Academics at Oxford University have banned step-ladders from its world famous Bodleian library – because of health and safety fears.
The ban means students are unable to reach books on the top shelves but dons refuse to bring them lower because it would remove them from their “original historic location”.
Students travel to libraries as far away as London to view other copies.
… Books on the top shelves include tomes about art history and poetry.
… Laurence Benson, the library’s director of administration and finance, said: “The library would prefer to keep the books in their original historic location – where they have been safely consulted for 400 years prior to the instructions from the health and safety office.”
May 9th, 2009 at 4:51PM
Obviously, Oxford has employment opportunities for all of the American basketball players who didn’t quite finish their degrees.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:44PM
Please tell me this is a joke.