Article in Daily Telegraph 31 March 2005 by John Clare

Dons fearful over Oxford's plans for Radcliffe Camera

THE Radcliffe Camera, Oxford's iconic circular library, could he turned into a visitors' centre, dons fear. As rumours engulfed the dreaming spires, the university insisted yesterday that it was "committed to the increased integration of library services".

Such opaque prose was enough to convince some dons that their fears were justified, though the university said no decision has yet been made concerning the Camera.

Given the history of the building, dons believe that any decision to change its use, let alone turn it into the gateway to a theme park, would be an outrage. Perfectly circular, topped with a lofty dome and built in the Palladian style, it was opened in 1749 to house the science collections and library of John Radcliffe, the Royal physician, and later incorporated into the Bodleian Library. The Grade I listed Camera, recently refurbished at huge expense, now contains two reading rooms, the upper of which has more than 750 yards of stock on open shelves.

The university, however, says that it needs to provide "an enhanced and more cost-effective service to readers".

Its statement continued: "The delivery of many of these managerial and operational enhancements will depend crucially on a number of urgently-needed changes in the library system's infrastructure."

Those in the know claimed that meant that most of the Bodleian's six million volumes would be relocated. At the Camera, the lower reading room could be profitably converted into a cafe, while the upper, equipped with screens, might show continuous videos of the "Oxford Experience" to American tourists.


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