Find Learn About Ask Us Library Home Link to print-friendly version Resources for Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Gender, Sexuality and Women's studies is an interdisciplinary field which focuses on power and gender relationships. It attempts, on one hand, to fill gaps in traditional academic disciplines and, on the other, to formulate a new field of feminist study. This guide to library resources for gender, sexuality and women's studies lists some of the reference books and indexes available to the researcher, but it is far from comprehensive. Don't hesitate to ask a librarian for help if you aren't finding what you need. Table of Contents: Reference Works Browsing for Books Indexes and Databases Journals Websites Reference Works Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Chronologies Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories London: Routledge 2000 An alphabetical dictionary offering brief but illuminating articles on a wide variety of feminist theories as they are applied to a wide range of subjects. Each entry is followed by a selective list of key works on the topic. An excellent place to get a quick snapshot of feminist theory at work across disciplines. Location: Ref HQ 1190 .E63 2000 Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America New York: Scribner's 2004 Offers in depth articles on over 500 topics related to GLBT history, including events, communities, individuals, professions, legal issues, and topics such as "coming out," "closet," and "gay liberation." Location: Ref HQ 76.3 .U5 E53 2004 Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities: A Social, Cultural, and Historical Encyclopedia Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio 2004 Covers a wide range of approaches to the subject, with articles on individuals, pivotal events and movements, social processes, and the representation of gender in canonical and popular culture. Location: Ref HQ 1090.3 .M436 2004 Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender San Diego, CA: Academic Press 2001 Provides long, in-depth articles on topics on current research about the psychology of women and gender. Includes topics such as gender and achievement, aging, child care, and body image concerns. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .E52 2001b Feminist Glossary of Human Geography Arnold 1999 A specialized dictionary that tries to capture significant changes in the field as they relate to theory and gender. Includes geographic approaches to such topics as sisterhood, nature, identity, and justice. The bibliography at the back of the volume provides a gateway to the most important books and essays on the topic. Location: Ref G 63 .G5 1999 Dictionary of Feminist Theory Columbus: Ohio State UP 1995 Covers theoretical issues in feminism and is particularly useful for putting them in historical context. Helpful for pinpointing primary documents relating to feminist theory. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .H86 1995 Routledge Critical Dictionary of Feminism and Postfeminism New York: Routledge 1999 The first half of this book consists of a collection of fifteen short, pithy essays on feminism and its impact on a variety of subjects, including the developing world, popular culture, film, language, literature, religion, and psychoanalysis. Included, too, are historical surveys of early feminism, first and second wave feminism, and "postfeminism." The second half offers short introductions to key themes and major figures. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .R68 2000 Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge New York: Routledge 2000 This resource includes articles on topics related to the arts, literature, culture, economy, education, health, history of feminism, politics, religion, science, etc. Articles provide overviews of topics and include information from world viewpoints and on world conditions whenever possible. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .R69 2000 The Women's Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record, from Prehistory to the Present New York: Holt 1994 A listing of brief descriptive entries relating to women through history in chronological order. Entries are marked with symbols indicating the topic area in which they fall. Karen Greenspan's Timetables of Women's History (Ref HQ 1121 .G74 1994) presents tables of historical notes year by year, to lay out the concurrent developments in daily life, science, the arts, religion, occupations, and statecraft. Brief essays on periods are also included. Location: Ref HQ 1122 .T73 1994 Women in the Third World: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Issues New York: Garland 1998 Offers substantial overviews of topics relating to women in the developing world, including theoretical issues, political and legal contexts, sex-role ideologies, demographics, economics, and women and the environment, as well as regional surveys. Location: Ref HQ 1870.9 .W6548 1998 The Women's Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism Westport, CT: Greenwood 2006 This two-volume series provides an excellent introduction to Third Wave Feminism, including definitions of terms, biographical sketches, recommendations for further reading. Volume 2 contains a wide selection of primary documents. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .W644 2006 Women's Studies Encyclopedia Westport, CT: Greenwood 1999 Rev. ed. edition Provides short articles on a wide variety of topics. Location: Ref HQ 1115 .W645 1999 Biographical Sources Black Women in America New York: Oxford University Press 2005 2nd ed. edition A scholarly compilation of biographical and topical articles covering key issues and the lives of women, celebrated and unknown, constituting a definitive history of African American women and their experience in America. Bibliographies are provided at the end of articles to lead the researcher to further sources, both primary and secondary. Location: Ref E 185.86 .B542 2005 (3 vols.) Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary Cambridge: Harvard UP 1971 Lengthy and thorough biographies of women, followed by useful bibliographies. A supplement, published in 1980, covers the modern period, profiling women who died between 1951 and 1975. Location: Ref CT 3260 .N57 Women in World History Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications 1999 A biographical encyclopedia offering entries on 10,000 women from around the world. Includes indexes by era, geography, occupation, and name. Location: Ref HQ1115 .W6 1999 (17 vols.) Women in the Arts American Women Writers New York: Ungar 1987 Invaluable for identifying women writers. It provides biographical and literary background on each writer as well as good bibliographies of works by and about them. See also the excellent Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States (Ref PS 147 .O94 1995) which includes biographical entries, entries on works, and many thematic entries that make interesting connections and offer many leads for further research. Location: Ref PS 147 .A4 (5 vols.) Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature New York: Prentice-Hall 1992 A thorough compendium of information on world literature written by women from early times to the present, presenting a wealth of detail in concise and informative articles. Includes lengthy regional surveys at the front of the book. Particularly good for covering non-Western women writers. Location: Ref PN 471 .57 1992 Dictionary of Russian Women Writers Westport, CT: Greenwood 1994 Covers 448 women writers who in most cases have been neglected in other works. Each entry includes biographical and critical information, a list of publications, and a bibliography of critical sources, most of which are in Russian language publications. Location: Ref PG 2997 .D53 1994 Dictionary of Women Artists London: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997 Offers 600 entries describing the lives and work of artists in a wide variety of media from Europe, America, and Australasia, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. Each sketch includes bio-critical information, exhibition history, and often a bibliography. There are also lengthy essays on women artists in the Middle Ages, convents, academies of art, training and professionalism, modernism, and feminism. Location: Ref N 8354 .D53 1997 The Oxford Guide to British Women Writers Oxford: Oxford UP 1993 Offers biographical sketches of over 400 women from medieval times to the present who were born in, spent considerable writing time in, or have significantly influenced British writing. Each entry includes major publications and critical references. Location: Ref PR 111 .S48 1993 Women Writers of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: An Annotated Bio-Bibliographical Guide New York: Greenwood 1989 Each author entry includes a brief biography, followed by a detailed listing of her works, with annotations. Appendices list the authors chronologically and geographically, and there is a bibliography of secondary literature. Location: Ref PT167.W66 1989 The Women's Companion to International Film Berkeley: University of California 1994 Offers around 600 brief articles on women filmmakers, actresses, films, film concepts and how they relate to women's filmmaking, women in national cinemas, film genres and their representation of women, and more. Location: Ref PN 1993.45 .W6 1994 Women in Politics The Almanac of Women and Minorities in World Politics Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press 2000 Arranged alphabetically by country, this resource provides brief information about major women in politics in recent history (mainly 20th century). Listings of women and minorities appointed or elected to major posts are also included. Location: Ref HQ 1236 .M347 2000 Women in Science and Technology The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science New York: Routledge 2000 Offers biographical entries with bibliographies on women in science from ancient times to the mid-20th century. Arranged alphabetically, this resource also includes indexes with listings by occupation, country and time period. Location: Ref Q 141 .B5285 2000 American Women in Technology: An Encyclopedia Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio 2000 Offers biographical entries on women in technology. Also offers entries on major fields in technology (i.e. astronomy, computers, safety engineering) and the history of women in these various fields. Location: Ref T36 .Z54 2000 Women of Mathematics: A Biobibliographical Sourcebook Greenwood 1987 Provides lengthy biographies and discussions of the contributions of women mathematicians with an emphasis on early times. Each biography is followed by a list of works by and about the subject. Location: Ref QA 28 .W66 1987 Women in Sports International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports New York: Macmillan Reference 2001 This unique resource contains entries focusing on women's roles in individual sports, in sports in regions and nations throughout the world, in sports events, and in sports organizations. Health issues and general issues such as advertising and youth sports are also covered. Biographies of major figures in women's sports are included. Location: Ref GV 709 .I58 2000 Primary Source Collections Book Series The Early Modern Englishwoman: A Facsimile Library of Essential Works Aldershot: Ashgate 2000 A collection of British women's writing from 1500 to 1640, including the writings of Elizabeth and Mary Tudor, Jane Seymour, confessional writing, poetry, and mother's advice books Location: PR 1121 .E19 2000 Schomburg Library of Nineteenth Century Black Women Writers Oxford: Oxford UP Various Dates This series of books, published by Oxford University Press, reprints all sorts of writings-- personal narratives, novels, poetry, anthologies. They are not shelved all together, but can be located on the catalog by searching the series name as a title. Location: Various Call Numbers Women in America from Colonial Times to the 20th Century New York: Arno Various Dates This series of reprints, produced by Arno Press, includes works by and about women published before 1900. As with the Schomburg series, the volumes are shelved in various locations, but searching the catalog using the series as a title will bring up a listing of the works in the series. Location: Various Call Numbers American Women's Diaries New Canaan, CT: Readex 1984 This collection of microfilm reproduces the diaries of women who lived and traveled in the western U.S., New England, and the South. Location: Microfilm Room - CT 3260 .A64 1984 The Cornell University Collection of Women's Rights Pamphlets Wooster, MN: Bell & Howell 1974 This collection of microfiche contains 117 pamphlets published between 1814 and 1912. Location: Microfilm Room - Microfiche HQ 1236 .C675 1974 Herstory Microfilm Collection Berkeley: Women's History Research Center 1973 This collection of microfilm largely consists of women's periodicals. There is no single detailed index to the series, so use requires a certain amount of inventiveness and patience to use. There are two supplementary collections of clippings arranged in broad subject categories dealing with Women's Law (MicroF KF 477 .A1 W6) and Women and Health (Microfilm MF 96). Location: MicroF HQ 1101 .H47 Browsing for Books Books are shelved in general subject categories using the Library of Congress classification system. You may want to supplement your use of the catalog with browsing shelf areas for your topic. Below is a brief listing of some of the subject locations in the field of women's studies. HQ The family. Marriage. Women 12-449 Sexuality 503-1064 Marriage and the family 1101-2030 Women, Feminism 1121-1154 history 1180 women's studies 1236 women and the state 1381 women and economics 1393 women and religion 1402 - 1870.5 women in regions or countries For an annotated listing of important books in the field, consult Women's Studies: A Recommended Bibliography (2004) shelved at Ref HQ 1180 .K76 2004. Indexes and Databases Many disciplinary and general databases will contain material relevant to Women's Studies. The following resources may be particularly useful. Alternative Press Index Indexes nearly 300 alternative, radical and leftist periodicals, newspapers and magazines from 1991-present. Web of Science The Science Citation Index Expanded and the Social Sciences Citation Index of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Besides indexing a wide range of journals in the sciences, social sciences, and history, this resource allows you to search for articles that cite a specific author or published work. Coverage from 1997 to the present. Women Studies Abstracts Rush, NY: Rush Publishing 1972 This quarterly publication, only available in print format, contains listings of works in the field by broad subject category, each accompanied by a summary. There are author and subject indexes that cumulate for each year. Location: Ref HQ 1101 .W66 Journals Additional journals may be available in full text through various subscription databases. THE ADVOCATE n.775, 1998- FEMINIST STUDIES: F S v.2, 1974-; back issues available through JSTOR. FRONTIERS v.1, 1976- GAY AND LESBIAN REVIEW v.7, 2000- GENDER AND HISTORY v.13, 2001- HYPATIA v.1, 1986- JOURNAL OF FEMINIST STUDIES IN RELIGION v.6, 1990- JOURNAL OF WOMEN'S HISTORY v.9 n.1, 1997- LEGACY v.8, 1991- OFF OUR BACKS most recent ten years PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY v.1, 1976- SIGNS v.1, 1975-; back issues available through JSTOR. TULSA STUDIES IN WOMEN'S LITERATURE v.9, 1990-; back issues available through JSTOR. WOMAN'S ART JOURNAL v.1, 1990- WOMEN AND PERFORMANCE Jan. 2001 WOMEN'S REVIEW OF BOOKS most recent five years WOMEN'S STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION v.18, 1995- WOMEN'S STUDIES QUARTERLY v.8, 1981- Websites General Women's Studies / Women's Issues Resource Sites From the Center for Women and Information Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A substantial, selective directory of hundreds of sites on such topics as women and activism, cyberculture, health, higher education, sports and recreation, and women of color. All entries are annotated. Also offers an international directory of women's studies programs and research centers. Location: Online. WSSLinks: Women and Gender Studies Selected, annotated links for women's studies. Covers art, education, film, health, history, sexuality, music, philosophy, politics, science and technology, and theology. Links are chosen by members of the Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Location: Online. History Diotima: Materials for the Study of Women and Gender in the Ancient World Resources on the study of women and gender in the ancient world. Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index From Haverford College, this site provides a database of journal articles, books, and dissertations on women in the middle ages. Includes a sophisticated search engine and lists of broad topics and subjects. Location: Online. WWW Virtual Library: Women's History From the International Institute of Social History. A directory of annotated links to women's history resources, arranged by chronological period, geographical location, and by topic, with additional links to discussion lists, conferences, associations, and more. Location: Online. Reading Lists Women's Studies: Core Books A searchable database of the most important books in print on issues ranging from girls and girlhood to aging, covering women's studies approaches to religion, sports, the arts, law, media, politics, and more. Books are chosen by specialists in the Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Location: Online. Social Policy, Social Issues Feminist Internet Gateway: Reviewed Links From the Feminist Majority Foundation. An extensive list of links on arts and media, education, health, lesbian/LGBT information, politics, reproductive rights, etc. The foundation's site also provides a research center, "court watch," a calendar, and more. Location: Online. Institute for Women's Policy Research Links to information on violence, employment and economic change, democracy and society, poverty and welfare, the family and work, and health-care policy. The Institute for Women's Policy Research is a nonprofit organization that conducts scientific research for use by women's organizations. Location: Online. Page Coordinator: Amy Fry afry@gac.edu This URL: http://gustavus.edu/academics/library/libdata_pos/page.phtml?page_id=84 800 West College Avenue     -     St. Peter, MN 56082     -     (507) 933-7556