An Educational Citadel
The South Wales Miners’ Library at fifty
From Planet 251
by Siân Williams and Steven Lovatt
In an article celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the South Wales Miners’ Library, Siân Williams and Steven Lovatt reflect on this remarkable institution. They argue that it is especially valuable in light of widespread neglect of working-class history, adult education and librarianship itself.
In his book, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Class, Jonathan Rose describes the miners’ institutes of south Wales as ‘one of the greatest networks of cultural institutions created by working people anywhere in the world’.
Sign in to read moreAbout the author
Siân Williams is Head of Special Collections and Librarian of the South Wales Miners’ Library at Swansea University.
Steven Lovatt is an editor and teacher, and a former employee of the South Wales Miners’ Library.
