George Bernard Shaw

I have been thinking a lot recently about George Bernard Shaw and his involvement with LSE. I have had access to a lot of early material related to him and have found it really interesting. Stories about GBS and the history of LSE are as relevant today as they ever were and ones which need to be told. The landscape of UK HE is changing dramatically and new opportunities have arisen, yet with them comes great challenges. Connecting with our shared past can help give vigour to our actions and our vision of what we want to be, and where we came from.

Stories like the 'Man and the Cameraman' project by LSE Library and the Exhibitions Group work, both online and physical, are raising awareness, widening access and building the reputation of the institution as a whole.

We should dig for more stories. The Digital Library will bring a wealth of material into the wider global domain such as the Webb Diaries and the Booth Maps. I'd like to see us digitise the Clare Market Review and historic copies of The Beaver to continue with the story and engage alumni with publications they would be familiar with.

A few quotes from Shaw that I quite like:

“If you leave the smallest corner of your head vacant for a moment, other people's opinions will rush in from all quarters”

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” 

 “We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said to be.”