We are thrilled to announce the launch of the catalogue for the papers of prolific ban asbestos campaigner Laurie Kazan-Allen.
This opens up over 75 archive boxes of materials to all researchers.
Laurie Kazan-Allen is a hugely significant figure in the ban asbestos movement. She spent over 30 years researching, writing about and campaigning internationally to eradicate the asbestos hazard. In 1990, she was founding editor of the British Asbestos Newsletter: a quarterly publication distributed worldwide to solicitors, victim support groups, academics, medical personnel and research bodies.
The British Asbestos Newsletter (BAN) was a vital tool to share information about asbestos, its effects and the plight of victims of the deadly substance, particularly in the days before the World Wide Web was at its height. At that time asbestos information was in the hands of multinational corporations, government agencies and other vested interests, most of whom were determined to keep tight control over key documents and information.
Kazan-Allen was also the founder and coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), established in 1999 to work towards a global asbestos ban and to support victims of asbestos-related diseases. From the very beginning, IBAS made common cause with trade unions, labour federations, environmental campaigns, human rights organisations and other like-minded civil society groups. The links forged were vital for progressing the international coalition which motivated and sustained all IBAS activities.
The bulk of the collection is material gathered by Kazan-Allen on various aspects of asbestos, its uses, dangers and effects. Journal articles, correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, case documentation, leaflets and statistics have all been filed under thematic headings including: countries; international agencies; asbestos companies; scientific and medical developments; legal cases; individuals involved in historical and scientific research; and others.
Laurie Kazan-Allen used these research files to write articles, speeches, and reports which are also represented within the collection and on the website of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat.
This collection joins our growing and popular corpus of asbestos-related materials: some of our most frequently consulted collections. We look forward to welcoming researchers to access this new and important collection.
Asked for her comments on the launch of the on-line catalogue, Kazan-Allen said:
Further information:
- Catalogue for Laurie Kazan-Allen papers on asbestos
- Resource guide for asbestos collections
- International Ban Asbestos Secretariat website
Contact us to make an appointment or enquire about the collection.
Feature image: Ban asbestos campaign badges (LKA/6/11)
This week we hosted an Erasmus staff visitor from the University of Alicante archives. Ricardo Jose Lillo Giner spent the week here at the Andersonian Library shadowing our work in archives and meeting Library colleagues. Ricardo learned about our accessioning procedures, how we re-package photographs, our digital preservation workflows, and our Special Collections of books. He also learned about Customer Service Excellence award within the Library, research data management, reading list software, wellbeing initiatives, and copyright and compliance. Its fair to say that Ricardo had a busy week around the library! He has also found time to explore Glasgow and the surrounding areas. He took a boat trip on Loch Lomond, a train trip to Largs (for fish and chips, and ice-cream), and a bus to Edinburgh. When asked to sum up his week-long visit, Ricardo said:
Adios for now Ricardo, and perhaps one day we can return the visit to find out more about the archives of the University of Alicante!