Exploring radical libraries and their role in social change.
Libraries for social change provide a home to the radical histories of struggle, emancipation and liberation movements and counter culture and provide a crucial resource for progressive movements. The books, pamphlets and periodicals within them are a unique resource for activists looking for inspiration and how to campaign effectively.
Commonweal is one such library, but there are many others including the 1 in 12 Library in Bradford, the Working Class Movement Library in Salford and the Marx Memorial Library in London. A full list is on the Radical Libraries Collective website.
Read
Our reading list includes books, pamphlets and periodicals about libraries and librarians seeking social change, as well as some of the books in libraries that have inspired readers over the years.
In the Collection – pamphlets and periodicals
These are just a few of the many pamphlets and periodicals in the Commonweal Collection. Most pamphlets are available to borrow, the periodicals are reference only.
The Commonweal Collection: The story of a Library for a Non-violent World. By Sylvia Barlow (1999)
“The Commonweal Library grew out of the collection of one young person who had the vision and foresight to see the need for a comprehensive unit of easily accessible material for workers in the peace movement which flourished to counteract the dangerous Cold War climate of the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to material on peace issues, the Collection also included writings on environmental, ethical and moral questions pertinent to the fast changing social and industrial world which had evolved since the Second World War.” Sylvia Barlow’s pamphlet about the origins of the Commonweal Collection provides a fascinating insight into the creation and development of a library which exists in order to inspire social change.
Classification: Jh BAR Peace Museums, Memorials & Libraries PAMPHLET – check it’s available here.
Librarians for Social Change (1972)
Published in Brighton in the 1970s by John Noyce, a librarian with a “progressive view of the job – not merely following the status quo.” In this first edition, articles include a report on the Whole Earth Library at Keele University (broadening the function of a library to include book groups and reader notes), libraries in Vietnam and censorship in libraries.
Classification: N (Visions of the Good Society). PERIODICAL – REFERENCE ONLY. Approx 10 copies from 1972-1976
AIR: Alternative Information Record (1990)
A newsletter aiming to “put paid to the notion that librarianship goes hand-in-hand with dullness or dreariness.” AIR was published in the 1990s by the Librarians Within the Peace Movement (LWPM) – a newsletter for those who believe in using information and information skills for positive change. Articles include the experiences and thoughts of those working in libraries, practical tips for archiving, managing files etc, peace research and a “wanted, exchange and free” section for books and periodicals on specific topics.
Classification: On (Counter-culture). PERIODICAL – REFERENCE ONLY. Approx 6 copies from 1990-1991.
How to search the Collection
The online catalogue includes all the books, pamphlets and periodicals in the Collection.
Column 1: Select title, or classmark eg Jh Peace Museums, Memorials & Libraries.
Column 2: Enter search term
Column 3: Select “Commonweal Collection”
Contribute
To share something musical that inspires you email commonwealoutreach@peacemuseum.org.uk. Your suggestions will feature on our website and social media, and also help us to identify gaps in the Collection.