About
What is Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University?
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University searches descriptions of manuscripts and archives held at the Bodleian Libraries and some Oxford colleges. These descriptions are drawn from eleven online catalogues, detailed below.
Manuscript and archive collections
The manuscript and archive holdings of the Bodleian extend from Greek papyrus fragments from the 5th century BC to 21st century born-digital archives.
The manuscript and archive collections include works of literature, politics, science, medicine, theology, law, music and religious devotion, as well as many forms of documentary material produced by individuals and institutions.
The extensive archives held at the Bodleian include manuscripts, documents, audio-visual recordings, photographic material, music and born-digital content from thousands of personal and institutional archives. The collections also include thousands of legal charters and deeds from the 9th to the 20th centuries.
For more information, see the Bodleian Special Collections web pages.
Many of the 43 constituent colleges, societies and private halls of the University of Oxford also hold their own manuscript and archival collections.
Eleven online catalogues, one search
These manuscript and archive holdings are described across eleven online catalogues maintained by the Bodleian Libraries (detailed below). Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University enables searching across all online descriptions from every catalogue in a single search.
Please note that not all manuscripts and archives are described online. Many of the catalogues are works-in-progress, and some collections are not yet described online at all. For more information, see below.
Item and collection descriptions in Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University searches and displays summary information extracted from full catalogue records.
Full descriptions, which contain the most complete information about an item or archival collection, are linked to from the summary records found in Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University. These descriptions should be consulted before requesting to see an item in person.
Who is Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University for?
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University is for all users of manuscript and archive collections held at the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford colleges. It is the easiest place to start your search for manuscripts and archives held in Oxford, allowing searching across all online descriptions of the collections.
Existing users of the individual catalogues, or users who know which individual catalogue describes material they need, can still search the source catalogues directly.
What am I searching?
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University searches the following online catalogues:
| Resource name | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts | Archival material held by the Bodleian Libraries. Includes archives of individuals and organisations relevant to a wide range of subjects, as well as items acquired individually. Much material is textual (e.g. manuscript, typescript, word-processed), but significant quantities of photographic material, audiovisual material, music, and other documentary forms are also included. More recent material may be born-digital. |
Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts is a work-in-progress catalogue, and not all material is described online. See Help using Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts for details. Pre-1500 manuscripts, and manuscripts created in Asian and Middle Eastern languages, are described in other catalogues. They sometimes also have records in Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts as part of a description of a larger archive. |
| Charters in the Bodleian Libraries | Charters, deeds and other documentary materials, and seals, held at the Bodleian Libraries. Covering the medieval and early modern periods, to approximately 1800. | Charters in the Bodleian Libraries is a work-in-progress catalogue, and not all pre-1800 charters are described online. See About Charters in the Bodleian Libraries for details. |
| Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries | Medieval (mostly pre-1500) European and Byzantine manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges Also describes Greek and Latin papyri and Mesoamerican manuscripts. |
Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries is a work-in-progress catalogue. It contains a mixture of full and summary descriptions, mostly based on printed catalogues dating from the 19th to the 21st centuries. See About Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries for more information. |
| Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World | Manuscripts from the Islamicate world held at the Bodleian Libraries and some Oxford college libraries, including Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts. | Fihrist is a union catalogue containing records from 23 institutions around the UK. Only materials held at the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford colleges are searched by Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University. |
| Karchak: Tibetan Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries | Manuscripts and xylographs (blockbooks) in the Tibetan language, as well as manuscripts about the Tibet Region, held at the Bodleian Libraries. | |
| Hebrew Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries | Hebrew and Judaica manuscripts held at the Bodleian Libraries. | Hebrew Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries is a work-in-progress catalogue, and not all Hebrew manuscripts held at the Bodleian are described online. For help using these collections, see the Hebraica, Judaica and Semitics research guide. |
| Genizah Fragments at the Bodleian Libraries | The collection of Cairo Genizah fragments (including biblical, liturgical and literary fragments, legal documents and letters) held at the Bodleian Libraries. | |
| South Asian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries | South Asian manuscripts held at the Bodleian Libraries. | South Asian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries is a work-in-progress catalogue and not all South Asian manuscripts held at the Bodleian are described online. |
| Armenian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries | Armenian manuscripts held at the Bodleian Libraries. | |
| Senmai: Shan Buddhist Manuscripts | Shan Buddhist manuscripts held at the Bodleian Libraries. | Senmai: Shan Buddhist lik luṅ manuscripts in UK and SE Asian collections contains descriptions of Shan Buddhist manuscripts held in several UK and Southeast Asian libraries. Only materials belonging to the Bodleian Libraries are searched by Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University. |
| Georgian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries | Manuscripts and archival materials in Georgian, and manuscript and archival materials (primarily in English) about Georgia, held at the Bodleian Libraries. |
For help searching Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University, see the Help page.
What can’t I search?
The majority of online catalogues searched by Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University are works-in-progress, and not all manuscript and archive items are catalogued online.
Additionally, Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University does not cover all special collections material held at the Bodleian Libraries or Oxford college libraries.
Print holdings including rare books and maps
SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online) is the online catalogue covering the print holdings of the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries. Search SOLO for:
- Modern print holdings, e-books and journals
- Rare and antiquarian printed books
- Printed ephemera
- Maps
East and Southeast Asian Manuscripts at the Bodleian
The Bodleian Libraries does not have modern online descriptions of manuscripts from East or Southeast Asia. For help working with these collections, including guides to printed catalogues, see the Libraries’ finding aids for:
An East Asian manuscript catalogue is in development.
Ethiopic and Syriac manuscripts at the Bodleian
The Bodleian holds around 130 Ethiopic manuscripts and over 200 Syriac and Mandaean manuscripts which are not yet catalogued online. Some are described in printed catalogues.
Further information can be found in the Hebraica, Judaica and Semitics research guide.
Coptic manuscripts at the Bodleian
The Bodleian holds a small number of Coptic manuscripts, some of which are not yet catalogued online. More information can be found in the Middle Eastern manuscripts research guide.
Other Oxford college manuscript and archive collections
Only some manuscripts and archives held at Oxford colleges are discoverable via Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University. These are mostly medieval manuscripts described in Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries, and some Islamicate manuscripts described in Fihrist.
Oxford College Archives, maintained by the Oxford Archive Consortium, gives an overview of the archives held in Oxford colleges.
Oxford college library guides lists Oxford college libraries with links to further information, and includes an overview of their special collections (“Historic and Special Collections”).
Oxford museum manuscript and archive collections
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University does not search manuscripts and archives held at the University museums and faculties. Some of these institutions maintain their own online catalogues. For more information, see:
- Ashmolean Museum: Archive collections
- History of Science Museum: Library and Archives
- Museum of Natural History: Library and Archives
- Pitt Rivers Museum: Photographs, sound, film and archive collections
Items described in more than one catalogue
Some item record pages in Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University display information from more than one of the source catalogues listed above. This occurs when an individual items is described in more than one catalogue.
Some items which are described in detail in a manuscript catalogue are also part of an archival collection and therefore represented in Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts.
In a small number of cases items are described in more than one manuscript catalogue; this is because some items contain texts in more than one language.
Using Special Collections
The Bodleian Libraries’ welcome academics, students and researchers to consult special collections in person. Information on how to do so can be found on the Using Special Collections page.
For information about consulting items held at Oxford colleges, please contact the colleges directly.
Subject guides and finding aids
For an overview of the special collections held at the Bodleian Libraries, see the Special Collections section of Bodleian Libraries website. This includes:
- Subject Guides, which provide an overview of all the Libraries’ special collections, not just those catalogued online, with links to further information.
- Detailed finding aids, which give specific information working with individual collections.
Please contact Bodleian Special Collections if you need any further information.
For help and advice using special collections held at Oxford colleges, see:
History of the resource
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University was first launched in October 2023. It was created as part of the FAMOUS project, funded by the Mellon Foundation.
Credits
Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University was built and is maintained by Bodleian Digital Library Systems and Services. Development was funded by the Mellon Foundation.
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