The Women’s Library, London School of Economics and Political Science

The Women’s Library is the oldest and largest library in Britain devoted to the history of women’s campaigning and activism. It was officially inaugurated as the Library of the London Society for Women’s Service in 1926 and it had two aims: to preserve the history of the women’s suffrage movement, and to provide a resource for newly-enfranchised women to take their place in public life.

The books and archives deposited in the early decades bear witness to the activities of the London Society and to the interests of its members, both as participants in the campaigns of the women’s movement of their day, and as individuals following their own professional pursuits.