The Alexander Library of Ornithology is one of the foremost ornithological reference libraries in the world. It holds extensive collections of 19th and 20th century books, pamphlets and periodicals, and an archive of ornithological notebooks and diaries. It is an international resource with the collections covering ornithology, natural history, conservation, ecology and behaviour.
Founded in the 1930's on the personal collections of W.B. Alexander, it was originally at 91 Banbury Road. He was the first director of the Oxford Bird Census (the predecessor of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology) and on his retirement in 1945 he became the first Librarian. Shortly after this the Library was named after him.
Today, much of the material within the collections is received via donation or through exchange schemes. The library enjoys a close relationship with the British Ornithologists' Union and books which have been reviewed within its journal, The Ibis, are subsequently deposited in the Alexander Library. The Library also houses the British Falconers' Club Library.
It has a stock of around 11,000+ books, 85,500 offprints/reports, 476 theses; some 500 current journals plus another 1,500 non-current.