LISNews: Librarian News

In a National Post article, Julia McKinnell, a summer student at Oxford, describes the joys of being in the Bodleian Library.

She reports having to \"swear before a man in a gown that I wouldn\'t \"kindle fire therein\" or \"undertake to injure objects.\" After taking this solemn oath, she requests a few books for the fun of it.
You can read the whole article here.After requesting a book, the reader (as the Bodleian patrons are known) must wait for hours to receive it. Permission may not be granted for every book. Women are forbidden to look at the Shikshapatri, a Hindu manuscript. People wishing to see Chaucer\'s Canterbury Tales must first prove \"serious scholarly intent\".