| Description | The catalogued Pamphlet Collection comprises over 12,000 titles dating from approximately 1830 to the present. The Pamphlet Collection consists of printed material less than 60 pages in length but over 5 pages in length; items over 65 pages are catalogued as part of the main Book Collection, items under 5 pages are catalogued as part of the Ephmera Collection. The pamphlets are arranged in two sections - one for standard sized pamphlets and one for oversized pamphlets (the latter being over A5 in size).
The pamphlets include government policies, reports, annual reports and campaigning material, primary law, including Bills and Acts. The subject material of the collection reflects and enriches the wide range of topics held elsewhere in the Women's Library. Topics include: English fiction, children's stories, poetry, women's organisations, feminism, role of women in society - UK and abroad, nursing, sex discrimination law, divorce law, employment, occupations, careers, equal opportunities, labour law, pension law, social security, taxation, housing, health, pregnancy, abortion, birth control, domestic violence, mothers, one-parent families, children, family life, housekeeping, religion, ordination, arts, costume, suffrage.Organisations include Equal Opportunities Commission, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, National Union of Suffragettes, National Society for Women's Suffrage, US Women's Bureau, American National Red Cross, Union of Jewish Women, National Union of Townswomen's Guilds, National Federation of Women's Institutes, Fawcett Society, National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child, British Federation of University Women, Association of University Women Teachers, Divorce Law Reform Union.Most of the material is in English, but there are also pamphlets in other languages, such as Italian, German and French.
Please note: pamphlet cataloguing and shelving parallels that in the reading room, with biographies shelved at 920.
HISTORY OF THE PAMPHLET COLLECTIONS
The pamphlets have primarily been deposited with The Women's Library via donors, individuals and organisations, rather than purchase. In some instances the deposits have been as part of organisations' libraries, as described below.
The 'UDC Pamphlet Collection' [Universal Dewey Decimal Classification]:
In addition to the main Pamphlet Collection is the 'UDC Pamphlet Collection.' The UDC collection was the first pamphlet collection created by the then Women's Service Library and consists of approximately 10,000 pamphlets dating from mid nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries, covering all subjects. As the collection was gradually acquired during the Library's first 20 years of life, it was arranged by subject, using the Universal Decimal Classification system. The pamphlets were primarily deposited by organisations and individuals, although some purchases were made. There is a finding aid kept with the collection but the collection was never catalogued and therefore remained a hidden resource within the Library for more than 80 years. Unsurprisingly other libraries did not collect most of these pamphlets. In 2007 as part of a cataloguing funding bid preliminary sampling of the collection against Copac (the merged online catalogues of 24 university research libraries in the UK, plus the British Library and the National Library of Scotland) found that over 60% of the UDC pamphlets were not listed in these major research collections. This is a very significant level of unique printed material. A cataloguing project was undertaken from 2007-2009 and upon cataloguing pamphlets were transferred to the main pamphlet collection described above. As at 2009 the collection was partially catalogued and The Library was seeking additional funds to complete the project.
In Jul 2010 a volunteer project to survey list the remaining uncatalogued pamphlets began. These survey lists are in the Archive and Museum Catalogue, listing Author (MARC 100 1); Title (MARC 245); Publisher (MARC 260); Number of pages (MARC 300). Arranged by UDC Classmark and box number. This collection is awaiting funding for cataloguing as part of the Printed Collections catalogue.
SADD BROWN COLLECTION
The Sadd Brown Collection is named after Myra Sadd Brown, suffrage campaigner and founder member of the Commonwealth Countries League. The subject areas of the collection - the former colonies and the present day Commonwealth countries - reflect her involvement in the organisation. As well as the books collected in this collection there are a significant number of pamphlets. These pamphlets were catalogued, c.2008, and were integrated into the main pamphlet sequences.
JOSEPHINE BUTLER SOCIETY LIBRARY (JB)
The Josephine Butler Library is named after the leader of the campaign to repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts in 1869. It was the Library of the Josephine Butler Society (previously the Association for Social & Moral Hygiene). The subject areas of the collection include sexuality and public morality. These were catalogued c.2006, however the pamphlets remain as a separate physical sequence. Due to the age and fragility of most of the material in the Josephine Butler Library no photocopying is permitted.
The Josephine Butler Society Library bound pamphlets: In addition there is a series of bound volumes of pamphlets. Please note there are duplicates within this series of bound pamphlets. The bound pamphlets are available on microfilm and these should be ordered in the Reading Room rather than the originals. The catalogue records indicate where microfilm is available in the note fields.
CAVENDISH BENTINCK LIBRARY (CB)
The Cavendish-Bentinck Library is named after Ruth Cavendish-Bentinck, a socialist and active campaigner for women's suffrage. She created a feminist subscription library which as well as the main series of books contained pamphlets. These were catalogued as part of the main catalogue, however the pamphlets remain as a separate physical sequence. There are approximately 453 pamphlets, covering subjects including suffrage. The pamphlets are split into regular and oversize boxes. This collection contains the oldest pamphlets in the printed collections; therefore, due to the age and fragility of most of the material in the Cavendish-Bentinck Library no photocopying is permitted.
CB collected pamphlets vols. 1-35: There is a title and volume list guide to this collection on the shelf and in the reading room.
The Cavendish-Bentinck Library bound pamphlets: In addition there is a series of bound volumes of pamphlets. Suffrage annual reports for the LSWS (London Society for Women's Suffrage), CWSWS (Central National Society for Women's Suffrage and the Central and Western Society for Women's Suffrage) and the NUWSS (National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies) can be found in the CB book sequence at 324.62306041. There is a surrogate for the NUWSS bound volume of pamphlets in the reading room oversize sequence at 324.62306041 NAT. |