The Women's Library

Introduction

This guide will help you find out about the collections of The Women’s Library.

Historically, archives of The Women’s Library were divided up into the following groups:

1. Emmigration Societies
2. Suffrage Societies
3. Josephine Butler, the Contagious Diseases Acts; Assoc. for Moral & Social Hygiene
4. Anti-trafficking organisations
5. Women’s organisations
6. Campaigning organisations
7. Personal papers
8. Oral histories
9. Autograph Letter Collection
10. Scrapbooks

New archives are no longer fitted into this structure, but standalone eg, COCKBURN Papers of Cynthnia Cockburn, AWS Association of Women Solicitors.

How to search

The easiest way to search is by using keywords in the ‘anytext’ field of the archives catalogue. For more information, read our guide on how to search the archives catalogue.

Print collection

The Women’s Library has a rich print collection of books, pamphlets, journals and zines. They are either stored in the vault or in the reference collection on the 3rd floor of the Library. To locate these:

1. Go to Library Search and type keywords eg, Women in China, and then click Search. You will see a list of filters on the right-hand side. Under "Location", tick the boxes that contain TWL@LSE, and then Search again. This will find material containing the words women in China in the description.
2. If you are interested in magazines / periodicals, download this spreadsheet listing the titles of magazines and journals from The Women's Library.

Rare books

The Women’s Library has a rare book collection made up of the libraries of various individuals. These include a book collection from the MP Nancy Astor originally bought for Crosby Hall, the headquarters of the British Federation of University Women, who could no longer accommodate them.

Ruth Cavendish Bendinck, a socialist campaigner for women’s rights and member of the London Society, donated about 1000 books and pamphlets in 1931. Ruth continued to donate books to the Library until her death in 1954.

Other collections come from Edward Wright, Ada Wallas and Lina Eckenstein.

Go to Library Search and type keywords eg, Women's household and then click Search. You will see a list of Filters on the right-hand side. Under "Location", tick the Store TWL@LSE Cavendish Bentinck books box and then click ‘apply filers’ to find them.

Museum collection

The Women’s Library contains lots of postcards, posters, banners, badges, textiles and other 3D items. You can find these by search the archives catalogue.

Some themes in The Women’s Library

The Women’s Library collection follows the history of feminism from the late 19th century to the present day. Here are some themes, but there are many more to explore.

Women's suffrage

The collection covers the constitutional, the militant and the anti-suffrage campaigns around the enfranchisement of women from 1866 until the passing of the Equal Franchise Act 1928 when women could vote on equal terms with men.

• Find out more in the women’s suffrage guide

Inter-war campaigning

Many women who were involved in the suffrage movement continued campaigning for women’s rights and children’s rights beyond 1918 eg, The Six Point Group, the Open Door Council, the Women Citizens’ Association.

• Read annual reports of campaigning organisations in the interwar period

Black and Asian Women

Includes papers on Black women in the arts, material relating to Olive Morris and Brixton Black Women’s Group, Claudia Jones and West Indian Gazette, and Asian Women’s Refuge.

• Read journal titles such as Mukti and ‘SHE

Women and work

Collections cover equal opportunities in the workplace, careers, professional life, economic equality, and more recent attempts to change working patterns.

• More on our women and work collections

Women in public life

Campaigns to increase women’s representation in local and national government and other public bodies.

• View our exhibit 'Women of Westminster'

Women and the family

Campaigns for maternity rights, abortion, childcare, the rights of married women, the rights of single mothers and the rights of lesbian mothers.

Women and religion

Such as the campaign for women's ordination in the Church of England.

• View our exhibit "A Woman's Place....?"
• More about the feminism and religion collections
• Listen to campaigners of the Movement for the Ordination Movement

Women and peace campaigning

Includes the records of Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and peace activists such as Cynthia Cockburn.

• Listen to 'These Dangerous Women', oral histories to mark the centenary of the formation of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in 1915

Women’s Liberation Movement

We hold the papers of activists, of campaigning groups, magazines and newsletters which chart the campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s.

• More about the Women's Liberation Movement collection
• Listen to interviews with leaders of the women’s voluntary sector run by the Women’s Resource Centre

Women and the environment

This includes Keep Britain Tidy campaign and the plastic packaging reduction campaign by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, and the Women’s Environmental Network.

Women and Internationalism

Some campaigning groups have an international remit such as the International Alliance of Women, International Abolitionist Federation or the Commonwealth Countries League. Campaigning groups can also have branches in other countries such as the Girls Friendly Society. There are also journal titles such as ‘Women in China’ and ‘Soviet Women’.

The Sadd Brown Library

Set up in 1938 in memory of suffragette and internationalist Myra Sadd Brown, the library contains many books, pamphlets and journals relating to campaigns for and by women in the commonwealth countries.

• More about the Sadd Brown Library

Searching the collection

Use Library Search to locate the books, pamphlets and journals. The reference only books and journals can also be browsed on the 3rd floor.

Search Archives Catalogue for archives and museum objects.

How to access

Most of the material highlighted here is stored in closed access and must be consulted in The Women’s Library Reading Room. Find out how to book your place and order material on our access archives and special collections page.

Further information

If you need specific help with any of the collections mentioned here get in touch with our Curator for Equality, Rights and Citizenship, Gillian Murphy.