TUC LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

Match Workers at the Bryant and May Factory, London, 1888 (image courtesy of TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University

Description

The TUC Library is the major research library for the study of all aspects of trade unions, collective bargaining and labour history, with both historical and contemporary coverage. The emphasis is on Britain, but many other countries are represented, especially Europe and the Commonwealth.

The core areas of the collection are the publications of the TUC since its foundation in 1868, reference and historical works on the labour and trade union movement, union publications from the UK and overseas, and documents relating to working conditions and industrial relations in various industries. The collections also contain material collected from the wide-ranging campaigns and policy areas in which the TUC has been involved over the course of its history, including social policy areas such as health, housing, education, unemployment and social security.

A major strength of the Library are the large holdings of pamphlets from unions, pressure groups and campaign movements, collected from the 19th century onwards, which have survived here as in few other comparable libraries. Important research collections cover:- union activities, international affairs, labour biography, women workers, strikes, Labour Party publications, the Communist Party and other political groups and campaigns.

The collections also contain various archive deposits, including the records of the Workers’ Educational Association, the Labour Research Department and the personal papers of Gertrude Tuckwell (1861-1951) and Marjorie Nicholson (1914-1997).

Website

http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/libraries/tuc

Keywords

Trade unions; Trades Union Congress

Access

Mon-Fri, 0915-1645. Access for all users is by appointment only.

Access for outsiders

Yes - by appointment only. The collections are available for reference only.

Facilities

video and audio cassettes only

Moving Image, Audio and Related Documentation Holdings

Books

Relevant material includes publications of media and entertainment unions and related organisations.

Ephemera

Large holdings of ephemera

Journals

Trade unions material.

Manuscripts

Workers Film Association records.

Music

TUC audiocassette collection

Newspapers

Trade unions material.

Sound

TUC audiocassette collection

Still Images

Photo collection uncatalogued

Video/Film

TUC video collection.

Catalogues

Library OPAC

Some of the print collections are now available at http://catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk/search~S7

Related website

http://www.unionhistory.info;
http://www.unionhistory.info/workerswar
http://www.unionhistory.info/equalpay/
http://www.unionhistory.info/britainatwork/
blogs.londonmet.ac.uk/tuc-library/
facebook.com/tuclibrary
pinterest.co.uk/tuc_library/
twitter.com/TUC_Library

Card catalogue

The video collection, recently deposited by the TUC, is not yet catalogued or fully operational. A handlist of titles in the video collection is available.

Main Contact

Name

Mr Jeff Howarth

Telephone

020 7320 3511

Email

j.howarth@londonmet.ac.uk

Address

TUC Library Collections, Special Collections
London Metropolitan University, Room CC4-01A
Wash Houses, Old Castle Street
London
E1 7NT

Alternate Contact

Email

tuclib@londonmet.ac.uk