Welcome to the Sparrows' Nest Library and Archive

Based in Nottingham (UK), we look after tens of thousands of books, journals, pamphlets, zines, leaflets, posters and other items documenting the anarchist movement in the UK and beyond, as well as local radical history. Browse our catalogue, access digitised records in our free Digital Library and get in touch to arrange a visit.
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Hello everyone and welcome to another round up of news on the Sparrows’ Nest.

As spring moved into summer we are happy to offer you yet more additions to our collections and another 1,000 pages or so of fresh materials for the Digital Library! We have also made a lot of progress with a number of key collections. Following a systematic inventory of our Freedom collection, we have done the same with our issues of Black Flag (thanks again for recent donations that filled a number of gaps!). We have also been able to work through more donated materials, cataloguing and/or digitising them.

In our recent digitising effort we were very much led by a number of requests from users who have been visiting or contacting the Nest over recent months. Researchers we hosted each left with copies of hard to find documents. The material requested covered quite different subjects, from protest songs (e.g. Four Chords Revolution) to loads more anti-Poll Tax campaign material, plus local publications Nottingham Anarchist News and Nottingham Agitator (see below for links to the digitised copies).

Amongst the newly digitised Poll Tax materials are:

Poll-Axe #01; Newsletter of the Forest Fields & Hyson Green Anti-Poll Tax Campaign

Poll-Axe #05; Newsletter of the Forest Fields & Hyson Green Anti-Poll Tax Campaign

Poll-Axe #03; Newsletter of the Forest Fields & Hyson Green Anti-Poll Tax Campaign

Poll-Axe #04; Newsletter of the Forest Fields & Hyson Green Anti-Poll Tax Campaign

Poll-Axe #06; Newsletter of the Forest Fields & Hyson Green Anti-Poll Tax Campaign

Solidarity with Poll Tax Prisoners; Remember! We are in here for you; You are out there for us

The Truth About The Poll Tax; In 1381 medieval peasants revolted against it! But in 1990 YOU will be faced by it…

The Victim's Guide To The Poll Tax

Pay No Poll Tax; The Poll Tax: The Truth about non-payment

Resistance; High Holloway Against The Poll Tax

Refuse and Resist #04; News from Local Anti-Poll Tax Groups

Refuse and Resist #05; News from Local Anti-Poll Tax Groups

Smash The Poll Tax

Poll Tax; Let's Put A Spanner in the Works

Community Resistance to the Poll Tax

Woodlands against the Poll Tax News; Gotcha! Thatcher's Flagship Sinking

Amongst the local materials is an (almost) complete set of Nottingham Anarchist News:

Nottingham Anarchist News #01

Nottingham Anarchist News #02

Nottingham Anarchist News #03

Nottingham Anarchist News #04

Nottingham Anarchist News #05

Nottingham Anarchist News #06

Nottingham Anarchist News #07

Nottingham Anarchist News #08

Nottingham Anarchist News #10

Nottingham Anarchist News #12

Nottingham Anarchist News #13

Nottingham Anarchist News #14

Nottingham Anarchist News #15

Nottingham Anarchist News #16

Nottingham Anarchist News #17

Nottingham Anarchist News #18

Nottingham Anarchist News #20

Nottingham Agitator; Paper of Nottingham Anarchist Socialist Group

Nottingham Agitator #03; Paper of Nottingham Anarchist Socialist Group

Nottingham Agitator #04; Paper of Nottingham Anarchist Socialist Group

Nottingham Agitator #05; Paper of Nottingham Anarchist Socialist Group

As always, a big thank  you goes out to all those who have donated materials and funds and as always here our appeal not throw out heaps of old, potentially awesome papers, but to get in touch!

Our regular opening times are every Thursday 11am-2pm (contact us if you cannot make these days, we can always arrange for a visit on other times/dates). However, it is always a good idea to check your inbox before venturing to the Nest (please contact us if you like to be added to the mailing list), as we have to keep our doors shut around once a month for one reason or another.

Till next time, keep reading, archiving and fighting!

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