Women's Collections Section

The Women's Collections Section of the Society of American Archivists promotes the preservation and research use of records documenting women and networks archivists with holdings concerning or created by women.

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Check out what Women's Collections Section of the Society of American Archivists will be attending at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019

Heading to Austin for #SAA19? Check out this program guide WCS has put together of sessions that pertain to women’s collections. See you in Austin! 

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CALL FOR 2019 VICE CO-CHAIR/CO-CHAIR ELECT NOMINATIONS!

The SAA Women’s Collections Section is currently seeking nominees for the roles of Vice Co-Chair/Co-Chair Elect!

For the first year of the two-year term, these two elected officers will hold the positions of Vice Co-Chairs. The second year in office, the elected officers will hold the positions of Co-Chairs. Newly elected officers will assume office immediately following the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in August. New officers do not have to attend the annual meeting.

The role of the Vice Co-Chair is to act as an officer of the section, work with the Co-Chairs to develop projects and opportunities to connect section members, manage the section’s annual meeting and elections, and above all, work with the section’s membership to increase visibility of women’s collections in archives, libraries, and museums. The time commitment for this role averages about 1-3 hours each month. For more information, see the section by-laws.

Some upcoming projects for the section may include the following, but we’re always excited to hear suggestions and new ideas!

·         Host book club sessions focused on readings about women’s collections

·         Develop project to highlight the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote

·         Increase outreach initiatives beyond social media posts

·         Plan for the section’s annual meeting

Candidates for election must be members of SAA and WCS. Self-nominations are welcome.

Deadline for nominations: Wednesday, May 29th, 2019

Interested individuals should send a photo, brief biography, and candidate statement to [email protected]. For examples of previous candidate statements, please visit our website. Please feel free to reach out to the section co-chairs with any questions.

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DSGS/WCS Joint Meeting at SAA 2019!

Join us for the joint meeting of the Society of American Archivists’ Diverse Sexuality and Gender (DSGS) and Women’s Collections sections at SAA2019! 

The 2019 DSGS / WCS joint section meeting will feature a panel of presenters speaking on recent efforts to provide access to archival materials concerning women and/or the LGBTQIA+ communities. 

Gina K. Armstrong will discuss the creation and impact of the Howard Cruse collection and its contribution to reclaiming important space for marginalized communities at the Birmingham-Southern College. 

Ellen Brooks will present on a recent project to collect oral history interviews with 100 notable women as a part of the “She Changed the World” campaign, coordinated by North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR). 

Anna Tunnicliff will discuss the Iowa Women’s Archives' recent efforts to enhance visibility of lesbian collections and connect them to LGBTQIA+ students and activists through collaboration with partners on and off campus. 

Aside from the panel presentation, DSGS and WCS leadership will facilitate discussions on new section business and call for announcements from section members regarding recent projects, initiatives, concerns, etc. that are relevant to our communities.

If you’re planning on attending the COSA/SAA annual meeting at Austin, the DSGS/WCS joint meeting will be held on Saturday, August 3rd from 10-11:15 am. Learn more about #SAA19 or view the full program schedule here: https://www2.archivists.org/am2019

See you in Austin!

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CALL FOR 2019 VICE CO-CHAIR/CO-CHAIR ELECT NOMINATIONS!

The SAA Women's Collections Section is currently seeking nominees for the roles of Vice Co-Chair/Co-Chair Elect!

For the first year of the two-year term, these two elected officers will hold the positions of Vice Co-Chairs. The second year in office, the elected officers will hold the positions of Co-Chairs. Newly elected officers will assume office immediately following the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in August. New officers do not have to attend the annual meeting.

The role of the Vice Co-Chair is to act as an officer of the section, work with the Co-Chairs to develop projects and opportunities to connect section members, manage the section's annual meeting and elections, and above all, work with the section's membership to increase visibility of women's collections in archives, libraries, and museums. The time commitment for this role averages about 1-3 hours each month. For more information, see the section by-laws.

Some upcoming projects for the section may include the following, but we're always excited to hear suggestions and new ideas!

·         Host book club sessions focused on readings about women's collections

·         Develop project to highlight the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote

·         Increase outreach initiatives beyond social media posts

·         Plan for the section's annual meeting

Candidates for election must be members of SAA and WCS. Self-nominations are welcome.

Deadline for nominations: Wednesday, May 29th, 2019

Interested individuals should send a photo, brief biography, and candidate statement to [email protected]. For examples of previous candidate statements, please visit our website. Please feel free to reach out to the section co-chairs with any questions.

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Exploring Women and Labor Organizing in the Labor Archives of Washington’s Seattle General Strike of 1919 Exhibit

Labor history and women’s history are inextricably linked, and the Labor Archives of Washington at the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections in Seattle is committed to preserving and promoting the underrepresented histories of women in the labor movement within the Pacific Northwest. One way we do this is through our exhibit programming, surfacing the stories of women and the intersectional histories of people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ folks, and other marginalized communities represented within our collections.

At the beginning of February 2019, the LAW launched our latest exhibit, Solidarity Centennial: The Legacy of the Seattle General Strike Era and the Centralia Tragedy of 1919, co-curated by Labor Archives Director and Archivist Conor Casey, Curatorial Assistant Hannah Robinson, and myself. The exhibit commemorates one hundred years since 65,000 workers and their families struck in solidarity with striking shipyard workers, shutting down the city of Seattle for six days in February 1919. Women played a significant role in the success of the Seattle General Strike and helped to strengthen the labor movement in the years leading up to this historic moment, providing the unpaid domestic labor in the home, participating in union auxiliaries and label leagues, and organizing into their own unions as wage earning workers.

Laundry Workers Glee Club Float in the Seattle Labor Day Parade, September 2, 1912. Alaska and Pacific Northwest Early Photographers collection. PH Coll 334, Box 12. University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

One display case explores the formation of women-led unions in the 1910s, propelled by an increase in job opportunities during World War I. Laundry workers, lady barbers (as they were referred to at the time), waitresses, telephone operators, garment workers, hotel maids, and domestic workers formed unions in the years leading up to 1919. Several of these unions went on strike during this time for higher wages, shorter shifts, and an eight-hour workday, and all voted yes to honoring the general strike in February 1919. Another display case takes a look at the influence of suffrage legislation passed in Washington State in 1910 as well as women’s participation in the Seattle Union Card and Label League, an organization that met regularly to discuss current events, report on issues within the labor and women’s movements, and plan community events.

"The 'Why' of the Label League: Does Your Wife Belong?" cartoon, February 6, 1915. Seattle Union Record (Seattle, WA). University of Washington Libraries Microforms & Newspapers.

The exhibit also explores the influence of racism and xenophobia that complicates the narratives of solidarity and progressive unionism in Seattle from this time period. Most unions at the time, including those organized by women, consisted primarily of white Seattle-born or Scandinavian immigrants who actively discriminated against Japanese and Black workers, barring them from union membership and advocating against patronizing Asian-owned businesses. Indigenous workers displaced from their homes were also excluded by the mainstream labor movement, working as seasonal laborers or making and selling goods to settlers in Seattle.

Photograph of Qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌ (Makah) women and boy selling baskets in Seattle, Washington, approximately 1907.General Indian Collection, Ph Coll 0564, NA563. University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

A variety of primary sources centered on women’s history are featured, including a minute book of the Domestic Workers Union, a charter of the local Garment Workers Union, group photographs of the lady barbers and members of the waitresses union, flyers promoting women’s suffrage, political poetry written by radical journalist Anna Louise Strong, and newspaper articles written by women for the The Seattle Union Record.

Reproduction of United Garment Workers Association Local 17 charter, 1903. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 81 records. Accession no. 5694-001, Box 73/3. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

If you’re in the area, come by to view the full exhibit in the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections reading room, on display through June 7th, 2019. An online version of the exhibit is also forthcoming, so everyone near and far can learn more! We will also be featuring items from the exhibit focused on women’s history on the Labor Archives Instagram (@laborarchiveswa) during the month of March in celebration of Women’s History Month, so be sure to follow along!

-Crystal Rodgers, Assistant Labor Archivist

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WCS Design Contest!

As many may know, our section has Twitter and a Tumblr. It is true our social media presence could use some TLC. This is where you come in: The WCS is hosting a design contest for our social media profile graphic!    

Our profiles should reflect us and be a community decision. If you are design savvy or have a wonderful idea, consider submitting a graphic to the contest. The section will vote for the best profile graphic that represents the spirit of the Women's Collection Section. The winner will have a $50 donation made in their name to an SAA Scholarship of their choice.

The rules:

The contest will run from March 5 to May 3

Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

The file format should be a jpeg or a pdf

The voting period will be May 6 to May 31 - winner announcement to follow

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email them to the WCS co-chairs at [email protected]. Looking forward to the amazing designs!

Best wishes,

WCS Co-Chairs

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Promote your work on the WCS tumblr!

The Women's Collections Section wants to promote your work on our blog! Have you worked on an exciting collection or project that documents women's or gender history? Did you host an event or curate an exhibit highlighting women? We want to hear about it!

We are seeking to publish a series of short articles (300-500 words) on our blog to highlight collections, projects, and events related to women's and gender history. Previously published articles may be submitted with credit given to the original place of publication. We especially encourage pieces that highlight diversity among women and women's collections, as well as diverse gender and sexual identities. Visit our blog to see posts we've published in the past.

Please submit articles for consideration to [email protected], along with any photos or links to references you wish to include.

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Call for Proposals: DSGS/WCS joint section meeting

The Women's Collections Section (WCS) and the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Section (DSGS) of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) are seeking panel proposals and presentations for a joint WCS/DSGS section meeting to be held during the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists (COSA) and the Society of American Archivists. This year's COSA/SAA conference will be held from July 31 to August 6, 2019 in Austin, Texas. 

Proposals can be on any topic related to preservation, research, access, and use of materials concerning women and/or the LGBTQIA+ community. We especially invite proposals from individuals that highlight voices and experiences that are often underrepresented in archives. This may include, but is not limited to, Indigenous, LatinX, and Black histories; transgender people; people with disabilities; and multilingual and multicultural experiences.

Proposals will be reviewed by both WCS and DSGS section co-chairs. Co-chairs will be prioritizing proposals that intentionally address critical and anti-oppressive research and practices.

The deadline for all proposals is April 5th, 2019. Notifications will be sent out by May 1st, 2019. 

Feel free to email the WCS and DSGS co-chairs at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

Please submit your proposal abstracts here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9IUqya_scJDJ6cUdqPHHzChkmrouhoJ2NhjJ75FC0A93uog/viewform?usp=pp_url Thanks and see you in Austin! WCS Co-chairs

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New Women’s Collections Section Reading Club

Are you interested in discussing SAA’s One Book One Profession, Perspectives on Women’s Archives, with a dynamic group of archivists? Or do you wish to join a lively chat about women’s archives?

Join the WCS’s Zoom chat on Monday, March 11th and 1 pm EST for both! This month we will cover section 3 of the book but don’t worry you don’t have to read all the articles! Pick your favorite article from the section or just join in the dynamic discussion. This chat is open to anyone interested in women’s collections. For more information about SAA’s One Book One Profession, click here.

Join in our Zoom meeting by following the links provided below or call in!

Join Zoom Meeting https://princeton.zoom.us/j/142108486

One tap mobile [phone],,142108486# US (New York) [phone],,142108486# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location [phone] US (New York) [phone] US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 142 108 486 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/axHoF3bul

Looking forward to speaking with you all!!

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WCS @ SAA 2018

Join WCS for a panel on women's political collections at Mid-Atlantic area repositories. Our panelists will cover topics such as documenting women's political engagement, from suffrage to 21st century activism, collecting the papers of women state legislators, and securing grants to preserve and digitize women's political collections.

Our panelists include:

Jessica Lacher-Feldman Assistant Dean and Joseph N. Lambert & Harold B. Schleifer Director Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, University of Rochester

Rebecca Johnson Melvin Librarian and Head, Manuscripts and Archives Department, University of Delaware

Elizabeth A. Novara Curator, Historical Manuscripts, University of Maryland

Margery Sly Director, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University

Check out the session on the conference program here: http://sched.co/ESnE. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, August 15 for this great session!

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Collection Highlight: Boardman Women of the Elijah Boardman Papers

Boardman Women of the Elijah Boardman Papers The Litchfield Historical Society Litchfield, Connecticut

In September, The Litchfield Historical Society began a project to digitize the papers of U.S. Senator Elijah Boardman with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). In his youth, Boardman served in the Revolutionary War. He then trained as a clerk in New Haven, Connecticut and went on to set up several shops in Northwestern Connecticut. As a member of the Connecticut Land Company, he participated in the settlement of Ohio where a town is named for him. Following six terms in the state legislature, he was elected Senator of Connecticut in 1821. The Society’s collection of the Senator’s papers is comprised mostly of business records detailing transactions that exchanged local agricultural products for foreign goods. These ledgers and receipts document not only the purchases of the upper class, but also the labor and barter of working men and women, including enslaved and free African Americans.

Elijah Boardman’s 1810 Ballance [sic] Book (left) and bundles of documents in the collection (right).

While we are thrilled to have the papers of such a significant figure, we were especially delighted to discover that the Boardman family had preserved the correspondence of Boardman’s wife, Mary Anna Whiting Boardman, and his daughters, Caroline Boardman Schroeder and Cornelia Boardman. These letters shed light on aspects of family life and the experiences of women, including how they managed and conversed about the health of various family members; the skills (or lack thereof) of hired help; financial difficulties; and politics. The letters include doodles and “kisses” from the children, but also address more serious topics like financial struggles and death. We are fortunate to have a published memoir of Mary Anna Whiting Boardman, which provides context for much of the correspondence. It is available in the Internet Archive which allows for easy searching.

A letter to Cornelia (top) and a “kiss” from Margaret (bottom).

Some of the correspondence was damaged by water prior to its arrival at the Historical Society, resulting in loss of content. Our hope is that digital enhancement will render some of the damaged items more legible. This rare glimpse of a late 18th and early 19th century family from the perspective of women will be made available alongside the ledgers and blotters as we work to create both an item-level finding aid and digital surrogates, beginning with bound materials and then moving on to correspondence, bills, and receipts.

We have chosen to make our work public as we move forward with the project. The finding aid is located at: http://archives.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org:8081/repositories/2/resources/1129.

The digital surrogates can be viewed in the Connecticut Digital Archive at http://collections.ctdigitalarchive.org/islandora/object/400002%3A33.

A Tumblr page documenting interesting finds: http://eboardman.tumblr.com/.

Memoir of the life and character of Mrs. Mary Anna Boardman, with a historical account of her forefathers, and biographical and genealogical notices of many of her kindred and relatives by Schroeder, John Frederick, 1800-1857, 1849, New Haven: Printed for private distribution. https://archive.org/stream/memoiroflifechar00inschr#page/n11/mode/2up

This collection will provide an important look at the lives of women in the Early Republic and we are appreciative of the funding from NHPRC to help make it available. Check back often to see our progress, and contact Linda Hocking ([email protected]) with any questions.

-submitted by Linda Hocking, Women’s Collections Section supporter

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Collection Highlight: Ladies of Llangollen

Ladies of Llangollen Collection Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University Durham, North Carolina

Eleanor Butler was the youngest daughter of the Earl of Ormonde of Kilkenny Castle in Ireland. Her siblings wed and secured their family’s future, but in 1778 39-year-old Eleanor had no plans to marry. Her brother threatened a nunnery and life in a convent for Eleanor.

Twelve miles away, 23-year-old orphaned Sarah Ponsonby, was facing the unwanted sexual advances of her cousin and guardian Sir William Fownes. As Lady Betty Fownes became ill, Sir William was waiting for the day he could call Sarah his new Lady Fownes.

Both women were trapped in unbearable situations. The Ladies met in 1768, Eleanor was appointed Sarah’s tutor, and the two formed a deep friendship. They decided to run away to England together and missed the ferry, forcing the two women to hide in a barn. They were caught and taken home. When Sarah became ill, Eleanor ran away to Sarah’s home at Woodstock and hid in Sarah’s bedroom, where Sarah’s maid Mary Carryll smuggled food in to the room. Eleanor was found again, but her family refused to take her back. After a few days, Sarah’s family let them go. The Butlers agreed to provide Eleanor with an annual income of £200, and Sarah’s beloved cousin, Mrs. Sarah Tighe, agreed to a yearly supplement of £80.

A depiction of the Ladies of Llangollen (late 1800s).

In 1778, the Ladies, along with their maid Mary, eloped to the rural vale of Llangollen in Wales and settled down for a life of “delightful retirement.” The Ladies redesigned their cottage in the Gothic style and spent 50 years studying literature, learning languages, and piecing together a collection of woodcarvings and other works of art. The letters that make up the majority of the Ladies of Llangollen collection in Rubenstein Library are written from Sarah to her cousin, Mrs. Sarah Tighe, who hesitantly accepted the Ladies’ lifestyle. The two Sarahs wrote to each other for the remainder of Ponsonby’s life about their lives in Ireland and Llangollen. Tighe kept Ponsonby abreast of political happenings (revolutions and counter-revolutions in Ireland between the 1770s and 1820), as well as social and family matters at home, while Ponsonby told Tighe of her idyllic life with Eleanor reading, gardening, and enjoying the culture in Llangollen.

Letter from Sarah Ponsonby to Sarah Tighe, September 17, 1785.

Despite their hopes to live a life of quiet retreat, their elopement catapulted the Ladies into the nineteenth century press. The highest echelons of cultural and social elites found their way to the door of the Ladies home, Plas Newydd. They entertained up to 20 visitors a day; William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Walter Scott and even Queen Charlotte all came to talk and spend time with the Ladies of Llangollen. Questions about the nature of the Ladies ‘romantic friendship’ circulated around this extraordinary pair both during and well after their lifetimes. Eleanor was described as masculine, while Sarah was seen as more feminine, but once in Llangollen, both cropped their hair and wore dark riding habits. The Ladies shared a home and a life of devotion in their retreat at Llangollen. Eleanor Butler died on June 2, 1829 and three years later Sarah Ponsonby died in December of 1832. Upon Sarah’s death, Plas Newydd was publicly sold.

In addition to the letters in the collection, the Ladies of Llangollen, their home, and Llangollen itself are thoroughly documented in drawings, photographs, and print materials produced throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Their position as courageous and audacious Irish aristocrats who broke away from the constraints of convention gained them substantial notoriety. This collection, especially the objects and printed material, capture the world’s curiosity about the Ladies’ life. Their images were printed on tea cups, figurines, prints, and postcards, and their story was told and retold in accounts by neighbors, friends, and visitors to Llangollen. As a result, Llangollen became a destination and an ongoing source of fascination because of the two ladies who risked everything to live the life they always dreamed of, together.

Figurine with the Ladies in their riding habits and porcelain basket with color image of the Ladies.

-submitted by Heather McGowan, Women’s Collections Section supporter

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Repository Highlight: Mercy Heritage Center

Mercy Heritage Center Archives of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Belmont, North Carolina

Mercy Heritage Center (MHC), the archives of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, has over 5,000 linear feet of material in over thirty collections. This material largely includes records comprised of administrative Community records, sister and convent files, and historical ministry information from schools, hospitals, and other programs. Record types include documents, books, photographic prints, and a robust inventory of audiovisual, artifact, and library materials.

Opened in 2011 in Belmont, North Carolina, MHC combined material from Sisters of Mercy communities in over 48 states and 12 countries into one location. This archives functions as the central repository to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas congregation. It is supported by six other Community archives that actively collect in different geographical regions (located in Belmont, North Carolina; Merion, Pennsylvania; Cumberland, Rhode Island; Buffalo, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; and Buenos Aires, Argentina).

The Sisters of Mercy are a Roman Catholic community of women religious founded by Mother Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. Dedicated to God and the works of mercy, the sisters were given the nickname “walking nuns” for their acts of service in their community. The walking nuns quickly expanded, ultimately reaching North, Central and South America; England; Australia; New Zealand; the Caribbean; Micronesia; Southeast Asia; and parts of Africa. Today, the Sisters of Mercy are the largest English-speaking women religious order in the world.

Sister Monica Willett with children at the Cerebral Palsy School in Louisville, KY. From the Louisville and Knoxville Community Collection. © Mercy Heritage Center, Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

The Sisters arrived in the United States in 1843, beginning the history of the Americas congregation. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are largely, historically known for their work in the medical field and establishing hospital networks. In the last fifty years, their work on social justice issues have become as equally prevalent. MHC houses material that documents these hospital network histories, social justice ministries, and other intrinsically significant records.

Some noteworthy material include: one of the largest collections of governmental school census records for Native American children; orphanage records across the United States dating to the early 1800s; material relating to social justice protests (the march on Selma, annual School of Assassins protests); documentation of migrant education projects; records from hospitals on the establishment of significant programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, special education, etc.); documentation of prison ministry work dating to the 1800s; Civil War nurse diaries; papers and audiovisual material relating to Sister Theresa Kane’s 1979 address to Pope John Paul II for women to be fully incorporated into the Church; and many other records that bolster the history of the Americas.

Mercy Heritage Center is open to the public, and has remote access: https://www.sistersofmercy.org/about-us/mercy-heritage-center/.

-submitted by Emily Reed, Women’s Collections Section member

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The Women's Collections Round Table is seeking people interested in developing and participating in a panel for SAA 2017

Possible topics include feminist collection development strategies, the complicated labor of making women's collections more inclusive across the gender spectrum, and issues surrounding increased representation for the lives and experiences of people of color within archival collections.

We'd like to highlight the work of people and institutions that are making women's collections more diverse at every phase of the process--community outreach, collection acquisition, description, accessibility, and education.

We are open to ideas (in terms of format and content) and want this panel to emerge as a true collaboration between all participants.

Panel proposals are due to SAA on Nov. 18th. You can read the full official call here:

http://www2.archivists.org/…/pro…/call-for-program-proposals

If you're interested in contributing your voice and ideas, please send me an email at the address below. Let me know more about you and your work and what you'd like to bring to the panel. If you have ideas or recommendations for people and collections to seek out, let me know that too! Let's see what we can build together. Let's make women's collections a bigger part of the SAA conversation.

Thanks so much,

Rosemary K. J. Davis Co-Chair Elect, WCRT [email protected]

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Society of American Archivists

Our annual roundtable meeting program is up! Come join us Wednesday, August 3rd at 6pm for "Documenting Diverse Women."

There are numerous collections in Georgia that highlight the experiences of women across race, class, sexual orientation, and neighborhood. A panel of four dynamic speakers will discuss archival collections across different repositories as well as various outreach and advocacy efforts aimed at increasing awareness of these resources.

To learn more about the speakers follow the link.

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A pop-up museum of women's history is opening around the corner from the Jack the Ripper museum

Back in July last year, you may recall that a 'Museum of Women's History' opened in Whitechapel. Or at least, that's what it was originally billed as. Wh

As a reaction to the would be women's history museum turned Jack the Ripper museum, campaigners launched a crowdfunding campaign to open a pop-up museum of women's history.

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Bravely rowing against the current of sexism

In the wake of thousands of collegiate student athletes converging on the Schuylkill last weekend for the 2016 Dad Vail Regatta, consider the story of the Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club, the oldest organization of its kind in the country.