Christ Church Library & Archives

The spacious College Library is an important resource centre, primarily intended to provide undergraduate readers with the books they need for their studies. There is also a separate Law Library with a valuable and increasing collection of legal works. Christ Church Library contains what is probably the largest and richest collection of early printed books and manuscripts in Oxford after the Bodleian Library. Its holdings are of international importance and are particularly rich in music, theology, classics, travel books, numismatics, early science, medicine and Hebrew studies.

New Exhibition in the Upper Library

Engraved Gems and the Classical Tradition

Although gems are modest in size, gem engraving was a major art in antiquity. From the Renaissance on Greek and Roman intaglios and cameos were collected, observed and copied. Scholars could learn about the appearance of gem subjects through publications, often initiated by their almost obsessive collectors, but also through the expanding production of impressions and casts of gems in a variety of materials. This exhibition will give examples of a wide range of these, from sealing wax to glass paste. It will also show a number of original gems.

The exhibition will be open from 16 January to 3 May 2013. For details, see Library Exhibitions.

Notes

1. Please note that visiting readers will not necessarily be able to access the library's wifi network. Readers from other academic institutions should be able to use Eduroam (please ensure that this is set up before you leave your home institution). Anyone else who knows he/she will require internet access should inform us of this in advance of a visit.

2. The Archive will be closed during September 2013.

New Books

• Acquisitions list 2013_01