Guide to Health and Social Care Libraries in the Oxford and Swindon area

This guide is for students on courses within the School of Health and Social Care. It will tell you:

  • where the health and social care libraries in the Oxford and Swindon area are
  • opening hours and contact details
  • their subject coverage
  • whether you can use them or not!

You should use Brookes for interlibrary loans and for access to bibliographical databases. Access to bibliographical databases in other libraries may be possible, but this is at the discretion of individual librarians.

Libraries included in this guide are:

All Oxford Brookes Health and Social Care students automatically have full access to all Oxford Brookes University Library sites (Headington, Harcourt Hill and Wheatley).

If you have any queries about using other libraries contact the Subject Librarians for Health and Social Care (email: healthcarelibrarians@brookes.ac.uk)

Cairns Library

Address: The John Radcliffe, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU
Tel: 01865 221936
Contact: Jo Gardner (email: jo.gardner@bodleian.ox.ac.uk )
Oxford University Health Care Libraries website
To access the Oxford University Health Care Libraries' guide to services for Brookes students, go to the Services page and then click on "Services for Oxford Brookes" on the right hand side.
Opening times: Term time: Open 24 hrs. Staffed: Mon-Fri 09.00-19.00 (Wed 10.00-19.00). Vacation: Open 24 hrs. Staffed: Mon-Fri 09.00-19.00 (Wed 10.00-19.00) Closed: Unstaffed on public holidays. For more details see their leaflet.
Subject coverage: Accident/ Emergency, Acute Medicine, General Medicine, Surgery, Geratology, Neurosciences, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, student texts.
Access: Reference access available to all eligible staff and students of the School of Health and Social Care who register. Brookes students and staff can also access the Knowledge Centre, on the Oxford University Old Road Campus. Oxford University Health Care Libraries comprise the Cairns Library and the Knowledge Centre, and readers use the same card to access both. To check whether you are eligible please contact Mags Painton (personal assistant to Rob Wondrak) at the School of Health and Social Care Reception, Marston Road.
Registration: Eligible staff and students can register directly at the Cairns Library, John Radcliffe Hospital.

Knowledge Centre

Address: Old Road Campus Research Building, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7UQ.
Tel: 01865 225815
Contact: Mary Cunning Email: mary.cunning@hcl.ox.ac.uk
Oxford University Health Care Libraries website
To access the Oxford University Health Care Libraries' guide to services for Brookes students, go to the Services page and then click on "Services for Oxford Brookes" on the right hand side
Opening Times: Term time: Mon-Fri 09.00-18.00 (Wed 10.45-18.00) Vacation: Mon-Fri 09.00-18.00 (Wed 10.45-18.00). Closed: Bank holidays, Christmas and New Year.
Subject Coverage: Public Health, Primary Care, Statistics, Epidemiology, Diabetes, Oncology, Radiotherapy.
Access: Reference access available to all eligible staff and students of the school of Health and Social Care who register. Oxford University Health Care Libraries comprise the Cairns Library and the Knowledge Centre, and readers use the same card to access both. To check whether you are eligible please contact Mags Painton (personal assistant to Rob Wondrak) at the School of Health and Social Care Reception, Marston Road.
Registration: Eligible staff and students can register directly at the Knowledge Centre, Old Road Campus.

Girdlestone Memorial Library

Address: Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust, Windmill Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD
Tel: 01865 738145 or 01865 738147
Contact: Sue Robertson Email: Susan.Robertson@noc.nhs.uk or email: library@noc.nhs.uk. More details from the library's website.
Opening times: Mon - Fri 08.30-17.00 (out-of-hours access to full service users only)
Subject coverage: Orthopaedics, physiotherapy, nursing, occupational therapy, rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation, surgery.
Access: Full access to all services for students on placement at NOC only (refundable deposit payable on card for out-of-hours access). Reference access only, during staffed hours only, to other School of Health and Social Care students.

Horton Hospital Library

Address: Terence Mortimer Postgraduate Education Centre, Horton Hospital, Oxford Road, Banbury OX16 9AL
Tel: 01295 229316
Web page
Contact: Library Manager, Sally Ryan (email Sally.Ryan@orh.nhs.uk)
General enquiries: library.horton@orh.nhs.uk
Opening times: 09.00-17.00 Mon - Fri (24 hour access by arrangement with library staff).
Access: Full access to all healthcare students on placement at the Horton Hospital. Limited access to healthcare students living in the Banbury area who want to use the Horton Library (i.e. study space, book loans and photocopying but not interlibrary loans, computer access, literature searches).

Littlemore Mental Health Centre

Address: Littlemore Mental Health Centre, Sandford Lane, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4XN
Tel: (01865) 223560
Contact: email library.enquiries@obmh.nhs.uk
Opening times: 09.30-13.00 Tuesday and Friday only.
Subject coverage: Psychiatry, psychology, mental health nursing, learning disabilities nursing.
Access: As for Warneford Hospital Library below.

Sobell House Library

Address: Sir Michael Sobell House, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ
Tel: 01865 225 886
Opening times: The post of Librarian is currently vacant. Therefore, students wishing to use the library should contact Catherine Foot beforehand to make an appointment.
Subject coverage: Palliative care
Access: Access to students on placement only. Students wishing to use the library should do so by prior appointment by telephoning the number above.

Warneford Hospital Library

Address: Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust, Warneford Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JX
Tel: 01865 226266
Contact: email library.enquiries@obmh.nhs.uk
Opening times: 09.00-17.00 Mon - Fri
Subject coverage: Psychiatry, psychology, mental health nursing, learning disability nursing.
Access: Full membership to students who are seconded from the OBMH Trust to undertake courses at Oxford Brookes University. Health and Social Care students on placement at the Warneford, Littlemore and Slade may use these libraries on the days of their placement. Students on placement will have access during library staffed hours, be able to borrow items and access reference items, have access to library computers, NHS electronic resources, photocopying and printing, and library staff will answer basic enquiries. Students on placement should contact Oxford Brookes University Library for inter-library loans, training in the use of electronic resources, and indepth enquiries.

Bodleian Library

The Bodleian Library, which includes the Radcliffe Science Library, is the University library of the University of Oxford. It comprises several libraries all of which offer reference-only facilities to their extensive collections.

Oxford Brookes undergraduate students who are in their final year, or the second semester of their pre-final year, postgraduate students, and staff can apply for a ticket to read in the Bodleian by completing the appropriate form. These are available from the Enquiry Desk at Headington; staff can explain the application procedure. You must be able to demonstrate specific need to use this library.

Academy Library and Information Service at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon

Address: Swindon and North Wilts Health and Social Care Academy, Great Western Hospital, Marlborough Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN4 8DL
Tel: 01793 604593/6, Academy Library and Information Service website
Contact: email alis@gwh.nhs.uk
Opening times: 08.30-17.30 Monday to Thursdays, 17.00 Fridays (24 hour access via Trust ID system)
Access: Full access to Swindon Ferndale Campus students only. Those wishing to use the library should complete a registration form at the Great Western Hospital.