Power, Politics, and Print: The Publication of the British Museum Catalogue, 1881-1900

Published in 1981, this scholarly monograph by Barbara McCrimmon examines the complex bureaucratic and intellectual challenges involved in transitioning the British Museum’s vast library holdings into a printed catalogue. It captures a pivotal moment in late-nineteenth-century librarianship, focusing on the debates surrounding the shift from hand-written slips to a standardized, printed format that would eventually define modern bibliographic practice.

McCrimmon’s research delves into the administrative tensions between the British Museum’s trustees and the library staff, particularly the influence of the Great Library's leadership during the final two decades of the nineteenth century. The work is widely regarded by library historians for its meticulous use of primary archival records, providing a grounded look at how institutional power and technological changes dictated the accessibility of information during the Victorian era.