Through its long-standing traditions and more recent gifts Oxford has unique resources for Oriental Studies. The Bodleian Library has a magnificent collection of Oriental books and manuscripts built up since the seventeenth century. There are also institutes for Chinese Studies, for Modern Japanese Studies, and for the Modern Middle East. Adjacent to the Oriental Institute is the Ashmolean Museum, which houses superb collections of objects used in the teaching of most branches of Oriental Art and Archaeology and also has very fine libraries devoted to these subjects. The Griffith Institute, which is to move to the new Sackler Library complex in 2001, has unique resources for Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies.
Most courses offer the opportunity to spend time in the region being studied.
The Arabic course includes a year in the Middle East, and the Chinese course includes four months on a course of language study in East Asia. Students of Japanese spend the third term of their first year in Japan and many also spend an optional further year there. Although linguistic ability is essential for success in Oriental Studies, it is not necessary to have studied languages at A- level. Many candidates take English or History at A-level, or equivalent. Many colleges are keen to take candidates for Oriental Studies.