Bible Society's library | Cambridge University Library skip to content Study at Cambridge About the University Research at Cambridge Search site Study at Cambridge Undergraduate Undergraduate courses Applying Events and open days Fees and finance Postgraduate Postgraduate courses How to apply Postgraduate events Fees and funding International students Continuing education Executive and professional education Courses in education About the University How the University and Colleges work Term dates and calendars History Map Visiting the University Annual reports Equality and diversity News A global university Events Public engagement Jobs Give to Cambridge Research at Cambridge For staff For Cambridge students For alumni For our researchers Business and enterprise Colleges & departments Email & phone search Give to Cambridge Libraries Museums & collections Collections All collections & departments Cambridge University Library Using the Library Using the Library overview Your library membership Your library membership overview Online resources and services Remote services Remote services overview Visit the University Library Visit the University Library overview Library service updates Accessibility and disabled library users Accessibility and disabled library users overview Research Research overview University Library Research Institute University Library Research Institute overview Digital Preservation Digital Preservation overview Digital Humanities Digital Humanities overview Open Research Research Data management Futurelib Innovation Programme Futurelib Innovation Programme overview Teaching and Learning Teaching and Learning overview Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge What's On What's On overview Exhibitions Exhibitions overview Events Events overview The Really Popular Book Club Google Arts and Culture Search and Find Search and Find overview LibGuides - Subject guides eResources and eJournals iDiscover ArchiveSearch Reference Management Other catalogues Collections Collections overview Special Collections Special Collections overview All collections & departments All collections & departments overview Recommend an item for our collection Recommend an item for our collection overview Exhibitions Exhibitions overview About About overview Governance Governance overview History of the Library History of the Library overview Statement of Collecting Policy Prizes and Fellowships Prizes and Fellowships overview Library Storage Facility Press and media Support Us Support Us overview Ways to support us Contact Bible Society's library Cambridge University Library Collections All collections & departments Bible Society's library Collections Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives Chinese collections Collections and Academic Liaison Conservation Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory Darwin Correspondence Project East Asian Reading Room French collections Germanic collections Inter-Library Loans Italian collections Japanese collections Korean collections Latin American & Iberian Collections Legal Deposit Maps Modern Greek collections Music Near and Middle Eastern Department Official Publications Open Research Papyrus Collections Periodicals Rare Books Reading Room Royal Commonwealth Society Slavonic collections South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit The British and Foreign Bible Society (now "Bible Society") was founded in 1804 with the aim of supplying Bibles and New Testaments - Scriptures - without note or comment, on a world-wide basis, in a language people could understand and at a price they could afford. To achieve this it was soon realised that a collection of standard texts would be essential for reference, and a library was established. In its first year there were some 67 languages into which at least one book of the Bible had been translated; now around 200 years later there are over 2000, and translation work continues. The library has grown from its initial 39 to over 39,000 volumes. After 181 years in London, the Society moved to its present headquarters in Swindon, Wiltshire in 1985. Early in the planning of this move it became apparent that the new site would not be the most appropriate for the Society's unique Library and Archives, and an agreement was reached with the University Library that the collections would be housed here and made available to bona fide users. The Bible Society's librarian welcomes enquiries in person and is based in the Bradshaw Room (off the Anderson Room ). Bible Society material is consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Opening hours Monday to Friday Book an appointment: Bible Society's Library, Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR Email: bslib@lib.cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333075 Saturday Closed Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK Email: library@lib.cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000 Privacy and Cookie Policy Privacy and Cookie Policy Social Media Library blogs Join us Job opportunities Contact the University Freedom of information Privacy policy and cookies Statement on Modern Slavery Terms and conditions University A-Z Study at Cambridge Undergraduate Postgraduate Continuing education Executive and professional education Courses in education About the University How the University and Colleges work Give to Cambridge Jobs Map Visiting the University Research at Cambridge Research news About research at Cambridge Public engagement Spotlight on...