Finalists left in the dark
Thursday evening saw the Radcliffe Camera hit by a sudden power cut. It left the historic building in darkness without warning, spelling severe consequences for some finalists.
Many finalists had set up camp for revision in the iconic Rad Cam, which functions as the main reading room of the Bodleian Library.
English finalists in particular were studying in the Lower Camera Reading Room the day before one of their exams when the library was plunged into darkness.
The power cut occurred at approximately half past five on Thursday evening, for as yet undetermined reasons, although staff believe that rainstorms in the Oxford area at the time could be the source of the problem.
The blackout also affected all of the Broad Street area, including the Old and New Bodleian buildings and Blackwell's bookshop.
Engineers were at a loss as to when the power would come back on, and the library only had two to three hours of backup power available for the affected students.
A particularly problem was that as it was evening natural light was dwindling, so that stairways and corridors were left in the dark.
This, according to David Perrow, Head of Administration and Finance for the Oxford Library System, contradicted health and safety regulations.
As a result, arriving readers had to be turned away from the library, although those already inside were allowed to remain until at last the Rad Cam was completely shut down at seven pm, after a comprehensive assessment of the situation.
Bodleian staff are still in talks with the power company to get to the bottom of the problem, particularly as the power has gone out four times in the last six months, twice due to workmen going through cables.
One finalist told The OxStu that he was "distraught", and panicked when the power went out whilst he was doing his last-minute revision. He added: "You obviously don't want any distractions right before an exam, especially before a Final when all of your focus should be on your subject. A sudden power cut can be very stressful."
27th May 2004