Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia articles, written by subject authorities, provide information useful for gaining a basic understanding of a topic and getting started with a research project. Typically, a bibliography, or list, of "classic" books and articles for further research follows each article. Students will find also these encyclopedias useful for brushing up on topics related to their central area of investigation. [Note: See the Research Guides for sources that deal with narrower sub-fields within the discipline.]

Frost-Knappman, Elizabeth.
The ABC-CLIO companion to women's progress in America. Elizabeth Frost-Knappman, with the assistance of Sarah Kurian. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c1994.

This reference source attempts to "record the public milestones of women's history, emphasizing those people who either self-consciously championed women's rights or pioneered the way for others."

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1410 .F76 1994

Encyclopedia of feminist literature. Edited by Kathy J. Whitson. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2004.

Entries include related contextual topics, references, and suggested reading.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PN 471 .W455 2004      

Tuttle, Lisa, 1952-
Encyclopedia of feminism. New York, N.Y.: Facts on File Publications, 1986.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .T87 1986

Encyclopedia of women and gender: sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gender. Judith Worell, editor. California: Academic, 2001

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .E52 2001 -- v1-2

Cullen-DuPont, Kathryn.
Encyclopedia of women's history in America. New York: Facts On File, 2000.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1410 .C85 2000 

Hannam, June, 1947-
International encyclopedia of women's suffrage. June Hannam, et. al. California: ABC-CLIO, 2000.

CALL NUMBER: Ref JF 851 .H28 2000 

Routledge international encyclopedia of women: global women's issues and knowledge. Cheris Kramarae and Dale Spender, general editors. New York: Routledge, 2000.

CALL NUMBER Ref HQ 1115 .R69 2000 -- v1-4

Women's studies encyclopedia. Edited by Helen Tierney. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989-1991.

Contents: Volume 1: Views from the sciences. Volume 2: Literature, arts, and learning. Volume 3: History, philosophy, and religion.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .W645 1989 -- v1-3

Subject Dictionaries

These specialized subject dictionaries define the terminology in the discipline. See the Research Guides for sources that deal with narrower sub-fields within the discipline.

Humm, Maggie.
The dictionary of feminist theory. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, c1990.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .H86 1990

Kramarae, Cheris.
Amazons, bluestockings and crones: a feminist dictionary. Cheris Kramarae and Paula A. Treichler, with assistance from Ann Russo. London; Boston: Pandora Press, 1992.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .K73 1992

Maggio, Rosalie.
The dictionary of bias-free usage: a guide to nondiscriminatory language. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1991.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PE 1460 .M26 1991

Maggio, Rosalie.
The nonsexist word finder: a dictionary of gender-free usage. Boston: Beacon Press, 1989, c1988.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PE 1689 .M23 1989

Handbooks

Handbooks collect basic, practical information—formulas, tables of data, classification systems, definitions—for professionals operating within a discipline.

The Feminist companion to Literature in English: women writers from the Middle Ages to the present. Edited by Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements, Isobel Grundy. London: Batsford, 1990.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PR 113 .F450 1990

Franck, Irene M.
The women's desk reference. By Irene Franck & David Brownstone. New York: Viking, 1993.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1236.5 .U6 F73 1993

The State-by-state guide to women's legal rights. NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. New York: McGraw-Hill, c1987.

CALL NUMBER: Ref KF 478 .Z95 S73 1987

Sources of Statistics

The library subscribes to the ASI Microfiche Library. Every document indexed in ASI since 1979 is available in this library. In addition to the ASI Microfiche Library for federal government publications containing statistical data, the library also subscribes to the SRI Microfiche Library, containing most but not every non-federal statistical item indexed in SRI. A third collection, Index to International Statistics, deals with statistical material from international, intergovernmental bodies, completes the package. Online access to the database—and to some of the documents themselves—is available through the Statistical Universe component of LexisNexis Academic Universe.

Statistical Handbook on Women in America.

A wealth of statistical information, somewhat dated (early 90s), grouped around the categories of demographics, employment, health, and social characteristics. 

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ1420 .T34 1996 

Women's Firsts.

Historical and cultural achievements, arranged alphabetically by area of achievement, from activism to sports with subtopic breakdowns.  Chronological listings within topics.  Sources provided.  Also included: timeline, subject index, index by year, and calendar of firsts by month. 

CALL NUMBER: Ref CT3203 .W66 1997

Directories

Directories identify the professionals, institutions, organizations, and associations within a discipline.

Women's information directory. Detroit : Gale Research, c1993-

CALL NUMBER: Ref HV 1445 .W67 1993

Chronologies

Chronology of women worldwide : people, places & events that shaped women's history. Lynne Brakeman, editor ; Susan Gall, managing editor. Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research, c1997.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ1121 .C617 1996

Bibliographies

Bataille, Gretchen M., 1944-
American Indian women: a guide to research. Gretchen M. Bataille, Kathleen M. Sands; editorial assistant, Catherine Udall. New York: Garland, 1991.

Bibliographies and reference works; Ethnography, cultural history, and social roles; Politics and law; Health, education, and employment; Visual and performing arts; Literature and criticism; Autobiography, biography, and interviews; Film and video.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Bib E 98 .W8 B36 1991

Bauermeister, Erica.
500 great books by women: a reader's guide. Erica Bauermeister, Jesse Larsen, and Holly Smith. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Penguin Books, 1994.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Bib HQ 1150 .B35 1994

Carter, Sarah.
Women's studies: a guide to information sources. Mansell; McFarland, 1990.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Bib HQ 1206 .C37 1990

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 Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Center for the Study of Women and Society of the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. New York: Feminist Press at the City University of New York: Distributed by the Talman Co., 1988.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1181 .U5 L52 1988

Miller, Connie.
Feminist research methods: an annotated bibliography. Connie Miller, with Corinna Treitel. New York: Greenwood, 1991.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Bib HQ 1180 .M54 1991

Women's studies : a recommended bibliography / Linda A. Krikos and Cindy Ingold. Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

CALL NUMBER: RefBib HQ1180 .K75 2004

Biographical Sources

American National Biography

The American National Biography offers portraits of almost 18,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. No living individuals are listed. Restricted to Union College

Black women in America: an historical encyclopedia. Editor, Darlene Clark Hine; associate editors, Elsa Barkley Brown, Rosalyn Terborg-Penn. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Carlson Pub., 1993.

CALL NUMBER: Ref E 185.86 .B542 1993 -- v1-2

Biographical dictionary of Chinese women. Editors-in-chief, Lily Xiao Hong Lee and A.D. Stefanowska; assisted by Sue Wiles. Armonk, N.Y. : M. E. Sharpe, c1998-<2003 >.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ1767.5.A3 B56 1998

Native American women: a biographical dictionary. Gretchen M. Bataille, editor; Laurie Lisa, editorial assistant. New York: Garland, 1993.

CALL NUMBER: Ref E 98 .W8 B38 1993 -- v1-2

Notable American women : a biographical dictionary completing the twentieth century. Susan Ware, editor;Stacy Braukman, assistant editor. Cambridge, Mass : Belknap Press, 2004.
 

CALL NUMBER: Ref CT 3260 .N5725 2004 

Notable Black American women. Jessie Carney Smith, editor. Detroit: Gale Research, c1992-1996.

CALL NUMBER: Ref E 185.96 .N68 1992 -- Books 1 and 2

Notable Hispanic American women. Diane Telgen and Jim Kamp, editors; foreword by Graciela Beecher. 1st ed. Detroit: Gale Research, c1993.

CALL NUMBER: Ref E 184 .S75 N68 1993

Who's who of American women. Chicago, Marquis Who's Who, inc. g6th- ed.; 1970/71-

CALL NUMBER: Ref CT 3260 .W5

Women in world history: a biographical encyclopedia. Ann Commire, editor. Waterford CT: Yorkin Publications, 1999-

CALL NUMBER: Ref HQ 1115 .W6 1999 -- v1-16

Women of the Hall
http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php

Short Biographies of the women inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Includes contemporary as well as historical figures. Accompanied by photographs.

Organizations

• American Association of University Women
• National Organization for Women (N.O.W.)
• National Women's Studies Association
• Professional Women's Organization

Citation Guides and Style Manuals

Style manuals and citations guides illustrate how to cite book, journal, and other research sources, including materials found in online databases and on the Web according to the conventional format of a particular discipline. Subject specific citation guides are listed below, and a complete listing appears at Reference Sites: Citation Guides and Style Manuals.

As an interdisciplinary study, Women's Studies may use a variety of style guides, depending upon the specific disciplinary focus.  Literature courses, for example,  may require the MLA Style Guide, while Women's History classes may use The Chicago Manual of Style or Kate Turabian's  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations: A Brief Guide. Education and the social sciences may use the APA guide, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 

Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. [ Online ] Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger. Available: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/

Books in Schaffer Library are arranged by Library of Congress Class number. Class numbers are searchable in the Web Catalog and browsable in the Stacks and Reference Collection. Note: In addition to the class number areas listed below, books on Women's Studies may be found in many other areas of the library. To find them, try a combined keyword search in the online catalog such as women and [your topic] or feminism and [your topic]

BF	Psychology
HD 6050-6223	Woman labor
HQ	Family, marriage, women
HQ 12-449	Sexual life
HQ 75	Gay and lesbian studies
HQ 1075	Sex roles
HQ 1101-2030	Women, feminism

The New Acquisitions List—residing on the Library Catalogs page—is generated on the 10th of each month and includes items added to the library's collections for the previous calendar month.

Microfiche copies of Senior honors theses are maintained in the Library. For details on the Library's theses holdings, formats, access, photocopying restrictions, and searching for a thesis in the online catalog, see the Thesis Search Page.

Research Guides supplement the broader Research by Subject pages by focusing on the print and electronic resources that are most useful for a course-specific research assignment. For faculty, the Research Guides provide structured access to the Library and Internet resources relevant to their own work or in advising students on their research projects. For students working independently, it serves as a reminder of services and materials offered within the library while at the same time providing a gateway for information available from remote sites.

WGS 376:	African American Women: Unheard Voices and Contemporary Lifestyles

Faculty using Blackboard are encouraged to incorporate links to Library resources—and specifically the Research by Subject pages and the appropriate course-related Research Guides—into the Blackboard course pages. Your Departmental Liaison or Bibliographic Instruction Contacts can assist you.

Schaffer Library provides to range of general and subject specific electronic databases for access to secondary material. These databases offer full-text access to articles or library holdings information.  The following databases sometimes lead to full-text articles and sometimes are designed to tell you which journals are held here in Schaffer Library. But, some do neither. Therefore, to check whether (and where) a title is to be found in the Library's collections, it is necessary to check both of the Periodical Titles lists on our Web Catalog page. Important: If you are searching from off-campus, see the Note on Off Campus Access about Virtual Private Network accounts.

Databases & Indexes > Women's and Gender Studies

Databases & Indexes > Sociology

Women's Studies

Center for Women Policy Studies
http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/
Founded in 1972 as the nation’s first feminist policy research organization. Programs include Welfare Reform, Reproductive Rights, Violence against Women and Girls, Women and AIDS, Work, Family, and Workplace Diversity.

Femina - Web Search for Women
http://www.femina.com/index.html
Created in September of 1995 to provide women with a comprehensive, searchable directory of links to female friendly sites and information on the World Wide Web. Searchable by keyword or Topic Index. Includes the Webgrrls JobBank.

Feminist.com
http://feminist.com/
Resources; articles & speeches; health issues; organizations and more. Includes Activism alerts, excerpts to Our Bodies, Ourselves, classified listings. Links to Women's E-news, a nonprofit independent news service covering the issues that are of particular concern to women.

Feminist Majority Foundation Online
http://www.feminist.org/
The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) "is a cutting edge organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence. News, Events, Actions, Topical Index, Career Center.

Feminist Theory Website
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/
Hosted by Virginia Tech University, this site provides research materials and information for students, activists, and scholars interested in women's conditions and struggles around the world. Arrangement is by various fields within feminist theory, by different national/ethnic feminisms, and by individual feminists and scholars.

Living the Legacy: 1848-1998
http://www.legacy98.org/
Sponsored by the National Women's History Project. Includes History of the Movement, Timeline, Issues, and Organizations.

National Organization for Women
http://www.now.org/
Includes key issues, searchable index, contact information, history of organization, conference information, news.

National Women's Studies Association
http://www.nwsa.org/
"NWSA supports and promotes feminist/womanist teaching, learning, research, and professional and community service at the pre-K through post-secondary levels and serves as a locus of information about the inter-disciplinary field of Women's Studies for those outside the profession. " Includes a link to the  newsletter NWSAction and other publications.

Women Studies Database
http://www.inform.umd.edu/WomensStudies/
The University of Maryland women's studies web site, begun in September 1992, serves those people interested in the women's studies profession and in general women's issues. The searchable database contains collections of conference announcements, calls for papers, employment opportunities, a picture gallery, and a significant number of government documents.

Women's Studies / Women's Issues Resource Sites
http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/links.html
A selective, annotated 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. Searchable by topical or alphabetical listing.

WSS Links: Women and Gender Studies Web Sites
http://libr.org/wss/WSSLinks/index.html
Developed and maintained by the Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Provide comprehensive access to a wide range of resources in support of Women's Studies. A sub-set of the World Wide Web Virtual Library. 

WWW Virtual Library - Women's History
http://www.iisg.nl/w3vlwomenshistory/
lThis site lists women's history institutions and organizations, archival and library collections, and provide links to Internet resources on women's history. In addition, also included are a list of women's studies journals and a few comprehensive link collections useful as a starting point for searching the Internet for women's studies in general.

Search engines for women's resources and women focused links.

Femina Web Search for Women
WWWomen.com: Search Directory for Women Online

Tools for tracking recently published articles.

Dr. Donnica.com http://www.drdonnica.com/ - News alerts and links to a variety of Women's Health Topics. Includes Clinical Trials Alerts, Radio Health Reports, Health Center articles organized by subject.

finePRINT - (Females-In-the-NEws) http://www.femalesinthenews.com/  on-line resource providing women's news for New York's Capital Region.

FeminaMail http://www.femina.com/feminamail.html - Each Monday FeminaMail will send to you a list of some of the most interesting additions to the Femina database from the previous week - from entertainment to health issues, feminist issues to family issues and more!

The New York Times: News by Subject: Women's Studies - Provides full text access to women's studies articles from The New York Times "Ethnic & Cultural Studies" section. Free email alerts by topic.

NOW Action Alert http://www.now.org/press/press.html - sign up for periodic action alerts and announcements. Includes links to NOW News Releases

U.S. and Global Feminist News this Week http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswire.asp - courtesy of the Feminist Majority Foundation - sign up for weekly email news digest.

Women in Technology International http://www.witi.com/ - Sign up for alerts and news

Women's Health http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Health/Womens_Health/ - via Yahoo. Current articles

WomenWatch http://www.un.org/womenwatch/news - Current news and speeches from the United Nations: Division for the Advancement of Women.

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For information on resources, services, collections, and book ordering for your department

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