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Applications for the Rhodes Scholarship 2027 are open!

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A diverse group of Rhodes Scholars standing next to each other and smiling. Text reads 'Applications are open!' with the Rhodes Scholarship logo in lower left corner.

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international scholarship programme in the world, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to undertake full-time postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.

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Rhodes House Library

The Rosebery Room at Rhodes House holds a growing collection of books written by Rhodes Scholars. Scholars in Residence, and Alumni who live in and around Oxford, are welcome to borrow these books.

Alumni Library in the Rosebery Room

Borrowing Books

As we have no librarian, this scheme operates on an honesty basis.

  1. Before removing a book from the library, please email connect@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk with details of the book you have borrowed. Please indicate how long you are likely to keep the book for.
  2. All books borrowed by Scholars in Residence should be returned by the end of each Trinity term. Exceptions can be made on request.
  3. When returning the book, please email connect@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk again to let us know.

Donating Books

The library does not have a budget for acquiring books, so we are very grateful to Scholars who donate books they have written. 

If you are interested in donating a book, please contact connect@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk. We know that international postage can often cost more than the book itself, so it may be pragmatic to order the book from Blackwell's for delivery to Rhodes House, or make a financial donation for the Trust to buy the books locally.

Catalogue

The Rhodes Scholars' Library has the aim of becoming a definitive list of all books written by Rhodes Scholars, although this is perhaps an unattainable goal. However, within this, the Rosebery Room collection is a complete list of the Scholar-written books we hold at Rhodes House.

Films & Music

More information about our new Films & Music library coming soon. In the meantime, contact connect@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk with any questions.

Where is the Bodleian Libraries collection that used to be in Rhodes House?

When Rhodes House was opened in 1929, the library reading room on the first floor and part of the basement housed the Bodleian Libraries’ books and journals relating to Africa, the Commonwealth and the US. The library began to collect archives and manuscripts relating to these countries and the printed book and archive/manuscript collections grew over the decades until lack of space became a problem. Some of the printed books that were not consulted frequently were moved to the Bodleian’s off-site store.

At the end of the 20th century funding was raised to build the Rothermere American Institute (the building next to Rhodes House), incorporating the Vere Harmsworth Library. Over the winter of 2000-2001 the books and journals relating to the US (mostly history, politics and economics) were moved to the Vere Harmsworth Library. This freed up space in the reading room and stack in Rhodes House but the space was soon occupied when some large collections were received.

When planning began for the refurbishment of the building now known as the Weston Library (previously the New Bodleian) it was decided that the Bodleian’s African and Commonwealth collections should be moved from Rhodes House so that researchers could consult them alongside the Bodleian’s other special collections and so that they would benefit from the updated storage conditions in the Weston Library. In September 2014, the collections were moved to the Weston Library where they remain available for consultation. Contact Bodleian Library Reader Services for more details.

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