Institute of Historical Research
Senate House, Malet Street , , | |
Coordinates | 51°31′16″N 0°7′43″W / 51.52111°N 0.12861°W |
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Website | www |
The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the
History
Foundation
The IHR was founded in 1921 by British historian
The IHR was directly administered by the Senate of the University of London, rather than being part of one of the federal colleges. It was the first organisation to be administered under such an arrangement, and as such provided the model for other institutes, many of which later joined the IHR in the University of London's School of Advanced Study.
The IHR's first premises were in "temporary" huts on
With the start of World War II in September 1939, the institute's work and construction of its permanent building were disrupted, with the Ministry of Information occupying Senate House, and closing the institute in May 1940. The IHR was struck by a bomb on the night of 22–23 September 1940. The impact resulted in "the destruction of six books and almost the entire collection of London maps, as well as of furniture".[5]
Directors
- 1921–39: Prof. Albert Frederick Pollard
- 1939–44: Sir Cyril Thomas Flower (acting director)
- 1944–48: Prof. V. H. Galbraith, FBA[6]
- 1948–60: Prof. Sir John Goronwy Edwards, FBA, FSA[7]
- 1960–67: Prof. Francis Wormald, CBE, FBA, FSA[8]
- 1967–77: Prof. Arthur Geoffrey Dickens, CMG, FBA, FRHistS[9]
- 1977–90: Prof. Francis Michael Longstreth Thompson, CBE, FBA[10]
- 1990–98: Prof. Patrick Karl O'Brien, FBA[11]
- 1998–2003: Prof. David Nicholas Cannadine, FSA, FRSA, FRSL, FRHistS[12][13]
- 2003–08: Prof. David Richard Bates, FSA, FRHistS[14]
- 2008–14: Prof. Miles Taylor, FRHistS[15][16]
- 2014–17: Prof. Lawrence Neil Goldman, FRHistS[17]
- 2018–20: Prof. Jo Fox, FRHistS, FRSA[18]
- 2021– : Prof. Claire Langhamer, FRHistS[19]
Role
The IHR's role comprises the following:
To promote the study of history and an appreciation of the importance of the past among academics and the general public, in London, in Britain and internationally, and to provide institutional support and individual leadership for this broad historical community
To offer a wide range of services which promote and facilitate excellence in historical research, teaching and scholarship in the UK, by means of its library, seminars, conferences, fellowships, training and publications (both print and digital)
To further high quality research into particular aspects of the past by its research centres – the Centre for Metropolitan History and the Victoria County History of England
To provide a welcoming environment where historians at all stages in their careers and from all parts of the world can meet formally and informally to exchange ideas and information, and to bring themselves up to date with current developments in historical scholarship
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A room in the IHR Library
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Sign inSenate House
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An MA seminar in progress
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IHR common room
Activities
In order to fulfil its role as defined above, the IHR maintains different academic institutions, such as a library, the seminar programme as well as several integrated bodies and programmes. It also publishes the results of historical research.
Wohl Library
From its inception, the founders of the Institute of Historical Research envisaged a combination of scholarship and library. This tradition is continued in that many seminars still take place in the rooms of the library. The library itself collects sources for the History of Western Europe and areas affected by the European expansion. It now contains over 190,000 volumes. There are sizable holdings for the British Isles, as well as for Germany, Austria, France, the
The collections have been supplemented by donations and bequests from many different scholars, such as the Wright collection. In its early years the IHR library was built up by actively seeking donations, and much of the collection was formed from bequests and gifts by individuals and organisations. By 1926, three-quarters of the collection had been acquired through private benefactions and presentations by governments from Europe and other parts of the World.[20] Among the IHR's extensive collection of books on European history are a set of volumes of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica and other works donated to the University of London by the Nazi government of Germany in 1937.[21] The accessions records highlight the collaborative nature of library collection development; many donations were shared between the IHR and other libraries to build on existing collection strengths or through an agreed division of collection policy. As an example, the sizeable portion of the IHR's colonial and early national holdings in the United States collection was donated to the library by the widow of George Louis Beer between 1921 and 1925.[22]
Seminar programme
The IHR supports and promotes a wide variety of seminars. They are accessible to all interested in the topic under discussion. Seminar topics range from the Early Middle Ages to Modern Britain, from the history of gardening to the philosophy of history.[23]
Conferences
The IHR is also involved with organising and running a number of conferences and workshops, including its annual conference on a historical theme.
British History Online
The IHR co-manages British History Online, a digital library of key printed primary and secondary sources for the history of Britain and Ireland, with a primary focus on the period between 1300 and 1800.[24]
Historical Research
ISSN | 1468-2281 |
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Links | |
The IHR publishes Historical Research, a scholarly historical journal. The journal first appeared in 1923 under the title Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research; and the present title was adopted in 1987 (beginning with volume 60, no. 141).
Reviews in History
The IHR publishes the online journal Reviews in History. The journal was launched in 1996, and publishes reviews and reappraisals of significant work in all fields of historical interest.[25][26]
Layers of London
The Layers of London project brings together digitised historic maps, photos and other information provided by key partners across London including: the
Marc Fitch Lectures
The institute hosts the
Humanities Digital Library
In IHR leads an inter-institutional initiative within the School of Advanced Study to explore and deliver open access research publications. This has culminated in the launch of the Humanities Digital Library, a catalogue of open access books published across the School, as well as an open access book series focusing upon early career authors and published in partnership with the Royal Historical Society.
Integrated bodies
Besides the core activities, two research centres are integrated into the institute. These are:
The IHR formerly housed a third research centre, the Centre for Contemporary British History. In August 2010, however, this transferred to King's College London, where it is now known as the Institute of Contemporary British History.[30]
See also
References
- ^ Birch and Horn 1996, pp. 1–12.
- ^ "Obituary: Sir John Power". The Times. 9 June 1950. p. 8.
- ^ Birch and Horn 1996, pp. 13–17.
- ^ "The Evening News". 4 June 1931.
- ^ Birch and Horn 1996, p. 73.
- ^ "Galbraith, Vivian Hunter", Who Was Who (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Edwards, Sir (John) Goronwy", Who Was Who (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- .
- ^ "Dickens, Prof. Arthur Geoffrey", Who Was Who (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Goldman, Prof. Francis Michael Longstreth", Who Was Who (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "O'Brien, Prof. Patrick Karl", Who's Who 2016 (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "A knighthood for David Cannadine" Archived 22 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Institute of Historical Research (5 January 2009). Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Cannadine, Prof. Sir David (Nicholas)", Who's Who 2016 (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Bates, Prof. David Richard", Who's Who 2016 (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Miles Taylor", University of York: Department of History. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Taylor, Prof. Miles", Who's Who 2016 (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Goldman, Dr Lawrence Neil", Who Was Who (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "IHR announces new Director". history.ac.uk. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ "New Director appointed at the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research", IHR, 30 June 2021
- ^ Birch and Horn 1996, p. 31.
- ^ "Gift from the German Government, 1937 | Institute of Historical Research".
- ^ "The George Louis Beer Collection". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "Research Seminars at the IHR". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ "BHO: British History Online". Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ "Reviews in History". Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ Millum, Danny (2013). "Introduction to Reviews in History for Journal of Liberal History readers". Journal of Liberal History. 79.
- ^ "Marc Fitch Lecture Series – Victoria County History". Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Institute of Historical Research. "Victoria County History". Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- ^ "Centre for Metropolitan History". Centre for Metropolitan History, University of London. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
- ^ "Institute of Contemporary British History".
Further reading
- Birch, Debra J.; Horn, Joyce M. (1996). The History Laboratory: the Institute of Historical Research 1921–1996. London: University of London. ISBN 978-1871348354.
External links
- Official website
- "SAS Space – electronic repository for IHR documents". School of Advanced Study, University of London.