Editing Bodleian Library (section)

==Bodley's Librarians==
{{Main|Bodley's Librarian}}
The head of the Bodleian Library is known as "Bodley's Librarian". The first librarian, [[Thomas James]], was selected by Bodley in 1599, and the university confirmed James in his post in 1602.<ref name=Victoria>{{cite book |editor1-first=H. E.|editor1-last=Salter |editor2-first=Mary D. |editor2-last=Lobel |title=A History of the County of Oxford Volume III&nbsp;– The University of Oxford|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=543|access-date=5 January 2010|pages=44–47 |series= [[Victoria County History]]|year=1954 |publisher=[[Institute of Historical Research]], [[University of London]]|isbn=978-0-7129-1064-4 |chapter=The Bodleian Library |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63865}}</ref><ref name=James>{{cite ODNB|first=R. Julian |last=Roberts |author-link=Julian Roberts |title=James, Thomas (1572/3–1629)|year=2004|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14619|access-date=2 January 2010|url-access=subscription|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/14619 }}</ref> Bodley wanted his librarian to be "some one that is noted and known for a diligent Student, and in all his conversation to be trusty, active, and discreet, a graduate also and a Linguist, not encumbered with marriage, nor with a benefice of Cure",<ref>{{cite book|title=The Bodleian Library at Oxford |year=1919|last=Madan|first=Falconer|author-link=Falconer Madan|publisher=Duckworth & Co|url=https://archive.org/details/bodleianlibrarya00mada|page=[https://archive.org/details/bodleianlibrarya00mada/page/18 18]}}</ref> although James was able to persuade Bodley to let him get married and to become Rector of [[St Aldate's Church]], Oxford.<ref name=James/> James said of the Bodleian's collections, "The like Librarie is no where to be found."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Murray|first=Stuart|title=The Library: An Illustrated History|publisher=Skyhorse|year=2009|isbn=978-0-8389-0991-1|location=New York|pages=100}}</ref>

In all, 25 have served as Bodley's Librarian; their levels of diligence have varied over the years. [[Thomas Lockey]] (1660–1665) was regarded as not fit for the post,<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=E. T. |last=Bradley|author2=Ramsay, Nigel|title=Lockey, Thomas (1602?–1679)|year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16898|access-date=2 January 2010|url-access=subscription|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/16898}}</ref> [[John Hudson (classicist)|John Hudson]] (1701–1719) has been described as "negligent if not incapable",<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=Theodor |last=Harmsen|title=Hudson, John (1662–1719)|year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14034|access-date=2 January 2010|url-access=subscription|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/14034}}</ref> and [[John Price (librarian)|John Price]] (1768–1813) was accused by a contemporary scholar of "a regular and constant neglect of his duty".<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=22757|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-22757|title=Price, John (1735–1813)|last=Vaisey|first=David|author-link=David Vaisey |access-date=4 January 2010|url-access=subscription|freearticle=y}}</ref>

[[Sarah Thomas (librarian)|Sarah Thomas]], who served from 2007 to 2013, was the first woman to hold the position, and the second librarian (after her predecessor, [[Reginald Carr (librarian)|Reginald Carr]]) also to be director of Oxford University Library Services (now Bodleian Libraries). Thomas, an American, was also the first foreign librarian to run the Bodleian.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/a-doublefirst-at-the-bodleian-library-as-us-woman-takes-over-437195.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923185408/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/a-doublefirst-at-the-bodleian-library-as-us-woman-takes-over-437195.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 September 2008|title=A double-first at the Bodleian library as US woman takes over|last=Garner|first=Richard|date=21 February 2007|access-date=5 January 2010|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> Her successor from January 2014 is [[Richard Ovenden]], who was deputy librarian under Thomas.