Social Science Library, Oxford
Encyclopedia
The Bodleian Social Science Library, Oxford (SSL) is the main teaching social sciences
lending library
at the University of Oxford
, England
. The library supports taught programmes for both undergraduates and postgraduates, and houses a dedicated research collection part of which contains legal deposit
material out-housed from the Bodleian Library
. The Social Science Library uses the Library of Congress
classification scheme.
Subject coverage includes:
The library is located in the Manor Road Building on Manor Road, Oxford.
The institution was preceded by the Social Studies Libraries; a grouping of three separate libraries:
These three libraries were the first to be combined, at the site of the existing Economics Library, between 2002 and 2003. Further integration followed with the Criminology Library and Socio-Legal Studies Library moving to the site in 2004. The collections housed at the International Development Centre (IDS) at Queen Elizabeth House joined the Social Science Library after its launch, in the summer of 2005. Material from the Slavonic and East European collections, previously kept within the Bodleian Library Slavonic reading room, also moved in to the library later that year.
In March 2010 the Social Science Library was renamed the Bodleian Social Science Library. This was as result of the Oxford University Library Services - of which the Social Science Library was a part - changing its name to the Bodleian Libraries.
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
lending library
Lending library
A lending library is a library from which books are lent out. The earliest reference to or use of the term "lending library" yet located in English correspondence dates from ca. 1586; C'Tess Pembroke Ps. CXII. v, "He is .....
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, 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...
. The library supports taught programmes for both undergraduates and postgraduates, and houses a dedicated research collection part of which contains legal deposit
Legal deposit
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The requirement is mostly limited to books and periodicals. The number of copies varies and can range from one to 19 . Typically, the national library is one of the...
material out-housed from the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
. The Social Science Library uses the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
classification scheme.
Subject coverage includes:
- CriminologyCriminologyCriminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
- EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
- International DevelopmentInternational developmentInternational development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
- PoliticsPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and International RelationsInternational relationsInternational relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations... - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and East European StudiesEastern EuropeEastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"... - Social PolicySocial policySocial policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
and Social WorkSocial workSocial Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or... - Socio-Legal StudiesSociology of lawThe sociology of law is often described as a sub-discipline of sociology or an interdisciplinary approach within legal studies...
- SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
The library is located in the Manor Road Building on Manor Road, Oxford.
History
The Social Science Library officially opened 1 October 2004, following a period in which subject collections housed within smaller units were amalgamated into a central library site.The institution was preceded by the Social Studies Libraries; a grouping of three separate libraries:
- Politics, International Relations, and Sociology Library (PIRS)
- Economics Library (formerly the Institute of Economics and Statistics (IES) until 1999)
- Social Policy and Social Work Library (SPSW)
These three libraries were the first to be combined, at the site of the existing Economics Library, between 2002 and 2003. Further integration followed with the Criminology Library and Socio-Legal Studies Library moving to the site in 2004. The collections housed at the International Development Centre (IDS) at Queen Elizabeth House joined the Social Science Library after its launch, in the summer of 2005. Material from the Slavonic and East European collections, previously kept within the Bodleian Library Slavonic reading room, also moved in to the library later that year.
In March 2010 the Social Science Library was renamed the Bodleian Social Science Library. This was as result of the Oxford University Library Services - of which the Social Science Library was a part - changing its name to the Bodleian Libraries.