"Constructed in 1320, The Old Library is the first university (as opposed to college) building in Oxford and therefore uniquely important; this is where the nascent University began.
By the early thirteenth century, Oxford was firmly established as an academic centre, drawing students from across Europe, undergraduates and masters, such as the Clerk of Oxenford in the Canterbury Tales, living in houses and halls. The growing University had no buildings of its own, so it adopted St Mary’s as its administrative centre and built a two story building, east of the tower, facing onto what is now Radcliffe Square. The upper room became the first University library, which contained a small number of books chained to desks. More recently, under the chairmanship of Canon Milford, Oxfam was founded in 1942, initially to relieve the plight of Greek refugees.
Today the room can accommodate sixty people for meeting and conferences in the very heart of the University. Catering is on hand from the immensely popular Vaults and Garden Coffee Shop."
(Zitat von der Beschreibung der offiziellen Webseite der Universitätskirche, abgerufen am 15.10.2011)
