CILIP Archives

Papers of the Library Association (LA) and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) including:

LA Council and Committee papers and other Board papers, 1894-1996, including minute books, cash books, ledgers, membership and attendance books.

Papers of the Association of Assistant Librarians, (later the Career Development Group), 1896-1997, including annual reports, committee papers; papers of the AGMs; correspondence; Council minutes; papers relating to conferences and publications; accounts of the finance committee and minutes, accounts and other papers for the divisions and branches.

Papers on the discipline and study of librarianship including on the early development of cataloguing rules and classification; library economy; bibliography and bibliographic studies, book stock ad book selection, library appliances, and on Information Technology in libraries.

Papers relating to LA byelaws, 1900-1990, Charter and library licence.

Press cuttings and library scrapbooks, 1900s-1970s.

LA Research Committee papers, 1951-1982, and LA Archive Committee papers, 1962.

Papers of the LA Cataloguing and Indexing Group, 1970-1997.

LA Weekly Newsheet, 1975-1981.

Papers of the LA International and Comparative Group, 1984-1993.

Papers of the LA Publishing Board, including on their management review, 1985-1986 and business plan.

Papers relating to awards including LA Awards, Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards and Meckler Awards.

Papers relating to copyright; papers relating to National Library Week, 1965-1969; papers relating to LA bids for the Millennium; papers relating to conferences and symposia around the world; papers relating to Librarianship in other countries; LA educational videos, 1984-1998; audio cassettes of LA meetings, conferences and addresses, 1986-1998 and papers relating to LA policy, bye laws and rules of procedure.

Papers of the Multimedia Information and Technology Group, a special interest group of CILIP, 1993-2003, including minutes, 2000-2003; certificates, joint constituency panel; merger ballots; papers relating to dealings with the LA and CILIP; papers relating to the Audio Visual Group including minutes, 1993-2000, and papers relating to elections, website and constitution.

Papers of the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) including AGM Council minutes, 1988-1998; IIS Council minutes, 1988-1998; IIS Council papers, 1999-2001; papers relating to IIS courses, 1976-1997; Chairman and Secretary's Guide and procedures working party, 1991-1996; issues of the Journal of Information Science, 1993-2002; IIS meetings committee papers, 1985-1986; IIS minutes of meetings, 1983-1986; correspondence; 1976-1987; papers relating to copyright and intellectual property rights, 1991-1999 and papers relating to the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information, China.

CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, was inaugurated on 1 April 2002, following the unification of two predecessor bodies - the Library Association (LA) and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS). CILIP is primarily a personal membership organisation, with a Royal Charter and charitable status. CILIP speaks out on behalf of the profession to the media, government and decision makers and provides practical support for members on academic education, professional qualifications, job hunting and continuing professional development.

The LA was formed in 1877 and received its Royal Charter, which permitted it to award professional (Chartered) status to members, in 1898. It became a registered charity in 1963 and was awarded a supplemental Royal Charter in 1986. The Scottish Library Association was founded in 1908, and formally affiliated with the LA (of the UK) in 1931. The Welsh Library Association (WLA) was a branch of the UK LA, and a further branch existed in Northern Ireland.

In the late 1950s, a group of professionals working predominantly in scientific and technological research took the view that a separate body was required to meet their more specialist form of practice and split off to form the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) in 1958. The IIS was founded to promote and maintain high standards in scientific and technical information work and to establish qualifications for those engaged in the profession. Thereafter increasingly the IIS also attracted those working in the rapidly expanding field of financial and business information, and subsequent technological developments meant that its members were in a better position to pay close attention to developments in digital technology. Like the LA, it also had charitable status.

Arranged as outlined in Description field.

Certain restrictions apply

Open to CILIP members. Closed for 30 years to non-members. Please contact Special Collections for further information.

Received from CILIP in four accessions: Library Association papers, 2002; Library Association and Institute of Information Scientists papers, Feb 2003; Multimedia Information and Technology Group, 2004 and Library Association papers, 2007.

The collection is partially listed. Please contact Special Collections for further information.

Collection of antiquarian books 1694-early 20th century, bequeathed to the LA by Henry Richard Tedder in 1924.

LA Antiquarian collection comprising 19th century historical catalogues and annual reports of libraries including the New York State Library and other US libraries.