Royal Statistical Society (Great Britain)

The Royal Statistical Society was established in 1834. The minutes of the first meeting of the society, convened on 15 March of that year, declared that 'a Society be established in the name of the Statistical Society of London, the object of which shall be the collection and classification of all facts illustrative of the present condition and prospects of the Society, especially as it exists in the British Dominions'. From its earliest days the Society was keen to build up a library of statistical works. By 1885 its collections comprised 20,000 works.

Following its foundation the Society expanded its activities, establishing its own journal, bestowing prizes and medals. In 1933 an Industrial and Agricultural Research Section was set up.

To this day the Society's declared mission is 'to develop, foster and disseminate statistical knowledge, methodology and good practice for the benefit of all society'. The Society has 7 Sections, 3 Study Groups and 23 Local Groups that are spread throughout Great Britain, as well as Europe (the Three Country Corner) and Tanzania.

The main archival collection is housed in the Society's current premises in Errol Street, London; the Society has changed premises seven times over the past 165 years. In September 2000, the Society and the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex came to an agreement. This ensured that henceforth the Special Collections Section at the Albert Sloman Library would house the Society's historical book collection.

From the guide to the The Royal Statistical Society Collection, 1830-1990, (University of Essex: Albert Sloman Library)