Southwark Local Studies Library

Title: Southwark Local Studies Library

Description: The Southwark Local Studies Library is a reference library providing information about the Southwark area and its history. It holds a wide variety of source material, including:

• Books and pamphlets on the history of the area
• Periodicals produced by local organisations
• Illustrations - including c.20,000 photographs and prints, a collection of slides and a large file of press cuttings and ephemera showing images of Southwark over the past 200 years
• Local newspapers from 1856 to the present (on microfilm)
• Over 600 maps - ranging from copies of 16th century London maps to recent, large scale Ordnance Survey plans
• Films, videos and tapes reflecting life in the borough from the 1920s to the present
• Archives - including the official archive of the London Borough of Southwark and preceding authorities, the records of the former civil parishes (vestry minutes, taxation records and poor law records, etc.), copies of census returns and parish registers (on microfilm), and the deposited records of local institutions, business organisations and individuals.

The library collection was mainly acquired since the 1970s, but contains material published much earlier. The archives were brought together as a collection during the 1970s, but date back to the 16th century, with particular strengths in the 18th and 19th century material.
With regard to the history of Black and Asian peoples in Southwark the library has a small collection of recent monographs and 12 files of press cuttings. There are no specific collections of archival material, but some 18th and 19th century sources mention Black and Asian residents, particularly in Southwark's riverside area.

Strengths:

Size: 12 files of press cuttings on the history of Black and Asian peoples in Southwark.

Catalogue: Talis (Networked via Southwark Libraries, but not available online)

Catalogue URL:

Main URL: http://www.southwark.gov.uk

Access: Reference access only. No appointment required. However, it is advisable to book a microfilm reader in advance of a visit (to look at census returns, newspapers and parish registers).

Acquisition dates: c.1970 - present

Note:

Interest: Asian, Black

Complete: Complete

Subjects

History

Communities

Personal/Corporate names

Places

Southwark, London, United Kingdom