The Oxford Union Society was founded in 1823 and is the most prestigious debating society in the world. From the Society’s first years, located in various undergraduate college rooms, to its present site in Frewin Court, there has always been a library.

The Union Library is unique in that its collections are chosen by its members. A library committee meets weekly to decide on all acquisitions and withdrawals. A wide range of topics are covered with a view to support Union members’ learning and recreational reading. The collections have always been borrowable and contemporaneous: There are no manuscripts or incunables to be found.

The strength of the collections lies in the various Oxford University student publications and pamphlets that the Union Library has collected over the years: These journals, magazines, and curios provide a snapshot into student life in Oxford from the 19th Century onward. University and Union news, global affairs, politics, and more are all to be found in these items, often with a unique perspective through the eye of a university student.

The Union library is seeking to digitize and make accessible these student publications, starting with the 19th century Oxford and Cambridge Undergraduate Journal and its various permutations. These publications are often unique to the Union Library and not found to such an extent anywhere else in the world.