The foundation of Pusey House Library was laid with the acquisition of Dr Pusey’s books after his death. They reflect, not only his part in Church affairs in the 19th century, but also his studies in Old Testament literature, Semitic and oriental languages, the Early Church Fathers, and German theology of the 17th and 18th centuries. He possessed a collection of French devotional and spiritual writers, most of which are not to be found elsewhere in Oxford. It used not only by academics in Oxford but by others visiting from around the world.

It consists largely of nineteenth century volumes, many of which are in a dilapidated condition.
The volunteers were given initial training by Caroline Bendix, an internationally renowned library conservator, and she is returning this autumn to give us further training.
Each volunteer works in a group of four, once every three weeks. Our volunteers assess and clean the books, repair battered corners, torn coverings and damaged spines. We load the information we’ve logged about each book’s condition and treatment given onto a database, which is the property of the librarian.
In addition to our normal work, last June we helped the Librarian to run a “Bring a Book to Mend Day” for the Friends of Pusey House Library. This was very enjoyable, sharing our new-found skills with other people