Engaging the next generation in a broader people’s history is at the top of the library’s agenda. Study packs are in the pipeline to mark key anniversaries including the 1917 Russian revolution and the Spanish civil war of 1936-39.

This is part of a broader education drive at the library encompassing adult, trade union and online education.

School visits were piloted in the spring. We can now offer groups a specially adapted 40-minute tour. This is followed by a talk on our collections tailored to the curriculum or the particular interests of teachers. Popular subjects include Marx and Lenin in London, the industrial revolution, the Russian revolution and the Soviet Union, the Spanish civil war and the rise of fascism in Europe.

Students can get their hands on original archives and walk in the footsteps of Eleanor Marx, William Morris and Lenin. What better way to spark an interest in history?

Located in Clerkenwell Green, just minutes from Farringdon Tube station, the library is situated in Marx House, a grade II listed building erected in 1737. The library itself was founded in 1933 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Karl Marx and to create a beacon of opposition to the rise of fascism.

It has a world-class collection of published and unpublished material on socialism, Marxism, revolutionary struggles and the trade union movement. The extensive archive includes books, periodicals, newspapers, photographs, posters and monographs. The walls are adorned with banners, plates, portraits and plaques celebrating working-class history.

The building itself has a fascinating history of association with the rich traditions of radical dissent in Clerkenwell. Visitors can see the office where Lenin worked in exile, complete with copies of socialist newspaper Iskra which were clandestinely ferried across Europe. Groups can view copies of socialist literature printed on-site by Twentieth Century Press.

As well as school visits for GCSE and A-level students who will be introduced to primary source research and some exciting — and often untold — aspects of British social and political history, sessions can also be adapted for younger groups and undergraduates.

• For further information or to book a school visit email archives@mml.xyz or call (020) 7253 1385.

• Can you help? Are you a teacher? The Marx Memorial Library is looking for education professionals to assist in the development of its resources for school groups. If you think you can help, please get in touch.