The wonderful resources afforded by Moore’s collection were immediately of interest to scholars, and the University’s Grace Books record permissions granted for fellows to borrow items within a few years of their arrival. Unfortunately, they were not always brought back so quickly, and in 1732 a call was issued for all borrowed items to be returned so that the Library could be ‘put into order’. The Librarian’s concern, that allowing books to stay out of the Library for too long could lead to their loss, eventually led to a systematic programme of book inspections. Readers were to return their books each quarter day, and a check undertaken to ensure that everything was safely back in place.

UA CUR 31.1.32