South Wales Miners' Library

The South Wales Miners’ Library has an extensive collection of books, journals and audio-visual materials, specifically selected for DACE courses. The South Wales Miners’ Library is designed to meet your study needs.

The South Wales Miners’ Library operates a branch library in the DOVE Workshop at Banwen, 25 miles from Swansea in the Dulais Valley. Banwen Library is primarily for the use of part-time students but any Swansea University student or staff member is entitled to borrow items from the Library. 

The Library was established by the University College of Swansea in 1973, to house material collected by the South Wales Coalfield History Project, including photos, posters, banners, oral history tapes and many books rescued from miners' institute libraries.

Many miners' institutes were built around the turn of the century, funded by pennies from the miners' pay. Soon, almost every large mining community in South Wales had its own institute, serving as a recreational, social and political centre. But in each, the library was the focal point.

Three generations of miners educated themselves through these libraries, but the need for educational self-help decreased after the 1944 Education Act. At the same time, local authorities began establishing their own library services. Television, bingo and pit closures contributed to the institutes decline, and many libraries were destroyed or dispersed in the 1960's. The Coalfield History Project managed to rescue some of the collections, seen by historians as part of the working class heritage of South Wales.

The Library was originally located at Maes-yr-Haf in Uplands, Swansea, then moved in the 1980's to Hendrefoelan House, before moving to it's current location in the Coach House in 2006.