The Bodleian Library is a world-renowned library located in Oxford, England, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The library was founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, a diplomat and scholar who wanted to create a library that would be open to scholars from all over the world.
The Bodleian Library is made up of several buildings, including the Old Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera, the Clarendon Building, and the Weston Library. The Old Bodleian Library is the original building and houses some of the library's oldest and rarest books and manuscripts, while the Radcliffe Camera is a circular building that serves as a reading room for the library.
The Bodleian Library holds over 13 million printed items, including books, maps, and manuscripts, and has one of the largest collections of printed materials in the world. The library also holds many important manuscripts, including four copies of the Magna Carta, and original works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
The library is open to the public for guided tours and exhibitions, and visitors can also access the library's reading rooms with a valid reader's card. The Bodleian Library is an important resource for scholars and researchers from all over the world, and its collections and history make it one of the most important libraries in the world.