Archives / historical research

Here are the main places to research the history of occupational therapy in the UK:

Holds archive of RCOT publications, Specialist Section newsletters and journals, including:
•   Journal of the Association of Occupational Therapists, 1938 – 1949 *
•   Occupational Therapy, 1950 – 1973 *
•   British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1974 – *
•   Scottish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1950 – 1974

* Available online to RCOT Members via this link

Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
https://wellcomecollection.org/

Focuses on the connections between science, medicine, life and art. Library holds archives for the British Association of Occupational Therapists (https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kezjvtyt) and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), plus a wide range of supported material associated with the profession and allied areas.

Oxford Brookes University
Headington Campus, Oxford OX3 0BP
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/collections/special-collections/

University library’s special collections holds the Dorset House archive, the first School of Occupational Therapy in the UK. It also includes material relating to the wider history of occupational therapy education in Britain from 1930, and papers of the Casson family.
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/collections/special-collections/public...

Archives Hub
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk
Database of records of archives held in UK repositories.

Discovery
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Database of records held by The National Archives and archives across the UK.

Library Hub Discover
https://discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/
Database of UK and Irish academic, national & specialist library catalogues.

UK legal deposit libraries

There are 6 UK legal deposit libraries. Publishers are required to provide a copy of every work they publish in the UK to the British Library which then becomes part of the nation’s heritage. Publications are made available for use on each library’s premises. In addition to the British Library, the 5 other legal deposit libraries can request to hold copies. Search the library catalogues listed below to see the publications they hold; this varies from library to library.

More information about legal deposit.

Search

You are here