Since its founding in 1920 as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London-based Chatham House has been a leading center for policy research on international affairs. In 2013, an online searchable database integrating a large extent of Chatham House’s publications and archives was made available for the first time. Gale Cengage released the first module of The Chatham House Online Archive, covering the years 1920–79, in spring 2013 (c. 410,000 pp.). The second module, covering the years 1980–2010 (c. 179,000 pp.), is slated for release in late spring 2014. .
Gale Cengage indicated that The Chatham House Online Archive would ultimately provide nearly 600,000 pages of multiple content types, covering most regions of the world. Briefing papers, special reports, pamphlets, conference papers, and monographs generated in connection with Chatham House were to be be subject-indexed and cross-referenced. Full runs of searchable text content would be included for two notable Chatham House serial publications already accessible in JSTOR—the journal International Affairs (1922–2008) and the monthly The World Today (1945–2008)—as well as Bulletin of International Affairs (1925–45), and the important annual reference sources Survey of International Affairs and Documents of International Affairs. According to Gale, approximately 17% of the text content has not been previously published, and 80% has not been previously digitized; none of the audio has been published or digitzed.
Key topics covered in the archive include: diplomacy and international relations; energy, environment, and development; international economics, trade, and business; international and national politics; international security and law; and global health issues.
The archive is also slated to include over 8,000 hours of audio recordings along with searchable transcripts of Chatham House lectures from such figures as: Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Willy Brandt, King Hussein of Jordan, Henry Kissinger, François Mitterand, Prof. A. J. Toynbee, Chaim Weizmann, Dr. Andreas Papandreou, Caspar Weinberger, Chief Gatsha Buthelezi, HE Yousuf Al-Alawi Abdullah, Dr. Zhores Medvedev, and Hans Blix.
Gale has provided a detailed breakdown of content planned for the two modules: see Appendix A.