Editing Radcliffe Camera (section)

{{short description|University library building in Oxford, United Kingdom}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Radcliffe Camera
| native_name         = 
| former_names        = Physics Library
| alternate_names     = Rad Cam or [[Oxford "-er"|Radders]] or The Camera (colloquial)
| image               = Radcliffe Camera, Oxford - Oct 2006.jpg
| caption             = Radcliffe Camera, viewed from the [[University Church of St Mary the Virgin|University Church]]
| map_type            = Oxford (central)
| altitude            = 
| building_type       = [[Academic library]]
| architectural_style = [[Palladian architecture#English Palladian architecture|English Palladian style]]
| structural_system   = 
| cost                = 
| ren_cost            = 
| location            = [[Radcliffe Square]], [[Oxford]]
| owner               = [[University of Oxford]]
| coordinates         = {{coord|51.7534|-1.2539|display=inline,title}}
| start_date          = 17 May 1737
| completion_date     = {{Start date and age|1748}}
| inauguration_date   = 13 April 1749
| renovation_date     = 
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| height              = 
| diameter            = 
| other_dimensions    = 
| floor_count         = 2 plus a mezzanine
| floor_area          = 
| main_contractor     = 
| architect           = [[James Gibbs]]
| architecture_firm   = 
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}}

The '''Radcliffe Camera''' (colloquially known as the "'''Rad Cam'''" or "'''The Camera'''"; from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|camera}}, meaning 'room') is a building of the [[University of Oxford]], England, designed by [[James Gibbs]] in a [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style and built in 1737–49 to house the [[Radcliffe Science Library]]. It is sited to the south of the Old Bodleian, north of the [[University Church of St Mary the Virgin|Church of St Mary the Virgin]], and between [[Brasenose College, Oxford|Brasenose College]] to the west and [[All Souls College, Oxford|All Souls College]] to the east. The Radcliffe Camera's circularity, its position in the heart of Oxford, and its separation from other buildings make it the focal point of the University of Oxford, and as such it is almost always included in shorthand visual representations of the university. The Radcliffe Camera is not open to the public.

The library's construction and maintenance was funded from the estate of [[John Radcliffe (physician)|John Radcliffe]], a physician who left £40,000 upon his death in 1714. According to the terms of his will, construction only began in 1737, although the intervening period saw the complex purchase of the site. The exterior was complete in 1747 and the interior finished by 1748, although the library's opening was delayed until 13 April 1749.

Upon its completion, [[Francis Wise]] was appointed as its first librarian. Until 1810, the library housed books covering a wide range of subjects, but under [[George Williams (physician)|George Williams]] it narrowed its focus to the sciences. Williams brought the library from a state of neglect up to date, although by 1850 the Radcliffe Library still lagged behind [[Bodleian Library|the Bodleian]]. It was at this point that [[Henry Wentworth Acland]], then librarian, laid out plans for the Radcliffe Library building to merge with the university and the library's collection of books to be moved to the newly constructed Radcliffe Science Library, which were accepted by the library's trustees and the university. It was at this point that the building became known as the Radcliffe Camera, serving as a reading room for the Bodleian.