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The Women's Library
Contact details
Website: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/ E-mail: moreinfo@thewomenslibrary.ac.uk Tel: 020 7320 3515/3516
About the library
The Women's Library, part of London Metropolitan University holds the most extensive collection on women’s history in the UK. The majority of materials cover women in the UK but there are some international materials. It covers a wide range of subjects: women’s rights, suffrage, sexuality, health, education, employment, reproductive rights, the family and the home. The collections contain scholarly treatments of the subjects but also biographies, popular works, government publications and fiction.
Records for the collection of periodicals are also available which include suffrage periodicals, 2nd wave feminism publications and commercially published magazines from the nineteenth century 'English Women's Journal' to currently published magazines such as 'Marie Claire'. There are also records for journals from women’s organisations, networks and campaigns.
Records available on Copac include those from some of the special collections. The Cavendish Bentinck collection has been donated by “outstanding women of their time” and shows the contribution women have made to literature and learning and the position of women throughout history. The Josephine Butler Society Library was built to support the campaigns against the state regulation of prostitution in the 19th century. It includes the society’s campaign literature and business papers, works on sexology and psychology and works on the trafficking and slavery of women.
The local library catalogue is available online.
Accessing materials
Can I see live document availability on Copac? Yes. The Copac local holdings display will tell you if a document is currently on-loan, reference only etc. as well giving you local location details.
Can I obtain items via Inter Library Loan? No - the collections are reference only and the library does not participate in the Interlibrary loan system.
Can I visit the library to view materials? Yes - visit the library's web site for full details. If you wish to visit the library it is advisable to contact them in advance to ensure the material you need will be available.
How do I find primary source material held at this institution? Visit the Women's Library's contributor page at the Archives Hub for information.
