The Philosophy Faculty at Radcliffe Humanities

The Philosophy Faculty has been based in the Radcliffe Humanities Building since 2012.

The Faculty’s administrative staff based on the first floor of Radcliffe Humanities are happy to answer enquiries concerning the Faculty and facilities in the building. Enquiries concerning the Library should be addressed to the Library staff.

The Radcliffe Humanities building was formerly The Radcliffe Infirmary and forms part of the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter (ROQ)

Radcliffe Humanities is open from 8.00am to 7.00pm, Monday to Friday, and 10.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday during Full Term and 8.00am to 5.00pm in other weeks.  The building is sometimes open, by arrangement, for evening meetings and weekend events, or when the Library has longer hours. The Library is also open on Saturday mornings during Full Term, between 10.00am and 4.00pm. Full details of the library opening hours are available here.

The building closes for about 10 days at Christmas and at Easter. Vacation hours are published in the University Gazette.

Wheelchair access to Radcliffe Humanities is available through the front automated doors. Detailed information about the University's Common Framework for disability can be found at https://academic.admin.ox.ac.uk/common-framework-for-supporting-disabled-students.

Further information and advice are available from the Disability Advisory Service. The Disability Lead for the Philosophy Faculty is Natalie Turner (natalie.turner@philosophy.ox.ac.uk). 

The Faculty operates a scheme whereby graduate students in Philosophy can register to use the building outside of normal opening hours. Access to the Library is only during normal library hours, and access to the building during the fixed closed periods is not allowed. Further details about the scheme can be obtained by contacting the Graduate Studies Officer.

Most members of the Faculty’s academic staff have offices in their colleges. Only the following has an office at Radcliffe Humanities:

Dr Edward Harcourt, Chair, Philosophy Faculty Board

The administrative, IT support and library staff are based at Radcliffe Humanities or in the Faculty’s satellite offices in Suites 7 and 8 of Littlegate House, St Ebbes’ where the Faculty’s research centres are located.

The Philosophy Library is the principal source of philosophy books for loan in the University, complementing the more extensive reference collection of the Bodleian Library. The Philosophy Library holds over 27,000 books and periodicals, plus reading lists and examination papers, and offers informed access to many reference sources and databases such as the Philosophers’ Index and a growing collection of electronic philosophy texts. The University’s own library catalogue, OLIS, is networked through the University and can be accessed via SOLO, the search and discovery tool for the Oxford Libraries.

Academic visitors and graduate students may borrow books and periodicals; undergraduates may borrow books only. Click here for more borrowing details.

A University Card is required for access to the Library.

Telephone: (01865 2)76927 
Email: philosophy.library@bodleian.ox.ac.uk 
Website: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/libraries/ptfl

The Lecture Room is on the second floor and seats 60. The Ryle Room is on the first floor and seats 30. These rooms may be used for lectures and classes by members of the Faculty and other authorised persons, for meetings of recognised societies, or for such other purposes as the Management Committee may approve from time to time. Rooms should be booked in advance; please contact the Undergraduate Studies Administrator. Priority will be given to lectures and seminars.

In all cases where rooms are in use after the building has closed, the lecturer or an officer of the society must be responsible for closing windows, turning off lights, checking that all persons have left the building, and ensuring that the building is left locked and secure. No food or drink may be taken into or consumed in these rooms.

The Common Room is available during opening hours for all users of the building and members of staff. In the entrance hall, there is a drinks machine selling tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and a cold spring water dispenser.

Toilets can be found on every floor. There is a disabled toilet on every floor too.

There is no off-street parking available for building users or staff. There is a cycle rack to the side of the building for use by those attending lectures or using the Library. Cycles must only be left in cycle racks provided.

Photocopying facilities are available on the first floor for members of the Faculty to use themselves, by arrangement with the administrative staff. Charged photocopying facilities for all other users of the building are available in the Library. Copying of books and journals is subject to the regulations of the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Graduate students and academic visitors may register with the IT Office to use the Graduate Study Room at Radcliffe Humanities and may then use their University card to access the room. The room contains five Windows PCs, which are connected to the University network and can access the Internet and local resources such as OxLIP. Software includes Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel and Access), Adobe Acrobat to create documents for publishing on the web, and Adobe Photoshop for graphics work. The room also contains a photocopier (for printing and scanning), a binding machine and space for using  laptops. For further information, please contact it-support@philosophy.ox.ac.uk. In addition, there are many reader workstations situated throughout the Philosophy Library  including three in the new Computing Resources Room, which also has a printer and mains and ethernet sockets for students who want to use their own laptops in the building. For further information, please contact philosophy.library@bodleian.ox.ac.ukIT Services at 13 Banbury Road provides extensive computing facilities for the University’s staff, students and visitors and can register visitors who have brought their own machines, for use of the electronic mailing network. Application forms are available from the Help Area at IT Services, and must be countersigned by a senior member of the University. If academic visitors wish to use other facilities available in IT Services, the Faculty Administrator can provide a letter confirming their status.

There is an OWL wireless network running throughout Radcliffe Humanities Building. Those wishing to connect should contact the IT Office for guidance.

In the event of an emergency, calls can be made from the telephone on the receptionist’s desk, in the entrance hall.

The nearest Post Office is on Walton St. There is a post box on Woodstock Road, opposite St Giles’ church by the corner of Little Clarendon St. Internal mail for colleges and departments within the University may be left with the Administrative Assistant; the University messenger collects and delivers twice a day at approximately 10.30am and 2.30pm. Post which arrives for academic visitors and other persons who are not members of the Faculty will be placed in the visitors’ pigeonhole in the photocopier room for collection, or forwarded to the relevant college, if this is known. No undertaking to forward mail to external addresses can be made.

The noticeboards on the ground floor carry official University and Faculty notices, notices of meetings and conferences and general events taking place in Oxford. If you want to post a notice or need a copy of anything posted on any of the boards, please ask a member of the administrative staff. Most notices posted on the boards are also circulated to the Faculty’s email lists - if you would like to join, please send an email to admin@philosophy.ox.ac.uk.

Copies of the Philosophy Lecture List and the Lectures Prospectus, which gives brief descriptions of each lecture, generally become available in 0th week (the week before Full Term begins). Graduate students and academic visitors can obtain copies either online or from the Library. Any alterations to the Lecture List will be posted on the Philosophy and central University websites. Lecture lists for other faculties can also be found online.

The Faculty of Philosophy can take no responsibility for personal property left on the premises. Please contact one of the receptionists if you need to recover lost property.