Become a Friend or make a donation
With nearly 300 members, the Friends of Benson Library is made up of loyal supporters. The money that the Friends raise ensures the library stays open for all to use.
An easy way to support the library is to become a Friend for a one off minimum donation of £10 or even better a regular monthly or annual donation of any amount however small or large. (People who joined some time ago were asked for a one-off donation of £10 for Life Membership and we will honour that for those who originally signed up on this basis).
Just complete the membership form available in Benson Library and be sure to complete the Gift Aid section if you are eligible which gives us an extra 25% on top of your donation.
Friends Membership can be given as a gift for birthday, Christmas or retirement. New members will receive a FOBL book bag and/or a bunny.
We are hoping to develop a range of events for Friends such as visits to libraries, collections and other social events as well as some discounts.
The Friends are in integral part of the library, and without them and the money they raise, OCC would not be able to keep the library open.
Here are some benefits of joining your local library…..
Free access at home or in your local library to a wide range of magazines including: Cosmpolitan, New Scientist Wired, Gramphone, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Empire, Photographer, Auto Express, Good Food, History, Music, Computer Active, BBC Countryfile, The Economist, DIVA, Esquire, Gardener’s World, Meat Free, How It Works, Ideal Home, Marie Claire, Men’s Fitness, Mojo, RasPi, Total Film, What Car?, Women’s Fitness, The Complete Guide to Pokemon GO
Over 6,000 magazines from over 100 countries in 60+ languages. For example The Guardian, Grazia, The Washington Post, The Beano, Horrible Histories.
Free access at home or in your local library.
Product reviews and trusted independent advice on consumer issues. Online Which? Access is only available in libraries that have printed subscriptions. (usually £9.75 per month or £117 per year)
The world famous encyclopaedia now in three editions for children, students and the full library edition. Free access at home or in your local library.
Trace your family tree using the UK Census information; birth, marriage and death records; and parish and probate records. Free access in your local library (usually costs £55-£100 for 6 months)
Family history and genealogy resource containing birth, marriage and death records, censuses, military records, and local newspapers. Free access in your local library.
Streaming service with access to over 60,000 CDs, listen to whole discs or individual tracks of genres including classical, jazz, blues, and world music. Enter your library card number in the passcode box at the top left of the page, via the OCLS link. Free access at home or in your local library.
Oxford Music Online – complete online version of Grove’s Music and Musicians with information and classical music, world music, pop and jazz. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
Ultimate archive of music journalism with over 20,000 articles on artists of all genres by the finest music writers of the last 50 years. Enter your library card number via the Login via your library section of OCLS pages. Free access at home or in your local library.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online
The nation’s authoritative biographical source of 55,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2012. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
Find out how to use English today, correct spellings, definitions, alternative words, guidance on writing styles, usage and grammar, and specialist guides for legal and technical writing. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
The definitive dictionary of the English language, tracing the history, origin, and meaning of more than 600,000 words through time. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
Oxford Reference: Quick Reference
Oxford University Press
Over 170 fully-indexed, cross-searchable dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
Discover a world of published academic research at your local library.
Who’s Who and Who Was Who Online
The director of the noteworthy and influential in all walks of life, in the UK and worldwide, published annually since 1849. Prefix your library card number with L when logging in from home. Free access at home or in your local library.
Of great interest to local and family historians, this collection contains 71 regional and local newspapers (including Jackson’s Oxford Journal) of 19th Century Britain.
Contains 40 million newspaper pages from 1800s up to 1999. Filter your search by time period, region, place or publication. Free access via your local library.
The Times Digital Archive 1785-2013
Complete Times newspaper in facsimile. Fully searchable. A fascinating record of 200 years of world news coverage. Free access at home or in your local library.
Full-text UK national newspapers and selected local and regional newspapers, including Oxfordshire titles. Coverage varies with some starting in 1980s and most up to the current edition. Oxford Mail and Oxford Times coverage is 2007 to current. Free access at home or in your local library.
Newsquest Digital Newspaper Archive
Oxfordshire newspapers from December 2002 including: Abingdon Herald, Banbury Cake, Bicester Advertiser, Didcot Herald, Oxford Mail, Oxford Star, Oxford Times, Wallingford Herald, Wantage Herald, Witney Gazette. Free access in your local library.
Over 6,000 magazines from over 100 countries in 60+ languages. For example The Guardian, Grazia, The Washington Post, The Beano, Horrible Histories. Free access at home or in your local library.
Prepare for the Life in the UK Test or British Citizenship Test with official study materials plus hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test. Free access in your local library or at home.
Practice and improve your English language skills with this eLearning course. Test your level and help build confidence in your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Free access at home or in your local library.
Online simulation of the UK’s driving theory test, containing official practice test question bank, hazard perception videos, and an online version of the Highway Code. Create an account to use the resource. Free access at home or via your local library.
Access to thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th Centuries. Categories include 19th Century Entertainment, the Booktrade, Popular Prints, Crimes, Murders and Executions, and Advertising. Free access at home or in your local library.
Company information database from Bureau van Dijk providing financial and contact details and intelligence for business in the UK. Available in Oxfordshire County Library in Oxford, the second floor desk librarians can log you in or use their online enquiry service.
