Gladstone Link

Gladstone Link is an underground library facility operated by the University of Oxford as part of the Bodleian Libraries. Located beneath central Oxford, it provides a physical connection between the Bodleian Library complex and the Radcliffe Camera, while also adding reading-room and open-access shelving capacity to the university’s central library system. The facility opened to readers on 5 July 2011 and is informally known as the Glink. The link takes its name from William Gladstone, the former British prime minister and a former student of Christ Church, Oxford. Its naming connects a contemporary library intervention with Oxford’s institutional and political history, although the facility itself is a modern underground adaptation rather than a traditional historic library building. Gladstone Link occupies two underground levels. Access from the Radcliffe Camera is provided through the lower reading room, while the Bodleian side is reached through a tunnel connected to the north staircase. A platform lift supports access for readers with disabilities. The upper level houses the History Faculty’s main lending library, continuing from the Lower Camera Reading Room. The lower level contains widely used Bodleian material that had previously been held in closed stacks and could generally be consulted only after a request. The facility also reflects a transition in how the Bodleian Libraries manage collections and reader access. The tunnels were formerly used as an Underground Bookstore and as part of a conveyor-based system for moving books between the Old Bodleian, the New Bodleian—now the Weston Library—and the Radcliffe Camera. As the New Bodleian was redeveloped into the Weston Library, the library system moved toward open shelving for many materials, reducing the need for routine conveyor transport from storage vaults. The former transport infrastructure nevertheless remains relevant: portions of it have been preserved, and the movement system has been refurbished and reinstated for the protected transport of delicate and rare materials, reducing their exposure to weather while they are moved between library buildings. Gladstone Link is therefore best understood not as a commercial consumer brand but as a named university library facility. Its significance lies in combining additional reader space, more direct access to frequently consulted collections, improved physical connectivity across the central Bodleian complex, and infrastructure for the continuing operation of Oxford’s historic libraries.

The Gladstone Link occupies tunnels that previously served as the Underground Bookstore and as part of a book-transport system linking the Old Bodleian, the New Bodleian and the Radcliffe Camera. Books were moved through the tunnels by conveyor, allowing material to circulate between the central Oxford library buildings. A section of the former conveyor infrastructure has been preserved in the New Bodleian tunnel. The role of the tunnels changed as the New Bodleian was redeveloped into the Weston Library. That redevelopment involved a greater use of open shelving, which reduced the need to transport books routinely from closed storage vaults to other parts of the central library complex. The change created an opportunity to adapt the underground space for readers and collections rather than using it only as logistical infrastructure. The Gladstone Link was developed as an underground library and opened to readers on 5 July 2011. It was named for William Gladstone, the former prime minister who had studied at Christ Church, Oxford. The facility introduced a more contemporary reading and access environment within a group of libraries known for historic architecture and long-established traditions. The completed link has upper and lower levels. Readers enter from the Radcliffe Camera through its lower reading room; on the Bodleian side, access is available through a tunnel from the north staircase. A platform lift was included to improve access for readers with disabilities. The upper level accommodates the History Faculty’s main lending library and extends the library provision associated with the Lower Camera Reading Room. The lower level provides access to widely used Bodleian material that was previously kept in closed stacks and generally had to be requested. The tunnels have also retained a logistical role. Because the Weston Library houses delicate and rare materials, the transport route has been refurbished and reinstated to support the movement of protected collections between buildings while limiting exposure to outdoor conditions. Gladstone Link thus combines reader-focused space with the underlying service infrastructure of the Bodleian Libraries. Today, Gladstone Link remains an active University of Oxford library facility. Its identity is tied to the Bodleian Libraries and to the physical relationship between the Radcliffe Camera and the wider Bodleian complex, rather than to an independent commercial organization.

• 2011

  Opened to readers

  [1]Gladstone Linken.wikipedia.org

  Gladstone Link opened on 5 July 2011 as an underground library connection between the Bodleian Library complex and the Radcliffe Camera.

• Former book-transport tunnels adapted for library use

  [1]Gladstone Linken.wikipedia.org

  The tunnels that became Gladstone Link had previously supported the Underground Bookstore and a conveyor system for moving books among central Oxford library buildings.

• Transport infrastructure refurbished for protected collections

  [1]Gladstone Linken.wikipedia.org

  Following the redevelopment of the New Bodleian as the Weston Library, the tunnel transport system was refurbished and reinstated to help move delicate and rare materials while limiting exposure to outdoor conditions.

A modern, accessible underground extension of the University of Oxford’s historic Bodleian Libraries, designed to connect central library buildings and provide more direct access to frequently used collections.

• Academic library facility · 2011

  Gladstone Link reading rooms

  The two-level underground reading and collections area provides additional study space within the Bodleian Libraries. The upper level accommodates the History Faculty’s main lending library, while the lower level holds widely used Bodleian material that was formerly kept in closed stacks. The facility also creates a direct internal connection between the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian side of the central library complex.

• Library infrastructure

  Underground collection transport route

  The tunnel network incorporates infrastructure historically used to move books by conveyor between central Oxford library buildings. After changes associated with the Weston Library redevelopment, the route was refurbished and reinstated to support the protected movement of delicate and rare materials, helping limit their exposure to outdoor conditions during transfers.

• 2011

  Convert former transport tunnels into reader and collection spaceStrategy

  Background

  The tunnels had previously supported book storage and conveyor-based movement between the central Oxford libraries. The redevelopment of the New Bodleian as the Weston Library and the increased use of open shelving changed the requirements for the space.

  Action taken

  The University of Oxford adapted the underground area as a two-level library facility, adding reading and lending-library space and improving access to frequently used Bodleian material.

  Aftermath

  Gladstone Link opened to readers on 5 July 2011 and became an active part of the Bodleian Libraries’ central Oxford network. The tunnel infrastructure also continued to support protected collection transport.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

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  Commonwealth Bank activated payment technology across the Gold Coast Light Rail network, enabling commuters to pay with Mastercard or Amex debit or credit cards, including smartphones and wearables, as well as cash or a go card.

Read more

1. 1Gladstone Linken.wikipedia.org
2. 2黄金海岸轻轨启用非接触式支付miragenews.com