Find out what the Oxford Library Staff recommends you check out. This list gives you the inside scoop on everything from the best chairs in the library to the most interesting reads.
Library Space:
Green Chairs
Recommended by Stephanie Darden, Coordinator of Collection Maintenance
When looking for a place to relax this summer, we recommend these lovely green chairs. They offer back support like none other while providing vitamin D through the window and optimum outdoor viewing 
pleasure. All patrons are welcome to come utilize these chairs.
Recommended by Stephanie Darden
Come check out the library’s graphic novel exhibit and then check out a graphic novel. If you want something we don’t have, you can request it via the “Purchase Request Form”.
The library offers casual and popular reading too. If you think we’re only about academics, you don’t know the library. Come check us out!
Books, Journals and Movies:
Recommended by Winta Bahlibi, Library Specialist, Sr.
This book is great for STEM enthusiasts searching for a lighthearted read that will transport you back in time into the shoes of some of the world’s greatest scientists as they experience triumph and defeat in the academic arena! Both wildly comedic and historically accurate, Sam Kean is an entertaining writer that has a talent for bringing science history to life.
Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching edited by Livia Kohn and Michael LaFargue
Recommended by Winta Bahlibi
Great for readers searching for meaning, purpose, and wisdom from one of history’s most influential thinkers. Poetic prose centered on philosophical themes such as ethics, morality, and the art of living a good life. This ancient text is timeless and increasingly valuable in modern times as it teaches the art of stillness and the wisdom of good character in a complicated world.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Recommended by Molly Faust, Coordinator of Circulation Services
Read this darkly beautiful book about a troupe of actors working to keep art alive after the collapse of civilization. This book is now a HBO Max show.
Bress ‘n’ nyam : Gullah Geechee recipes from a sixth-generation farmer by Matthew Raiford
Recommended by Lara Miller, Teaching and Learning Librarian
Get into Georgia cooking and its history this summer with recipes from Matthew Raiford. Try the Gullah rice or blackberry doobie.
Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Recommended by Paige Crowl, Teaching and Learning Librarian
In beautiful two-tone artwork, this graphic novel series features a non-queerbait story of realizing you’re in love with your best friend. I raced through the first volume in half an hour; I couldn’t put it down! This series is now a Netflix show – check out the original work and wrap yourself in this cozy tale of friendship and falling in love.
Mrs. Marple, Body in the Library part 1
Recommended by Alexandrea Kord, Teaching and Learning Librarian
Watch the brilliant Mrs. Marple solve the case of how a body ended up in the library of Gossington Hall in this BBC production of the Agatha Christie classic.
Recommended by Ellen Neufeld, Deputy Director of the Library
While we can find recommendations and reviews readily available online, we all have experienced unreliable recommendations or advice funded by the actual product manufacturer. The Consumer Reports organization has more than 50 testing labs and conducts independent testing from an investigative journalist point of view. The online publication is available by searching Library Search for “Consumer Reports”, then go to the journal site and search the product you are curious about. I often look at Consumers for info on anything from the best coffee pot to earbuds, best washing machine, new cars., etc. You don’t need to subscribe to Consumer Reports, just go to the library!
Technology:
Recommended by Ben Brown, Departmental Computing Coordinator
Want to make a professional-looking film using just your phone? Check out the library’s DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal! This gimbal can be used with any size smart phone to provide balance for filming directly to your phone. If you have a film crew to back you up, also check out our 5-in-1 collapsible reflector discs to control the lighting on your film set.