South Wales Miners’ Library

Brief History
The South Wales Miners’ Library was opened in October 1973 to house material collected by the South Wales Coalfield History Project. Funded by the Social Science Research Council, the project’s aim was to preserve oral, visual and written evidence of coal mining and miners in South Wales at a time when the industry had started to decline and valuable material was in danger of being lost. The project collected a wide range of material which forms the core of the South Wales Coalfield Collection. The South Wales Miners’ Library houses the printed book and pamphlet collections, including the libraries of over 60 institute and welfare halls from across the coalfield, oral history, video, poster, and banner collections. The manuscript records and photographs are held in the University’s Richard Burton Archives.

Since its opening in 1973, the South Wales Miners’ Library has maintained the educational traditions of the old Miners’ Institutes and Welfare Halls by being developed as an educational resource.

Over the years, the Library has expanded its role in its support of adult education and widening access initiatives. These have included Miners’ Day Release courses, which were taught in the library in the 1970s and 1980s, and the pioneering Community University of the Valleys, which was established in 1993.

Today the library supports staff and students of Swansea University and the wider community, providing access to our research collection of international significance.

To find out more about the history of the Miners’ Library you can buy the book Do Miners Read Dickens? Origins and Progress of the South Wales Miners’ Library: 1973-2013 by Hywel Francis & Sian Williams’ copies are available from the library and all good book shops.

Collections
The Miners’ Library hold collections relevant to the social and cultural histories of industrial South Wales. Key periods covered by our collection include the Spanish Civil War, the nationalisation of coal and the 1984-5 strike. Our holdings on these subjects span various resources, including books, pamphlets, audio recordings and transcripts. Students, staff, researchers and members of the public are welcome to get in touch with areas of interest and we will source our collections for the most relevant material.

Holdings include

  • Oral History Interviews and Transcripts 
  • Banners
  • Pamphlets         
  • Miners’ Institute Books
  • NUM Minutes (South Wales Area)           
  • Mining periodicals and journals

The South Wales Coalfield Collection website lists items by project and topic. The Coalfield Web Materials site allows you to search the items on our catalogue and those belonging to the Richard Burton Archives.

Contact Details
Tel : 01792 518603 
Web : https://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/south-wales-miners-library/
Email : miners@swansea.ac.uk

Opening Times
Tuesday to Friday 09.30am-4.45pm

Admission
Free admission.

Transport
Please use SA2 9LU for directions

Please note: Due to building work, there is not currently car or pedestrian access to the South Wales Miners’ Library from Gower Road. Therefore, please access the library via the entrance off Hendrefoilan Road. Follow the directions given in this link from Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/sR9eupmpvpbLqFek6

If you’re travelling by bus, please check the timetable. Tycoch is the closest drop off location. You will need to walk along Hendrefoilan Road to reach the library. Please be mindful that there is no pavement for the last 300m, and the road is narrow.