The SSLH Archive and Resources Sub-Committee (SSLH-ARC) includes staff working at archives, libraries and museums whose collections tell the story of the British labour movement.

As a part of its work, the SSLH-ARC produces a series of advice and reference documents. These include guidance to labour movement organisations wanting to safeguard their histories, and help for students on accessing archives. These documents can be found here.

Find out more about the history and work of the SSLH-ARC.

Each organisation represented on the SSLH-ARC has its own page which tells you more about their rich labour history collections and how to access them.

Bishopsgate Institute
Based close to Liverpool Street Station in London, the Bishopsgate Institute holds a range of archives and printed material concerning London, the labour movement, co-operation, freethought and humanism, and protest and campaigning.
Go to the Bishopsgate Institute page»

Hull University Archives at Hull History Centre
Hull University Archives, based at Hull History Centre, contain numerous collections on modern literature and drama, maritime history, and politics and pressure groups.
Go to the Hull University Archives at Hull History Centre page»

Labour History Archive and Study Centre
The Labour History and Archive Centre, located at the People’s History Museum, Manchester, holds collections relating to left wing politics, including the archives of the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Go to the Labour History Archive and Study Centre page»

London School of Economics
The London School of Economics Archives hold major collections on modern British political, economic and social history, and the history of the social sciences.
Go to the London School of Economics page»

Marx Memorial Library
Based on Clerkenwell Green, the Marx Memorial Library holds unique collections on the International Brigades, the labour movement and socialism.
Go to the Marx Memorial Library page»

Modern Records Centre
Based at University of Warwick, Coventry, MRC holds collections including TUC archives, CBI archives, Transport & General Workers Union archives and British Association of Social Workers.
Go to the Modern Records Centre page»

National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts Division
The Manuscripts Division holds extensive collections on Scottish trade unions and co-operatives, the Labour Party and other socialist and left-wing organisations in Scotland.
Go to the National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts Division page»

Senate House Library
Senate House Library holds various material relating to the labour movement, including the John Burns collections and Trotskyist archives.
Go to the Senate House Library page»

TUC Library Collections
The TUC Library Collections hold various printed and archival material relating to the labour movement, including the TUC Library, the WEA and LRD Archives, and the papers of various trade unionists.
Go to the TUC Library Collections page»

University of Sussex Special Collections
University of Sussex Special Collections holds a number of internationally acclaimed archival, manuscript and rare book collections relating to twentieth-century literary, political and social history.
Go to the University of Sussex Special Collections page»

Welsh Political Archive
The Welsh Political Archive is home to a number of significant collections relating to Labour history, including the collections of individuals, organisations and events detailing the history of politics in Wales.
Go to the Welsh Political Archive page»

The Women’s Library at the LSE
The Women’s Library holds important archive, printed and museum collections documenting women’s lives from the 19th century to the present day.
Go to the The Women’s Library at the LSE page»

Working Class Movement Library
Based on the personal collection of Eddie and Ruth Frow, the Working Class Movement Library in Salford holds extensive printed material and archives on the labour movement.
Go to the Working Class Movement Library page»

University of Huddersfield Archives at Heritage Quay
The University of Huddersfield’s archive service holds a wide range of political material, but have a strong focus on Labour’s political thought and history, often linked to local organisations or people.
Go to the University of Huddersfield Archives at Heritage Quay page»

MayDay Rooms
Located on Fleet Street in London, MayDay rooms houses collections related to the histories of radicalism and resistance by connecting them with contemporary struggle and protest, and by developing digital platforms for dissemination. We also provide communal spaces where this material can be explored and researched and for collective gatherings.
Go to the MayDay Rooms page»

Royal College of Nursing
The RCN Library and Archive Service (LAS) holds Europe’s largest nursing collection in London and Edinburgh. The collection is primarily in the English language, dating mainly from the 1850s with new items being constantly added. RCN LAS also delivers an annual programme of events aimed at the public.
Go to the Royal College of Nursing page»

The Sparrows’ Nest Library and Archive
Based in St Ann’s, Nottingham, we focus on the history of anarchist groups and individuals in the UK and beyond, as well as on the history of other social movements, protests and radicalism in Nottingham & Notts and the wider regions of the East Midlands & South Yorkshire. Browse our online catalogue, download digital copies of thousands of documents and come and visit us!
Go to the The Sparrows’ Nest Library and Archive page»

University of Nottingham
Manuscripts and Special Collections, based at the King’s Meadow Campus of the University of Nottingham holds collections including the Institute for Workers’ Control, the Feminist Archive (East Midlands), the Nottingham Clarion Choir, Nottingham and District Trades Union Council, and the papers of individual activists including Ken Coates MEP, Fred Westacott, and Barry Johnson.
Go to the University of Nottingham page»