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Women's Studies - Research Guide
The following is a highly selective list of general reference sources that deal with material on Women's Studies. Reference sources dealing with more specialized subjects such as history, religion, literature, and statistical sources are dealt with on other research guides linked from the Contents list to the left.
Penn's online catalog, lists 95% of the materials owned by the Penn Library. See the Franklin Search Help for general searching tips.
Link: http://www.franklin.library.upenn.edu
Link: http://www.franklin.library.upenn.edu
RLIN/Eureka Bibliographic File - Research Libraries Group Catalog
A bibliographic catalog of over 30 million books, serials, archives and manuscripts, musical scores, visual materials, maps, and data files held in over 100 large research libraries and current cataloging of the Library of Congress and the British Library. Since the catalog is so large, the best method for searching is to use known items such as authors, titles, or Library of Congress subject headings. Use this catalog to identify materials that Penn does not own and request them through Interlibrary Loan.
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7157
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7157
Another large, 30+ million union catalog that includes the holdings of many university, college, and public libraries. Several Philadelphia-area libraries are included in WorldCat.
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7158
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7158
Guides to Individual Library Collections
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. The manuscript inventories and the catalogs of manuscripts, books and periodicals. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1984.
A catalog of books, periodicals, manuscripts, and pictures housed at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe. Covers the history of American women from 1800 to the present.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1410 .A78 1984]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1410 .A78 1984]
The Gerritsen Collection of Women's History, 1543-1945: A Bibliographic Guide to the Microform Collection. Edited by Duane R. Bogenschneider. Sanford, NC: Microfilming Corp. of America, 1983.
The library does not own the actual microform collection but the index does provide access to government publications, books, and journals which can be located in the library.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1121 .G43 1983]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1121 .G43 1983]
Guide to Sources on Women in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Ed. by Wendy E. Chmielelski. Swarthmore, PA: [s.n.], 1988.
Swarthmore College Peace Collection
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks JX1965 .S8 1988]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks JX1965 .S8 1988]
Medical College of Pennsylvania. Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine. Guide to Collections in the Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine, at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA: The College, 1987.
See the online Guide to the Collections, Archives & Special Collections on Women in Medicine & Homeopathy, Drexel University College of Medicine.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks R692 .M42 1987]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks R692 .M42 1987]
Regional Guides
Library and Information Sources on Women: a Guide to Collections in the Greater New York Area. Compiled and Edited by the Women's Resources Group of the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. New York, NY: Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1988.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1181 .U5 L52 1988]
African Women's Bibliographic Database - 1986-present.
Bibliographic citations, with subject, country and region, and author indexing, for English-language literature on African women. Indexes more than 22,000 items, covering books and government documents, articles in collective volumes, periodical articles, these and dissertations, conference papers, and videocassettes.
Print Counterparts: Updates three books:
African women, a general bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B849 1989]
Women of eastern and southern Africa: a bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B85 1989]
Women of northern, western, and central Africa: a bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B8492 1989]
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6807
Print Counterparts: Updates three books:
African women, a general bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B849 1989]
Women of eastern and southern Africa: a bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B85 1989]
Women of northern, western, and central Africa: a bibliography, 1976-1985 / compiled by Davis A. Bullwinkle. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Location: [Van Pelt Reference: HQ1787 .B8492 1989]
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6807
This full-text database provides international coverage of current issues such as employment and the workplace, social & political issues, violence and exploitation, development and human rights, health and reproductive rights, legal issues, education, culture and customs, demographics, contemporary family life, and arts and media. Holdings: 1992 to the present, (selected reports back to 1990).
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6877
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6877
GenderWatch, formerly titled Women 'R', contains 40,000 articles from more than 100 journals, magazines, newsletters, special reports, unpublished papers and conference proceedings devoted to gender and women's issues. The database contains a large body of archival material, in some cases, as far back as 1978.
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6920
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/6920
For other useful databases, see the complete list of Women's Studies Databases & Article Indexes.
Kramarae, Cheris. A feminist dictionary. London; Boston: Pandora Press, 1985.
Alphabetically arranged with entries ranging in length from a single sentence to multiple columns.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .K73 1985]
Location: [Annenberg Library Reference HQ1115 .K73 1985]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .K73 1985]
Location: [Annenberg Library Reference HQ1115 .K73 1985]
Maggio, Rosalie. The dictionary of bias-free usage: a guide to nondiscriminatory language. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1991.
"This dictionary is designed to help you scrap outdated, stereotypical, and damaging language," listing 5,000 entries with 15,000 alternatives (from the User's Guide).
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks: PE1460 .M26 1991]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks: PE1460 .M26 1991]
Mills, Jane. Womanwords: a dictionary of words about women 1st American ed. New York: Free Press, a division of Macmillan, 1992.
This dictionary focuses on the semantic histories of words in an effort to "explore the history of changing (and sometimes relentlessley unchanging) attitudes toward women" (from the Introduction). The just under 300 entries vary in length from a paragraph to four pages.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .M546 1992]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .M546 1992]
Mills, Jane. Womanwords: a vocabulary of culture and partriarchal society. Harlow, Essex, England: Longman, 1989.
Location: [Van Pelt Library HQ1115 .M54 1989]
Tierney, Helen, Ed. Women's Studies Encyclopedia.
Information about women from all fields and disciplines of study, with an emphasis on American issues. Articles are written in nonspecialist language, include bibliographic citations for further reading, and are signed.
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7067
Also available in print. Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .W645 1999]
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7067
Also available in print. Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .W645 1999]
Tuttle, Lisa. Encyclopedia of feminism. New York, N.Y.: Facts of File Publications, 1986.
Entries include people, organizations, events, concepts, schools of thought, and more. They are alphabetically arranged and vary in length from a sentence to four pages.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .T87 1986]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1115 .T87 1986]
Walker, Barbara G. The woman's encyclopedia of myths and secrets. 1st ed. San Francisco : Harper & Row, c1983.
"Thousands of popular fantasies and hidden facts are expounded in this Encyclopedia, where the complex subject of sexism is approached from both the historical and the mythic viewpoints" (from the Introduction). Entries are alphabetically arranged and range from a sentence to a few pages in length.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL458 .W34 1983]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL458 .W34 1983]
Walker, Barbara G. The woman's dictionary of symbols and sacred objects. 1st ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, c1988.
Entries are divided into motifs/categories, such as: round and oval motifs; sacred objects; rituals; supernaturals; zodiac; body parts; animals; etc. Illustrations accompany text when relevant. A lengthy bibliography is included at the end of the dictionary.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks CB475 .W35 1988]
Location: [Fine Arts Library Reference CB475 .W35 1988]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks CB475 .W35 1988]
Location: [Fine Arts Library Reference CB475 .W35 1988]
Walter, Lynn, Ed. The Greenwood encyclopedia of women's issues worldwide. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2003.
A set of six volumes arranged by geographical region that present current data on the broad range of women's issues and interests within that geographical region. Within each volume, articles are organized by individual countries. Each article includes a resource guide with suggested reading, websites, organizations, and a selected bibliography. Some also list relevant videos/films.
- Asia and Oceania-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1726 .G74 2003]
- Central and South America-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1467 .G74 2003]
- Europe-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1588 .G74 2003]
- Middle East and North Africa-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1726.5 .G74 2003]
- North America and the Caribbean-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1400 .G74 2003]
- Sub-Saharan Africa-- Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1788 .G74 2003]
Cooper, Jilly, and Tom Hartman, Eds. Violets and vinegar : beyond Bartlett, quotations by and about women. New York: Stein and Day, 1982.
Quotations are organized into sections by theme. Each section begins with a short essay explaining its orientation. Note that dates for the quotations are rarely included.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks PN6081.5 .V56 1982]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks PN6081.5 .V56 1982]
Maggio, Rosalie, Ed. The new Beacon book of quotations by women. Boston: Beacon Press, c1996.
As the title suggests, each quotation included in this book is by a woman. Quotations are divided into and organized alphabetically by topic headings. The name index and the subject/key line index are very useful.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks PN6081.5 .N48 1996]
Location: [Van Pelt Library PN6081.5 .N48 1996b]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks PN6081.5 .N48 1996]
Location: [Van Pelt Library PN6081.5 .N48 1996b]
Partnow, Elaine, Ed. The new quotable woman. New York, N.Y.: Facts on File, 1992.
Location: [Van Pelt Library PN6081.5 .N49 1992]
The American Women. NY: W.W. Norton, 1987- .
Annual publication that provides and overview of current issues concerning American women. Statistics included.
Location: [Most Recent Year in Reference HQ 1420 A38]
Location: [Most Recent Year in Reference HQ 1420 A38]
Wheeler, Helen Rippier. Getting Published In Women's Studies: An International, Interdisciplinary Professional Development Guide Mainly For Women. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989.
Location: [Ref PN 471 W45 1989]
Gilbert, Victor Francis. Women's Studies: A Bibliography Of Dissertations 1870-1982. New York, NY: B. Blackwell, 1985.
A comprehensive list of theses and dissertations for British, Canadian, Irish and American universities. Canadian and American works are limited only to doctoral dissertations. Arranged by topic.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .G55 1985]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .G55 1985]
Humm, Maggie. Annotated Critical Bibliography Of Feminist Criticism. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1987.
A list of women-centered materials which can support feminist research. Arranged by topic.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1206 .H828 1987]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1206 .H828 1987]
Miller, Connie. Feminist Research Methods : An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .M55 1991]
Stineman, Esther. Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1979.
"Classic" bibliography in the field of Women's Studies. Annotates over 1,700 books covering the study of women. Includes the coverage of non-fiction, fiction and biographies.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .S84]
Continued by: Loeb, Catherine. Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography 1980-1985. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1987.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .S84 1987]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .S84]
Continued by: Loeb, Catherine. Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography 1980-1985. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1987.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1180 .S84 1987]
Watson, G. Llewellyn. Feminism And Women's Issues: An Annotated Bibliography And Research Guide. New York, NY: Garland Press, 1990.
A comprehensive list of both books and journal articles covering feminism and women's issues. Most of the entries are annotated. Arranged by topic. No author or title index included.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1206 .W37 1990]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ1206 .W37 1990]
Banks, Olive. The Biographical Dictionary Of British Feminists. Brughton, Sussex: Wheatsheaf Books, 1985.
Location: [Ref HQ 1123 B36 1985b]
Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Editor, Gretchen M. Bataille. New York: Garland, 1993.
Location: [Ref E 98 W8 B38 1993]
Cicarelli, James. Distinguished women economists. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2003.
51 biographies of women who have made historical and contemporary contributions to the field of economics. A bibliography follows each entry.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HB76 .C53 2003]
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HB76 .C53 2003]
Continuum Dictionary Of Women's Biography. Edited by Jennifer S. Uglow. New York, NY: Continuum, 1989.
Location: [Ref CT 3202 C66 1989]
Holt, Constance Wall, 1932-. Welsh Women : An Annotated Bibliography Of Women In Wales and Women Of Welsh Descent In America. Metchuen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1993.
Location: [Ref DA 710 H65 1993]
Notable American Women: The Modern Period: A Biographical Dictionary. Edited by Barbara Sicherman and Carol Hurd Green. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980.
Location: [Ref CT 3260 N573]
Notable Women In The American Theatre: A Biographical Dictionary. Edited by Alice M. Robinson, Vera Mowry Roberts, and Milly S. Barranger. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
Location: [Ref PN 2285 N65 1989]
Who's Who Of American Women. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., Annual, 1958-.
Location: [Ref E 176 W647]
Women In Psychology: A Bio-Bibliographic Sourcebook. Edited by Agnes N. O'Connell and Nancy Felips Russo. New York, NY: Greenwood Press, 1990.
Location: [Ref BF 109 A1 W65 1990]
Directory Of Financial Aids For Women. Edited by Gail Ann Schlachter. San Carlos, CA: Reference Service Press, 1978- .
Location: [Ref. Fin. Aid Area LB 2338 S325]
Directory Of Women's Studies Programs And Library Sources. Edited by Beth Stafford. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1990.
Location: [Ref. Desk HQ 1181 U5 D57]
National Directory Of Women Elected Officials. Washington, DC: National Women's Political Caucus, 1981- .
See Women and Political Progress Fact Sheet from the National Women's Political Caucas for recent lists of elected and appointed women officials.
Location: [Latest issue in Reference HQ 1391 U5 N37]
Location: [Latest issue in Reference HQ 1391 U5 N37]
Women's Movements Of The World: An International Directory And Reference Guide. Edited by Sally Shreir. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1988.
Location: [Ref HQ 1883 W63 1988]
The Women's Resource Guide To Philadelphia And Vicinity. Prepared by the Women's Switchboard, Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia, Women's Switchboard, 1985- .
Location: [Ref. HV 1443 W65]
Seager, Joni. Penguin atlas of women in the world. New York : Penguin Books, 2003.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks G1046.E1 S4 2003]
Atlas of South Asian children and women. Kathmandu, Nepal : UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, 1996.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks HQ792.S64 A8 1996]
Developed by Joan Korenman, the Women's Studies / Women's Issues Resource Sites is a selective, annotated, highly acclaimed listing of web sites containing resources and information about women's studies / women's issues, with an emphasis on sites of particular use to an academic women's studies program. Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/11488
WSSLinks: Women and Gender Studies Web Sites - Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries
The purpose of WSSLINKS is to provide access to a wide range of resources in support of Women's Studies. Links to web sites in History, Literature, Politics, Religion, among others, are included.
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/11487
Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/11487
Send mail concerning this page to David Azzolina at: azzolina@pobox.upenn.edu
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