Records of the parish of Saint Mary Magdalene, Woodchester Street, Paddington, including registers of baptisms and marriages; registers of church services, preachers and sermons; financial accounts; electoral rolls; and minutes of the Council of the Saint Mary Magdalene Convalescent Home.

Records of the City of London Maternity Hospital, including Governors and Management Committee minutes, 1750-1948; Court of Governors minutes, 1883-1948; Finance Committee minutes, 1905-1948; lists of governors and annual reports, 1764-1948; reports concerning Brockett Hall Emergency Maternity Hospital, 1939-1940; new hospital charter and related papers, 1918-1935; Acts of Parliament concerning the hospital, 1773-1869; architects plans for alterations and modernisation, 1937; admissions registers, 1750-1948; registers of baptisms, 1813-1978; Matrons' case books, 1921-1949; out-patients admission registers, 1872-1953; district case books, 1913-1942; prospectus for the midwifery training school, 196-; salaries and wages books, 1912-1940; register of wills and legacies, 1754-1965; playbill for Sir Richard Steele's The Conscious Lovers to be performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for the benefit of the Hospital, 17 Dec 1776; programme of concert at Mansion House arranged by the Ladies' Association in aid of the City of London Lying-in Hospital on 23 June 1914; includes photographs of exterior of hospital, interior of ward and chapel; issues of Onward, journal of the City of London Maternity Hospital, 1924-1944; history of the hospital, 1922 and guide for expectant mothers, [1950s].

Records of the Middlesex County Council Health Department relating to care and after care, 1944-1965, including papers relating to the care of tuberculosis patients; papers relating to chiropody clinics; papers relating to mother and baby homes; papers regarding the provision of nursing equipment; papers relating to the provision of invalid kitchens and laundry services.

Papers relating to the Health Education Scheme including lecture notes; public information film '52 Small Bones' on the care of children's feet; papers of the Smoking and Lung Cancer Committee; papers of the Fluoridation Information Service; policy relating to accidents in the home; papers relating to diabetes; papers regarding Well Women's Clinics, and papers regarding venereal diseases. Also papers relating to recuperative holidays including registers of cases; sample of case papers of those sent on recuperative holidays, and registers of recuperative holidays for children.

Records of the Southwark Diocesan Council for Wel-Care and associated organisations, 1895-1985. Records of the Southwark Diocesan Council for Welcare, 1895-1972, including Diocesan Council minutes, Finance Committee minutes, Executive Committee minutes, and minutes of the Rochester Diocesan Association of the Care of Friendless Girls.

Records of the Diocesan Office, 1895-1982, including policy and information files relating to illegitimate children, juvenile offenders, the mentally handicapped, sexual offences, ethnic minorities, mother and baby homes, housing, moral welfare work and the social services; files relating to finance and organisation including cooperation with other voluntary agencies and annual reports of local associations; and files relating to the employment and training of staff.

Ledger of the London and Southwark Diocesan Moral Education Committee, 1957-1958. Committee minutes and admission and discharge register of the Diocesan Medical Home, 1909-1935. Records of the Stretton House Diocesan Maternity Home, 1918-1977, including minutes of annual meetings and Committee meetings, annual reports, registers, day books, financial accounts and job applications.

Records of the South London Association for the Moral Welfare of Children, 1914-1950, including Committee minutes, annual reports and correspondence.

Records of local associations, 1895-1985, including Greenwich Association, Lambeth Association, Lewisham Association, Southwark and Camberwell Association and Wandsworth Association. Records include annual reports, financial accounts, Committee meeting minutes, Annual meeting minutes, case files, registers, adoption files, correspondence and administrative papers.

Also the Southwark Diocesan Council for Welcare reference collection, 1920-1982, comprising books and pamphlets on various subjects, including abortion, contraception, mother and baby homes, adoption, fostering, one parent families, child care, housing, social security, juvenile offenders, ethnic minorities, moral welfare work, social work, psychiatry, and the position of the Church of England on these issues.

This scrapbook consists of press cuttings and typescript notes on the position relating to family allowances in different countries including America, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany and Luxembourg, 1930-1934.

Over 3,000 periodical titles are held dating from 1745, some in single issues, but many in complete or representative runs. The Periodicals Collection brings together academic, popular and campaigning women's journals in one location and gives a unique insight into periodicals published about, for and by women. Titles range from commercially-produced popular magazines (Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan), to academic quarterlies (Gender and History, Feminist Review), organisational journals (One Parent Families, National Association of Women Pharmacists), special interest publications (Executive Black Woman), and older titles such as the English Woman's Journal. Many of these titles are not held in other research collections. The non-commercial nature of many of these periodicals with limited self-published print runs, resulted in periodicals that were issued irregularly, on poor quality paper and often only selectively deposited with the main copyright libraries.

COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED

The Library's collection of commercially published magazines, a key resource for research into social history and popular culture, begins with the Ladies' Almanack of the 1740s and documents women's fashion and domestic concerns from runs of the Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine, The Queen, Ladies' Magazine, Ladies Monthly Magazine and Lady, Gentlewoman, in the 19th century; Home Chat, Woman's Weekly, Woman, Woman's Own, Honey,, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire in the 20th century; Grazia, Glamour and Easy Living of more recent years. Also included are some magazines aimed at girls and young women such as The Girls' Own Paper, Petticoat, Just 17 and Jackie.

FEMINIST AND CAMPAIGNING

At the heart of the Periodical Collection are the women's campaigning journals and feminist periodicals. The collection of feminist periodicals at The Women's Library is unrivalled in its extent and breadth. It begins with the English Woman's Journal of the mid-19th century, and continues with titles such as The Young Women and includes complete runs of titles such as The Women's Penny Paper, the Woman's Herald, Victoria Magazine, the Woman's Signal, the Woman's Leader, Englishwoman's Review, Englishwoman, Freewoman, Time and Tide, Woman's Gazette, and Shafts all of which were key to the development of feminist theory and progressive ideas.

SUFFRAGE

The Library's extensive collection of suffrage periodicals is central to the study of women's rights in the 20th century, titles including Votes for Women, Common Cause, Woman's Dreadnought, The Vote, the Women's Suffrage Journal, Women's Franchise, the Suffragette Newssheet, the Independent Suffragette, Britannia, and the Suffragette as well as titles such as the Anti-Suffrage Review.

WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT

The collection of journals documenting 'second-wave' feminism in the UK includes complete runs of titles such as Spare Rib and Trouble and Strife and near complete runs of other liberation titles such as Red Rag, Shrew, WIRES, Outwrite and the London Women's Liberation Newsletter. Regional involvement was an integral part of the movement and this is charted through a number of regional titles including Brighton and Hove Women's Liberation Group, Edinburgh Women's Liberation newsletter, Leeds Women's Liberation newsletter, Leicester Women's Liberation newsletter, Manchester Women's Liberation newsletter and Norwich Women's Centre newsletter.

CONTEMPORARY FEMINISTS

The periodical holdings continue to document the development of contemporary feminism, sometimes referred to as 'third wave', with titles including Verve and Subtext. Additional contemporary feminist publications can be found within our 'zine' collection (dating from 2002).

WOMEN'S ORGANISATIONS

Periodicals created by women's organisations, networks and campaigns. These can include weekly or monthly newsletters and magazines aimed at members, quarterly and annual journals aimed at members and a wider academic audience, and annual reports aimed at a wider audience. Given the short life of many campaigning organisations, their newsletters and bulletins often provide the main record of their activities. Few of these publications are held elsewhere, and they are only selectively deposited with national collections, organisations include: the Fawcett Society, National Council of Women, The National Federation of Women's Institutes (Home and Country), Townswomen's Guilds (The Townswoman), UK Federation of Business and Professional Women, Girls' Friendly Society, Executive Black Woman, Catholic Citizen and National Association of Women Pharmacists document women's efforts to come together to improve the quality of their lives.

SPECIALIST INTEREST

Whilst retaining the collecting focus of women's lives in the UK, there are a number of subject specialist interest areas including:

• The Arts - titles such as Feminist Arts News, Heresies: a feminist publication on art and politics, n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal, Vogue and Women's Art Magazine.

• Domestic Violence - titles such as Rights of Women Bulletin, Violence Against Women: an international interdisciplinary journal and Women at War: preventing gun violence, WAVAV - Women Against Violence Against Women.

• Education - titles such as Gender and Education, The Woman Teacher, Gen: an anti-Sexist Education Journal, British Federation of University Women, and The Parents' Review.

• Employment - titles such as Work and Leisure, Women's Union Journal, Labour Woman, Women's Trade Union Review, Equality Now: magazine of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Executive Woman, the Woman Worker, The Woman Engineer: journal of the Woman's Engineering Society and Double shift: working women's newsletter.

• Family and the home - titles such as Women's Weekly, Woman's Own, Family Planning Today and New Home economics.

• Feminist Theory - titles such as Feminist Studies, Feminist Economics, Feminist Theory, and the International Journal of Feminist Studies.

• Health - titles such as Women and Health, Top Sante, London Black Women's Health Action project newsletter and Mental Health.

• Law - titles such as ALRA newsletter: Campaigning for a Woman's Right to Choose on Abortion, Family Law, Individualist: monthly journal of personal rights, Lesbian Employment Rights, and Rights of Women Bulletin, National Abortion Campaign.

• Literature - titles such as Mslexia, Silver Moon Quarterly and Writing Women.

• Media - titles such as Feminist Media Studies, The Woman Journalist and Women's Media Action Bulletin.

• Medicine - titles such as Women in Medicine: newsletter of the Medical Women's Federation and National Association of Women Pharmacists newsletter.

• Motherhood - titles such as Home and Family: journal of the Mother's Union, Journal of Marriage and Family, Maternity Alliance, Gingerbread, One Parent Families, World Congress of Mothers News and Information.

• Sexuality - titles such as Sappho, Sex Roles: a journal of research, Journal of the history of sexuality, Chroma, Diva, Arena Three and Dykelife.

• Women and peace - titles such as Woman today, Greenham Newsletter, Peace and Freedom News: journal of the British Section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Sellafield Women's Peace Camp Newsletter, Women for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Newsletter and WoMenwith Hill: Women's Peace Camp Newsletter.

• Politics - titles such as Equal Opportunities International, Gender and Society and the NAWO e-bulletin (National Alliance of Women's Organisations).

• Prostitution - titles such as The Shield: to promote the repeal of Contagious Diseases Act, Network: news from the English Collective of Prostitutes and WHISPER: Women hurt in systems of prostitution engaged in revolt.

• Ethnicity - titles such as Pride, Race Today and Manushi.

• Religion - titles such as Church Militant, Jewish Women's Review, Catholic Citizen, Newsheet/Women Living Under Muslim Laws International Solidarity Network, and Movement for the Ordination of Women.

• Science and Technology are The Woman Engineer, Science for People, Women Chemists Newsletter and Forum: Journal of the Association for Women in Science and Engineering.

• Sport - titles such as Poise: the Health and beauty magazine, Ladies' Alpine Club, The Dyke: Lesbian Walkers' Magazine, Women in Sport: the Voice of Women's Sport and Outdoor Women.

Papers of Mrs D M Silberston, Chairman CAASE. Including CAASE bulletins, leaflets and publicity material, memoranda and reports 1961-1968. The collection also includes a few papers relating to the foundation and early years, 1962-1965, of the Confederation for the Advancement of State Education, including duplicated minutes of meetings and newsletters. The papers also include duplicated minutes of the Joint Committee formed in 1962 to establish the basis of the Confederation.

Baptism registers, 1948-1967; photographs of events, staff, buildings and residents of the Mother and Baby Home, [1940-1980]; and the text of a presentation written to accompany a slide presentation, providing details of the work of the Women's Fellowship with young mothers, 1971-1972.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Health Department relating to local health services, 1934-1965, including papers regarding co-operation between local health authorities, hospital authorities and general practitioners; policy on day nurseries and crèches; policy relating to the care of mothers and babies; policy relating to birth control; papers relating to the midwifery service and general childbirth; papers of the Family Help Service relating to problem families; policy on homeless families; policy relating to welfare foods; policy on health visiting and home nursing; papers regarding vaccination and immunisation; policy relating to the care of the aged; policy on nursing homes; papers relating to research, investigations and trials.

The archive consists of the organisation's archives and Maternity Alliance publications. It includes Annual Reports and Accounts, the papers for the Annual General Meetings, the Minutes of the Executive and Management Committees and the papers of the working parties and subcommittees that reported to them, a complete set of the MA monthly newsletter, MA publications (including reports, fact-sheets, training notes, booklets and books), Directors' working papers (Christine Gowdridge), press cuttings, posters, a MA clock, an award.

The records reflect the organisation's work in:

• Education (this includes educating employers and individuals of what was existing legal provision for maternity, but also education related to campaigning to reduce inequality in maternity provision, including lobbying government and trade unions for key changes in maternity provision);

• Research into and support for specific groups (ethnic minorities; travellers; teenagers; asylum seekers; disabled etc);

• Publications: Creating publications to support the above work;

• Training: Creating published training resources and providing training sessions for those who worked with target communities (i.e. those who worked with parents on rights and benefits such as the DSS; Social workers; Advice groups and charities);

• Policy and Project Work (such as a Teenage Pregnancy Project which included a resource and training pack);

• Advisory Services (through the web site; through key publications; and through the Advice Line);

• Conferences (particularly research based courses to highlight specific campaigns).

Letter from Joseph Deacon Fetch of Cambridge [District Poor Law] Union, Cambridge to [Edward Brent] Prest, [auditor for the Union], 6 Jul 1870. Asking for an opinion on the legality, if they appeared in the accounts of the [Board] of Guardians, of pecuniary awards made for the apprehension of men that had abandoned their families. 'At the present time there are not less than seven men in the Borough Gaol convicted as Rogues & Vagabonds for deserting their families'.

Written in another hand and signed by Fetch.

Records of the London Diocesan Council for Welcare, 1889-1968, including Council minutes; Executive Committee minutes; Finance Committee minutes; Ladies' Committee minutes; Men's Committee minutes; annual reports of the Church of England Moral Welfare Council; press cuttings; scrapbook and history "The Wel-care Story: 75 years of Christian Social Service in London".

Records of local branches of the London Diocesan Council for Welcare, including Ruri-decanal associations, Moral Welfare Councils, Associations for Moral Welfare, hostels, refuges and homes, and Preventative and Rescue Associations. Papers include financial accounts, annual reports and committee minutes. Also indoor case histories for Saint Agnes' Home, Hammersmith.

Records of the London County Council Welfare Department relating to the rights and powers of parents, 1930-1939, including committee orders and case files. Please note some files may be closed for Data Protection purposes.

Records of the Kensington Welfare Association and other related welfare associations, 1936-1977.

Minute book of the Kensington Welfare Association, 1955-1966. Annual reports of the Kensington Association for Rescue and Preventative Work, 1936-1945. Annual reports of the Kensington Association for Moral Welfare, 1946-1966. Annual reports of the Kensington and Chelsea Deaneries Welcare Association, 1969-1977. Annual report of the Fulham Ruri-Decanal Council for Moral Welfare Work, 1949-1950.

Circular of the Deanery Association for Moral Welfare Work, 1955. Annual reports of the London Diocesan Council for Moral Welfare, 1959-1963. Annual reports of the London Diocesan Council for Wel-care, 1972-1977. Annual report of the London Council for Welfare of Women and Girls, 1965-1966.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Health Department relating to unsupported mothers, 1949-1965, comprising case files and index cards. Please note access to these files is restricted under the Data Protection Act.

Records of the London Diocesan Council for Welcare, 1962-1993, comprising annual reports of the London Diocesan Council for Moral Welfare, annual reports of the London Diocesan Council for Welcare and annual reports of local branch associations in Westminster, Willesden, Brent, Camden, Hampstead and Hounslow.

The catalogued Pamphlet Collection comprises over 12,000 titles dating from approximately 1830 to the present. The Pamphlet Collection consists of printed material less than 60 pages in length and includes government policies, reports, annual reports and campaigning material, primary law, including Bills and Acts. The subject material of the collection reflects and enriches the wide range of topics held elsewhere in the Women's Library.The topics covered include: English fiction, children's stories, poetry, women's organisations, feminism, role of women in society - UK and abroad, nursing, sex discrimination law, divorce law, employment, occupations, careers, equal opportunities, labour law, pension law, social security, taxation, housing, health, pregnancy, abortion, birth control, domestic violence, mothers, one-parent families, children, family life, housekeeping, religion, ordination, arts, costume, suffrage. Organisations include Equal Opportunities Commission, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, National Union of Suffragettes, National Society for Women's Suffrage, US Women's Bureau, American National Red Cross, Union of Jewish Women, National Union of Townswomen's Guilds, National Federation of Women's Institutes, Fawcett Society, National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child, British Federation of University Women, Association of University Women Teachers, Divorce Law Reform Union. Most of the material is in English, but there are also pamphlets in other languages, such as Italian, German and French.The pamphlets are arranged in two sections - one for standard sized pamphlets and one for oversized pamphlets.

The 'UDC Pamphlet Collection' [Universal Dewey Decimal Classification]: In addition to the main Pamphlet Collection is the 'UDC Pamphlet Collection.' The UDC collection was the first pamphlet collection created by the Library and consists of approximately 10,000 pamphlets dating from mid nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries, covering all subjects. As the collection was gradually acquired during the Library's first 20 years of life, it was arranged by subject, using the Universal Decimal Classification system. The pamphlets were primarily deposited by organisations and individuals, although some purchases were made. There is a finding aid kept with the collection but the collection was never catalogued and therefore remained a hidden resource within the Library for more than 80 years. Unsurprisingly other libraries did not collect most of these pamphlets. In 2007 as part of a cataloguing funding bid preliminary sampling of the collection against Copac (the merged online catalogues of 24 university research libraries in the UK, plus the British Library and the National Library of Scotland) found that over 60% of the UDC pamphlets were not listed in these major research collections. This is a very significant level of unique printed material.Cataloguing of the UDC collection started in 2007 and as the pamphlets are catatogued, they are transferred to the main pamphlet collection described above. As at 2009 the collection was partially catalogued and The Library was seeking additional funds to complete the project.

The archive consists of minutes, agendas, constitutions, circulars, working papers, publications, reports, correspondence, newsletters, and source material for publications including press cuttings and printed works from other organisations.

The archive was transferred to The Women's Library by two members of the group, both active in the late 1960s to mid 1970s. As a result, survival of records is not uniform and reflects their interests, rather than being representative of MIA as a whole. Some non-MIA material was also present: this has been catalogued as 5MIA/13.

Records of the National Council of One Parent Families including proof of status and policy documents; minutes of committees and working parties, 1918-1995; annual reports, 1918-1989, ledgers and associated accounts; case books and related papers, 1918-1947; fundraising and appeals, 1925-1993; correspondence, including with government and associated bodies (1918-1995); publications, draft bills, acts and legislation, details of Friends and Members.

The archive consists of papers and correspondence about 'Jobs for Mothers', papers about widows, working mothers and others, press cuttings, working notes, replies to questionnaires and lists of publications on careers.