History

The British Library of Political Science (as it was called until 1925) was founded in 1896, a year after LSE. This was a time when the influence of the social, legal and economic environment was seen to be increasingly significant. Yet, while Chairs of Economics existed in the few universities of the period, nowhere were the social sciences studied in a comprehensive way. Providing materials from all over the world, the Library would enable just such research. The 'laboratory' of the social sciences was born.

Then as today, a Library vision needed funds. These were soon forthcoming from economists, historians, politicians and those prominent in the city and legal world. Leading the initiative were Sidney and Beatrice Webb, capitalising on high-profile links to the Fabian Society and the London County Council. The Library's origins partly reflected the difficulties the Webbs had experienced in their own research.

The Library was initially housed in the lower floor of 10 Adelphi Terrace, home of Miss Payne-Townshend, member of the Fabian Society and future wife of George Bernard Shaw. Before long, the availability of larger accommodation in Clare Market sparked further fundraising. This led in 1902 to a formal opening as Passmore Edwards Hall - named after one of the Library's philanthropist supporters. Now the Library was clearly making its mark in the world of learning and practical administration.

In 1910 the first full-time Librarian took over from Sidney Webb (although Webb remained highly influential, as Chairman of the Library Committee until 1938). As the School itself grew, Library acquisitions expanded; reinforced by major deposited collections such as the library of the Royal Economic Society and the Edward Fry Library of International Law. Work began on a subject catalogue; the first four volumes of the London Bibliography of the Social Sciences appearing in 1931-2. The onset of World War II temporarily halted Library developments, with collections dispersed to avoid bomb damage. 1945 saw a welcome return to Library activity, with many significant private collections and papers donated in the decades to follow - including those of G.B. Shaw, Tawney, Malinowski, Violet Markham, and Lords Dalton and Beveridge.

…widely regarded as the world's most outstanding library in its field.
National Libraries Committee, 1969

Despite continuing extensions to the Library's accommodation, its ever expanding collection was increasingly housed off-site. Could Strand House solve the problem? A site that had in turn been a workhouse, a burial ground and a hospital was now the headquarters and warehouse of WH Smith - custom-built to house heavy loads. Purchase negotiations began in 1963. These, plus two years of practical conversion, culminated in 1978. The Library's new home was renamed the Lionel Robbins Building after the distinguished economist and Chairman of the Library Appeal. Lionel Robbins (1898-1984) was a BSc(Econ.) student from 1920-23. He joined LSE staff in 1925 and was a key influence in the development of economics at LSE during the 1930s. Appointed to the Chair in Political Economy in 1929, he resigned in 1961 to accept chairmanship of the Financial Times.

The redevelopment of this, the Library's existing building, began in the autumn of 1999, to a Foster and Partners design. The major, multi-million pound project involved a temporary, and meticulously planned, decant to 25 Southampton Buildings, a short walk away. The Library's present collection of four million printed items were moved back into the transformed Lionel Robbins Building between March and May 2001.

None of the early proponents of the Library could have foreseen in 1896 all the developments that would take place in the social sciences. In line with modern developments, the Library has grown and blossomed into a 'laboratory' of, and for, today. Yet, those founding principles remain at its roots.

Acknowledgements

• The British Library of Political and Economic Science. A brief history, A.H. John, LSE, 1971
• LSE: The New Library, LSE, 1978
• Laboratory of the Social Sciences: A Virtual Future, LSE, 1996

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