The British Psychological Society’s archive was set up in 1956 to be a repository of historical material concerned with UK psychology in general and the Society in particular. Over the years the Society has developed, and continues to develop, archives of its administrative documents and papers of individuals active in psychology and allied fields. The collection has also expanded to include an audio archive and a visual archive.

This online catalogue is a product of the painstaking process of collecting and listing of all of the material acquired since 1956 and provides users with a starting point for further exploration of documents currently catalogued and physically held in the BPS History of Psychology Centre’s archives. The scope of the material ranges from numerous internal records relating to the early administrative framework of the Society to external private papers donated by individuals distinguished in their respective fields. The catalogue reflects a wide range of formats contained in the archive including, inter alia, books, photographs, manuscripts, tape recordings and audio-visual materials.

The collections are held at various UK locations (see the location code for each catalogue entry). Access arrangements vary according to location and type of material, for more information please visit the HoPC website at www.bps.org.uk/hopc or contact the History of Psychology Centre.

For further information on the archive collections or to make any suggestions please get in touch (‘Contact us/Feedback’ button in the left-hand panel).