Church, next to Holywell Manor.
Library holdings
The Library aims to provide the books which undergraduates need for their weekly work, to keep multiple copies of standard texts, and to respond quickly to urgent requests for book purchases. Virtually all our stock of approximately 100,000 books is catalogued on the Oxford online union catalogue available through SOLO terminals.
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