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Richard Ovenden

@richove.bsky.social
9.3K followers 2K following 525 posts

Bodley's Librarian, @bodleian.ox.ac.uk & Head of Gardens, Libraries & Museums @ox.ac.uk OBE. FSA. FRHistS, FRSE. President, DPC. Fellow, @Ballioloxford.Bsky.social. Member, @AmPhilsociety.Bsky.social Hon. Fellow @britishacademy.bsky.social

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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
But this IS a finding aid to the MacMillan archive! Includes detailed and extensive cataloguing of his diaries ….
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Great piece from @hetanshah.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com on the future of the Humanities. Hope the new Cabinet will read this! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI
Subjects like literature, languages and history are vital to a thoughtful and prosperous society
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Much has been written about the architectural statement of the planned new Trump Presidential Library, but in this piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social I highlight the way he is undermining the legislation that makes presidential records available to the people. observer.co.uk/style/featur...
observer.co.uk
Trump’s presidential library isn’t for the people. It’s f...
The purpose of a presidential library is to allow future generations to pass judgment and take lessons from history. Donald Trump has other ideas
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
They are #Burningthebooks in Essex. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
‘Straight out of Trumpland’: LGBTQ+ members fight for Pride after Essex library ban
Rochford LGBTQ+ community say Reform council’s ban on flying pride flags or holding events states they’re not welcome
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Yes - somewhat depressing Erica ...
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Thanks James
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Here is my original article giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Ephemeral messages remove scrutiny from government
giftarticle.ft.com
Ephemeral messages remove scrutiny from government
The lack of record in affairs of state is a concern both for now and future historians
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I wrote about the democratic deficit created by politicians using ephemeral messaging systems in @financialtimes.com back in 2020 - dismayed that the problem hasnt been dealt with by the Cabinent Office. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Keir Starmer uses disappearing messages, admits Downing Street
Publication of latest batch of Mandelson files triggers fresh scrutiny of government record-keeping
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Great to see the fabulous new book, 'Prophecy: Prediction, power and the fight for the future' by @carissaveliz.bsky.social cited by @gilliantett.bsky.social in her column in @financialtimes.com giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Don’t bet on Trump reining in the prediction markets
The sector is expanding at breakneck speed in the US
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
In this coming @ftweekend.com I have reviewed the edition (from Aperture) of the Diaries of the great photographer Josef Koudelka. For anyone interested in photography it is a must read …
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Thank you Carissa!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Its protection for them during the move - conservation grade!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The Muses have returned @bodleian.ox.ac.uk! On show from next week in the Weston before going onto the roof of the Clarendon Building! Can and get up close and personal with them before they go aloft!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
It’s all kicking off in @bodleian.ox.ac.uk MS. Bodley 264
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Buttercups appearing on Port Meadow
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Happy birthday Alan (seen here in 2016 with Maggie’s Smith) @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
My excellent colleagues have put in an extra layer of protection against the bots …
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
On Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday I share these photos (by Martin Parr) of him and Stephen Hawking at the opening of the Weston Library @bodleian.ox.ac.uk in 2015 - a career highlight. Happy Birthday Sir David!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I should say that there is no book where the account of the BOD is a way to encounter the broader university - but it’s a very great idea and I hereby agree to take it on!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Assuming you mean a book where the account of the library is a way in to the parent institution (?), I would recommend the very erudite book by Francis Newton _The scriptorium and library of Monte Cassini abbey_ (CUP)
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
We are working on a solution, but the level of traffic is at risk of overwhelming us ...
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Some, but not many tickets left for this coming Friday's 'Wealth of Nations at 250' free event @bodleian.ox.ac.uk with Profs Joseph Stiglitz, Emma Rothschild, Sir Paul Collier, and Baronness Dambisa Moyo ... while stocks last ... visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/2026/m...
visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
The Wealth of Nations at 250
Join us for a fascinating panel discussion to mark the 250th anniversary of the publication of 'The Wealth of Nations'
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
those were indeed the days. Have you been to sample our baked offering in this space Emily?
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Prof Mercedes García-Arenal giving the second of her Lyell Lectures @bodleian.ox.ac.uk on Muslim Books in Christian hands in medieval and renaissance Spain
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Sunshine on Port Meadow
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Roll up, roll up for the 2026 Lyell Lectures! These will be given by Prof Mercedes García-Arenal on 'Muslim Books in Christian Hands: From Iberian Moriscos to Early Modern Europe' @bodleian.ox.ac.uk on 28, 30 April, & 5, 7. 11, May at 5pm. Free, but book! visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/lyell-lectur...
visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
The Lyell Lectures 2026
The 2026 Lyell Lectures, hosted by the Bodleian Libraries and delivered by Professor Mercedes García-Arenal
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Actually this time does not appear to be the result of bot activity, but the storage infrastructure. Should now be resolved ....
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Congratulations on your retirement Martha!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Sadly not - but next door in Blackwells ...
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Our newest photographic acquisition highlighted in @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/uk/photograp...
thetimes.com
‘Amazing’ unseen photos by Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller unearthed
The wartime images, processed and printed by the photographers’ assistant Roland Haupt, have been described as an ‘empirical time capsule’
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Thanks Zachary. The @bodleian.ox.ac.uk quartos content (esp from the Malone collection) is being moved onto our digital.bodleian platform. You can find a few of the quartos there now, much much more to come before the summer. Not sure about the content from other libraries on the BL’s platform.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
And not just Thames and Hudson. Other refugees included those who founded publishing houses such as Andre Deutsch, Paul Elek, Wiedenfeld and Nicholson and Phaidon.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
I review ‘The art of the book’, the new history of @thamesandhudson.bsky.social in today’s @theobserveruk.bsky.social. It is a superbly illustrated volume - celebrating high quality-book making that brought ideas, art & culture to a wide audience at affordable prices. A gorgeous book!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
My review of 'The Art of the Book' which celebrates the 75th anniversary of @thamesandhudson.bsky.social is in @theobserveruk.bsky.social. It is a sumptuous book about the power of books (& the power of reading): & a publishing house as a cultural institution. observer.co.uk/culture/book...
observer.co.uk
How Thames & Hudson brought art to the masses | The Observer
The Art of the Book reveals how, over 75 years, the publisher has changed the way we think about culture
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Vielen Dank, dass Sie auf Bedrohte Bücher hingewiesen haben – das verdeutlicht die gesellschaftliche Bedeutung der Wissenserhaltung durch Bibliotheken und Archive – sie sind die Infrastruktur der Demokratie!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Greta piece on our new exhibition @bodleian.ox.ac.uk 'Pets and their people' curated by Prof Charles Foster (@exeter.ox.ac.uk) - astonishing array of materials from across our collections, and some wonderful loans too ... www.thetimes.com/culture/art/...
thetimes.com
Why do I love my dog? Because she helps me access my real, primal self
A new exhibition at the Bodleian, Oxford, explores our obsession with pets. We don’t know who we are any more, says the curator Charles Foster, who once lived as a badger
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Monkey tennis
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Vielen Dank für die Empfehlung von Bedrohte Bücher, herausgegeben von den netten Leuten bei @suhrkamp.de!
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Fantastic to be in conversation this evening @ucl.ac.uk at the Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism with Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States on the place of archives in democratic societies.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Pleased to be speaking at the House of Lords yesterday on the theme of Libraries and the growth economy- organised by @librariesconnected.bsky.social @rluk.ac.uk @ebscouk.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social and to catch up with old friend Valerie Vaz MP
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Significant energy usage is triggered by these attacks …
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
It’s the result of massive bot activity, downloading data at a scale which our infrastructure has found challenging. We have been finding this across all our metadata resources in recent months.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
It’s the result of massive bot activity, downloading data at a scale which our infrastructure has found challenging. We have been finding this across all our metadata resources in recent months.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Delighted to be in conversation with Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States, for this event @ucl.ac.uk this coming Thursday evening. Some places still left! www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...
ucl.ac.uk
The State of the United States: Safeguarding Knowledge: When Memory Becomes Political
This event is organised by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism.
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Soft day, thank God. (Port Meadow)
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Thanks for upping this, John. #BurningtheBooks keeps being an authoritarian priority across the globe ...
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
This is an excellent thread by my colleague @kastrel.bsky.social (in the Health Care Libraries team @bodleian.ox.ac.uk)
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Free people read freely - unless you live in a council where political interference puts a stop to it. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Reform-run council says free library scheme for refugees ‘is not value for money’
Party withdraws all Lancashire libraries from City of Sanctuary UK programme that supports new arrivals to UK
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Reposted by Richard Ovenden
Mamtimyn Sunuodula @mamti.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Learn about some significant new finds in Bodleian Libraries’ Chinese collection including an important missing page from the world’s earliest text of Cantonese opera safely hidden inside a 40-volume imperial dictionary, two leaves of a rare copper plate print album commissioned by Kangxi Emperor.
youtube.com
New discoveries in Oxford's Chinese collections (Mamtimyn Sunuodula)
YouTube video by Henrike Lähnemann
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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Blue skies and Bluesky! @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
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