Kate Sharpley Library FAQ

Who is Kate Sharpley?

Kate Sharpley was a South London anarchist and anti-militarist; one of the thousands of unknown militants who made up the anarchist movement.

There’s more in Kate Sharpley’s Story.

—

What is Anarchism?

Anarchism is a political theory that society can be organised without the state or capitalism, and the political movement which tries to make that a reality.

There’s more in Anarchy: a definition.

—

Where is the Kate Sharpley Library?

The Library’s housed in a private house (in America). We don’t have any full-time staff so we can’t give opening hours.

—

How do I use the Kate Sharpley Library?

The first step is to contact us and tell us:

- What you’re researching and why (and at what level if, for example, you’re a student)

- What you would like to know or get (it helps if you’re specific: ‘What do you have on Spanish anarchist attitudes to tractors in the 1930s?’ is better than ‘do you have anything on Spanish anarchism?’

- A date at which this information will no longer be useful (‘As soon as possible’ doesn’t help much.)

We may be able to point you towards other resources, copy the material you’re interested in, or you may need to visit.

—

How do I visit the Kate Sharpley Library?

If you’d like to volunteer to do some work in the library or if you would like to visit for research, please contact us.

—

How can I help the Kate Sharpley Library?

We always welcome donations (money or publications).

You could contribute your own anarchist autobiography to the Kate Sharpley Library. There’s more in Tell me a story.

You could review some of our publications. There’s more on How to write a review.

If you have other ideas please contact us.

—

Why haven’t you put the full text of all your publications online?

Our bulletins have been posted online as they’ve been published since 1999. Selling our pamphlets provides a small but vital income for the library which we’re reluctant to lose.

If you’re making a donation because you’ve read one of our pamphlets online or because you want to encourage us to put others online please contact us.

—

Will the Kate Sharpley Library publish my book / pamphlet / article?

We already have many potential books on our hands, but we’re always interested in to hear about shorter works which would complement other titles we’ve published.

If you have something about anarchism or its history you think we might like to publish, please contact us.

As well as the title of your work, please tell us:

- the subject

- your approach and conclusions

- who you are

- why you have written this work

- who will read it (how many)? Does it update, dispute, replace or complement any other works?

- if any of it has appeared elsewhere, for example?: online, as an article, as a thesis.

- which other groups and publishers you have contacted?

- why it would make sense for the Kate Sharpley Library to publish it?

If you have written something on anarchism or anarchist history that you don’t want published but would like to donate to the library, please contact us.