Hooke Library

Hooke Library was a dedicated science lending library for undergraduates at the University of Oxford. It operated as a separate collection within the Radcliffe Science Library complex in Oxford, England, and was named after Robert Hooke, the seventeenth-century scientist who worked in Oxford. The library was created in connection with the expansion of the Radcliffe Science Library during the 1970s, when a basement extension beneath the University Museum of Natural History provided additional space for science collections and services. Its collection was housed principally on the ground floor of the Abbot's Kitchen, a historic part of the museum complex, and on the staircase at the eastern end of the Jackson Wing of the Radcliffe Science Library. The Hooke Library served a different function from the main Radcliffe Science Library. The Radcliffe Science Library had historically operated primarily as a reference and research library, while the Hooke Library provided lending access intended particularly for undergraduate science teaching and study. Its existence therefore reflected the University of Oxford's effort to organize scientific resources around distinct user needs within a larger library and museum environment. In 2007, the Hooke Library's building and collection were integrated into the Radcliffe Science Library. This ended its operation as a separate library identity, although its materials and functions became part of the wider science-library service. The former Hooke Library area was subsequently repurposed: the ground floor of the Abbot's Kitchen became a refreshment area and training room, while other spaces associated with the collection were incorporated into the broader Radcliffe Science Library layout. The Radcliffe Science Library later underwent a major refurbishment connected with the development of Reuben College, a graduate college established by the University of Oxford. The library closed for refurbishment in December 2019 and reopened in October 2023. Following the redevelopment, the Radcliffe Science Library occupied the second floors of the Jackson and Worthington buildings and other designated areas, while former spaces including the Lankester Room and main stack were adapted for university museum collections, teaching, and research. Hooke Library is therefore best understood as a historic library unit or service name rather than an independently operating contemporary brand.

Hooke Library emerged as a separate science lending library within the Radcliffe Science Library complex at the University of Oxford. Its creation followed the construction of a basement extension beneath the University Museum of Natural History during the 1970s. The extension formed part of the continuing development of the Radcliffe Science Library and created additional areas for scientific collections and library activity. The library was named for Robert Hooke, the scientist associated with Oxford and with important work in microscopy, physics, and natural philosophy. Unlike the Radcliffe Science Library's traditional role as a reference and research library, the Hooke Library was established as a lending facility for undergraduates. It provided access to science books and related study resources in a format suited to undergraduate teaching and borrowing. The Hooke Library collection was located in more than one part of the complex. A principal area was the ground floor of the Abbot's Kitchen, which had originally formed part of the University Museum. Additional material was placed on the staircase at the eastern end of the Jackson Wing of the Radcliffe Science Library. These spaces connected the Hooke Library with the broader architectural and institutional history of the Radcliffe Science Library, whose principal wings had been developed in stages during the twentieth century. The separate identity of the Hooke Library ended in 2007, when its collection and building were integrated into the Radcliffe Science Library. The integration reflected a consolidation of science-library services and removed the need to operate the Hooke Library as an independent unit. The former collection areas were subsequently reassigned within the library and museum environment. In particular, the ground floor of the Abbot's Kitchen was transformed into a refreshment area and training room, while the former staircase collection area became part of the Radcliffe Science Library's wider accommodation. The later history of the Hooke Library is consequently inseparable from the redevelopment of the Radcliffe Science Library. In December 2018, the University of Oxford announced that the premises would also support the development of Reuben College. The Radcliffe Science Library closed for refurbishment in December 2019 and reopened in October 2023. After the refurbishment, the library occupied the upper floors of the Jackson and Worthington buildings and other designated areas, while former Lankester Room and stack spaces were adapted as a Collections Teaching and Research Centre for the university. Hooke Library no longer operated as a separate lending library, but its historical role remains part of the institutional development of Oxford's science-library services.

• 2023

  Radcliffe Science Library reopened

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The refurbished Radcliffe Science Library reopened in October 2023. Former Hooke Library spaces were no longer operated as a separate lending library.

• 2019

  Radcliffe Science Library closed for refurbishment

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The wider library complex closed in December for refurbishment connected with its redevelopment and changing university use.

• 2018

  Reuben College development announced

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The University of Oxford announced that the Radcliffe Science Library premises would support the creation of Reuben College alongside library functions.

• 2007

  Integration into the Radcliffe Science Library

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The Hooke Library's collection and premises were incorporated into the Radcliffe Science Library, ending its operation as a separate library.

• 1974

  Completion of the Lankester Room and main stack extension

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The two-storey Lankester Room and main stack extension, constructed between 1971 and 1974, expanded the Radcliffe Science Library complex and formed part of the setting in which Hooke Library services operated.

• 1970

  Creation of additional accommodation for the Hooke Library

  [1]Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  A basement extension built beneath the University Museum of Natural History during the early 1970s provided space associated with the Hooke Library and the expanding science-library service.

A specialized undergraduate science lending library within the University of Oxford's wider Bodleian Libraries system.

• Academic library collection

  Hooke Library undergraduate lending collection

  The Hooke Library's principal offering was a science lending collection intended for undergraduate users at the University of Oxford. It complemented the Radcliffe Science Library's reference and research role by enabling students to borrow scientific books and access teaching-oriented materials. The collection was housed in the Abbot's Kitchen area and in part of the Jackson Wing before being integrated into the Radcliffe Science Library in 2007.

• 2007

  Integration of the Hooke Library into the Radcliffe Science LibraryStrategy

  Background

  The Hooke Library had operated as a separate undergraduate science lending library within the wider Radcliffe Science Library complex.

  Action taken

  The University of Oxford integrated the Hooke Library's collection and premises into the Radcliffe Science Library.

  Aftermath

  The Hooke Library ceased to function as a separate library identity. Its former areas were reassigned, including conversion of the Abbot's Kitchen ground floor into a refreshment area and training room.

  Source

1. 1Radcliffe Science Libraryen.wikipedia.org