Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library, the public reference library of Oxford University in Oxford, England. Opened in 1602, it was the first public library in Europe. It was named for Sir Thomas Bodley, an Oxford graduate, who in 1598 gave the university a collection of books. Funds from Bodley's estate and gifts from other donors enabled the library to enlarge its collection.
The Bodleian has more than 6,000,000 books and extensive collections of manuscripts. In one section books bound in oak boards are chained to cases as they were in the 17th century. The library is especially well stocked with early Arabic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Anglo-Saxon material. By an act of Parliament the library may claim one copy of each new book published in Great Britain.