J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 80 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. Richard Ovenden is Bodley's Librarian, the 25th person to hold the senior executive position in the library of the University of Oxford, having moved to the Bodleian Libraries in 2003 as Keeper of Special Collections. He is also the current head of the University of Oxford's Gardens, Libraries and Museums group. Since 1987 he has worked in a number of important archives and libraries, including the House of Lords Library, the National Library of Scotland (as a Curator of Rare Books) and in the University of Edinburgh, where he was Director of Collections.

Richard was awarded the OBE in The Queen's Birthday Honours, 2019.