Search and Browse

The IISH collections include archival, library and audiovisual material with an emphasis on labour and social and emancipatory movements.

The Institute houses over 5,400 archives, more than 1,2 million books and periodicals and about the same number of items in the Image and Sound Department, including posters, photographs and videos.

The IISH's collection development is increasingly focused on managing, acquiring and processing data and datasets.

A photograph of a copy of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital from the IISH Collection

Archival collections

The IISH has over 5,400 archives, which can be found via the catalogue and viewed in the reading room or online.

Archival collections
A close-up of the hands of someone consulting an archive in the IISG reading room

Library

The IISH has a library of over one million books, brochures and journals that can be consulted online or in the reading room. 

Library
A bird's-eye view of the IISG library

Image & Sound

The IISH has an audiovisual collection of more than 150,000 posters, 1.3 million photographs and several tens of thousands of audio and video tapes.

Image & Sound
An IISG staff member in the archive, surrounded by film cans. The staff member is holding a can.

Collection Guides

Browse guides for key Institute collections such as anarchism, anti-apartheid and migration history.

Collection Guides