Records of the RCOG Library, Library Committee and successors

Records of the RCOG Library, including papers of the College Librarian relating to acquisitions, gifts and library administration, minutes and papers of the Library Committee (later Information Services Committee) 1961-2003, and papers relating to the history of the College coat of arms, clinical queries, biographical records, and visitor guides and books.

A College Library featured in the early vision for the College. In April 1933, A E Giles (1864-1936) was elected as the first Honorary Librarian and a Library Committee was formed. Giles became Resident Librarian in 1937. After the Second World War this post was discontinued, and in 1946 W J Bishop (1903- 1961) became part-time librarian (later Consultant Librarian). Hitherto the collection had been primarily historical, but when the College moved to new purpose-built premises in 1960, the Library was an important element in the design of the new building and it extended its activities to cover current literature in the specialty. Grant funding from the Wellcome Trust enabled major developments in the 1960s and in 1970 the Library premises were further extended. Meanwhile, the rare book collections continued to grow. Notable donors included Roy Samuel Dobbin (1873-1939), Sir Eardley Holland (1879-1967), and Miles Phillips (1875-1965).

In 2000, the Library Committee changed its name to become the Information Services Committee in order to reflect the developing activities of the Library in this area. In 2001 it assumed additional responsibilities with regard to Information Technology and the College website from the previous Information Technology Committee and Website Working Group. In the same year, the Library became the major constituent, along with the College Archives, of a new department, the Information Services Department. The Information Services Committee met for the last time in March 2003. The Information Services Department continued to function, reporting to Services Board, and in 2005 acquired responsibility for the College web-site, and in 2011 became the Knowledge Management Department.

As received

Permission is required from College senior management for external access to College records less than twenty years old.

Copyright is held by the RCOG and photocopies are available at the discretion of the College Archivist.

References to related collections held at the RCOG include:

RCOG/A4 Records of the RCOG President

RCOG/A10 Records of the RCOG Archive

RCOG/F11/5 Records relating to gifts to the College Library

RCOG/G1 Records relating to the proposed extension of the College Library

RCOG/G/PL/10 Plans of the RCOG Library