Register of the British Library of Information collection
Finding aid prepared by Emilia Schrier
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
2014
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: British Library of Information collection
Date (inclusive): 1920-1921
Collection Number: XX214
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In English, German and French
Physical Description:
1 manuscript box
(0.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The collection includes clippings from American newspapers in English, French, and German, collected by the British Library
of Information in New York City. The clippings focus on American sentiment towards Great Britain and the British Empire in
1920-1921.
Creator:
British Library of Information (New York, N.Y.)
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], British Library of Information collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library
& Archives.
Biographical / Historical
The British Library of Information was a branch of the British Foreign Office News Department created in 1919 to improve relations
between the United States and Great Britain. This was done in two ways: firstly, by dispensing officially approved information
about Britain's domestic, imperial, and foreign affairs through the Library's reading room in New York city; and secondly,
by monitoring American public opinion through newspaper clippings, which were collected and sent to the Foreign Office.
The Library proved to be an adequate dispensary and collector of information for the Foreign Office during peacetime, but
with the onset of World War II, it could no longer meet the goals or demands of wartime foreign policy. Consequently, it was
absorbed into the larger British Information Services in 1942.
Further information on the British Library of Information can be found in David Lincove's article, "The British Library of
Information in New York: A Tool of British Foreign Policy, 1919-1942." in Libraries & the Cultural Record 46.2 (2011) p.156-84.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes clippings from American newspapers in English, French, and German, collected by the British Library
of Information in New York City during 1920-1921. The clippings focus on American sentiment towards Great Britain and the
British Empire, especially in relation to the establishment of the Irish Free State, the anticolonial movement in India, the
Versailles peace settlement, and the Anglo-Japanese alliance.
Arrangement Statement
The collection is organized into 3 series of clippings, arranged by language: English, French, and German.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japan -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain
Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- Japan
Journalism -- United States
World politics
World War, 1914-1918 -- Peace
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947
Ireland -- History -- 1910-1921
English Language Clippings
1920-1921
box 1, folder 1
December 1920 - January 1921
French Language Clippings
1921
German Language Clippings
1920-1921
