Women's Studies Subject Guide

Websites:

American Women: A Gateway to Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the US http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/   Description: This site serves as a first step for those researching American women's history at the Library of Congress by providing a searchable version of the book American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the US, links to digitized material at the Library of Congress website, and links to maps, music, manuscripts, rare books, moving images, and other research sources.  Part of the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress.     Feminista! http://www.feminista.com   Description: This online journal covers art, literature, social commentary, and philosophy through publishing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and interviews from a decidedly third-wave feminist perspective.  It is published by writer Juliette Page.     Encyclopaedia Britannica Profiles: 300 Women Who Changed the World  http://www.britannica.com/women   Description: This site provides biographies of 300 women from around the world that one can search alphabetically or by place of residence, occupation, or time period.  It also includes a timeline, primary source documents, videos, and learning activities.  More in-depth information on these topics & individuals can be found in Britannica Online under the Crown Library's A-Z list of electronic databases.     National Women's Hall of Fame  http://www.greatwomen.org/   Description: This site includes 217 concise biographies of American women, from Lucille Ball to Oprah Winfrey to Dolores Huerta, who have been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, a non-profit education organization.  Each entry has birth & death dates, a photograph, and a short bibliography.     The National Women's Health Information Center  http://www.womenshealth.gov/   Description: This government site provides a treasure trove of information on women's health, covering 800 topics from heart health to pregnancy to smoking cessation to breast cancer.  It provides access to thousands of health publications, women's health statistics, daily news on women's health, and a calendar of events.  Most of the site is available in Spanish.  Maintained by the Office on Women's Health, US Department of Health & Human Services.     The Scholar & Feminist Online  http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/   Description: This web-only journal of feminist theories and women's movements is published by the Barnard Center for Research on Women three times a year and explores the role of feminism in working for social justice.  Each issue is devoted to a theme such as women & prisons, Jewish women, women & technology, sports, and women writers, and includes essays, audio & visual recordings, and photographs.     Women in Politics Bibliographic Database  http://www.ipu.org/bdf-e/BDFsearch.asp   Description: This site allows one to search for books and articles that focus on women in politics worldwide.  It also contains links to websites that reflect this global perspective.  Created and maintained by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Switzerland with support from the UN Development Programme.     Women's Studies Database  http://www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/   Description: This site, for people in the women studies profession and those interested in women's issues, provides bibliographies by and about women, conference announcements, feminist film reviews, a directory of women's organizations, links to special collections, lists of recommended texts, and a portrait gallery.  Maintained by the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities at the University of Maryland.     Women's Studies Online Resources  http://www.research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/   Description: This clearly organized online resource provides links to women's studies/women's issues resource sites (over 700); women & gender-related email lists; women's studies programs, departments, & research centers; and information on financial aid & job opportunities for women's studies students.  Maintained by Joan Koreman, Professor Emerita of English & Women's Studies at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.     Women's Studies Resources  http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/wstudies/   Description: This well-organized site contains a section on mainstream news stories concerning women and links to sites about activism, art, communication & media, feminist theory, history, literature, music, and sports.  Compiled & edited by Karla Tonella, an academic technology specialist at the University of Iowa.

Print Resources:  

Encyclopedia of Women in the American West / Bakken, Gordon & Brenda Farrington, eds. Reference HQ1438.W45 E53 2003   This readable source on western women's history from the mid 1800s to the present day contains nearly 170 entries, most of which are biographies of historical and contemporary women.  Also included are topical entries on subjects such as the clubwomen's movement, homesteaders, suffrage, rodeo, education, and philanthropy.  Thoughout the work are many high quality black & white photographs.     Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures: Methodologies, Paradigms & Sources / Joseph, Saud, ed. Reference HQ1170.E53 2003   This very scholarly but important work covers Islamic women in the Middle East, Central & Southeast Asia, the Far East, and Africa form the 6th century to the present day.  More specifically, it contains 46 thematic entries on methodologies & sources in specific historical periods and regions (i.e. Mughal India: 15th to mid-18th century) and 22 entries focusing on the approaches of different academic disciplines to the study of women & Islamic cultures.  At the end of each entry is a short bibliography and at the end of the work is a very extensive bibliography of sources published in European languages since 1993.     The Feminist Encyclopedia of Spanish Literature / Perez, Janet & Maureen Ihrie, eds. Reference PQ6055.F46 2002   This source covers works by & about women written in Spain from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century.  The 350 alphabetical entries are biographical and thematic (covering genres, important characters & character types, and time periods) and end with cross references and short bibliographies.     Information Sources in Women's Studies & Feminism / Olson, Hope, ed. Reference HQ1180.I53 2002   This collection of 12 essays focuses on topics related to conducting women's studies research.  The articles are grouped by issues of form (where to find sources for women's studies research); issues of information access (knowing how standards can help or hinder the search for information); and issues of diversity (examples of diverse & particular information needs and how they might be met).  This anthology will be of interest to those in the library and information science field as well as upper-level undergraduates doing advanced research in women's studies.     Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the 20th Century / Ware, Susan, ed. Reference CT3260.N5725 2004   This well-written and detailed work profiles nearly 500 women from a range of fields who died between 1976 & 1999, providing a 1-3 page entry and brief bibliography for each one.  It is part of a larger work--the first 3 volumes, published in 1971, covered 1,360 women who died between 1607 and 1950 and the 4th volume, published in 1980, covered 440 women who died between 1951 and 1975.  Crown Library has all the volumes and particularly when considered together, they make a strong reference source.     Women & Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia / Schaus, Margaret, ed. Reference HQ1147.E85 W66 2006   Edited by a librarian at Haverford College, this work focuses on medieval women's activities from 450 - 1500 CE in the areas of religion, medicine, politics, agriculture, family relationships, and art.  It contains over 560 alphabetical entries, ranging in length from a paragraph to several pages, each ending with a bibliography and cross references.     Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia / Wilson, Katharina and Nadia Margolis, eds. Reference HQ1143.W643 2004   This work focuses on women in Europe, China, Japan, India, and the Middle East between the 2nd and 15th centuries.  The 300 entries include biographies of writers, rulers, saints, abbesses, and nuns as well as topical pieces on clothing, medicine, law, foot binding, & literary motifs, each ending with cross references and a bibliography of primary & secondary sources.     Writing African American Women: An Encyclopedia of Literature by and about Women of Color / Beaulieu, Elizabeth Ann, ed. Reference PS153.N5 W756 2006   This well-organized and readable source includes 400 biographical & thematic entries, each with cross references and short bibliographies, that cover well-known and lesser-known writers from the 18th century to the present day.  Also included are some African American male writers who have incorporated feminist or womanist themes into their work.

Subject Compiled by Martha Wright / wrigmart@dom.edu