Representative Reference Sources for Women's Studies

When doing a literature search in women’s studies, start by establishing a basic understanding of the terms and concepts in the field. Reference works such as dictionaries, handbooks, manuals and encyclopedias are great sources for this type of information.

 

American First Ladies                                                                     R 920.72 A512 1996

Provides biographical sketches of First Ladies, through Hillary Clinton. Essays also include leading historical and political research on each woman and her contributions to US history.

 

Encyclopedia Britannica                                                                 Online

An online version of the popular print encyclopedia, it is a great source for basic information in multiple subject areas.

 

Encyclopedia of Women in the Renaissance (Italy, France, and England)         R 305.4 E568 2007

Covers important women of the time, along with important issues and how relating to women. Entries contain bibliographies for additional sources of information.

 

Feminist Encyclopedia of Spanish Literature                                       R 860.99287 F329 2002

Treats Spanish literature from a feminist perspective, discussing female writers, important topics, characters, etc, along with how male writers portrayed women.

 

Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women                          R 305.4 R869 2000

Cover issues that relate to women worldwide, like citizenship, domestic violence, or child care. Entries are fairly extensive and each contains references and suggestions for further reading.

 

Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia                               R 305.4 W8725i 2004

Entries include important women and issues related to women during the time period.

 

Women’s Studies Encyclopedia                                                      R 305.4 W8728 1989

Entries explain terms, concepts and individuals important to the discipline of women’s studies.

 

The Women’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects              R 306.4 W177w 1988

Provides definitions and illustrations of symbols and sacred objects from various cultures, and their relationship to women.

 

Women During the Civil War                                                       R 973.7082 H294w 2007

This encyclopedia contains entries outlining the main issues of women during that era, including biographies of important women and women’s roles during the war.

 

Women and War                                                                         R 355.0082 W872 2006

Outlines topics/concepts related to women and their participation in war dating from antiquity to the present. Also includes biographies of prominent women related to the topic.

 

Women in World History                                                              R 920.72 W872i 1999

This 10 volume biographical encyclopedia that contains entries on women from all eras of world history. Entries rang from a paragraph to a few pages in length.

 

Women Writers of Great Britain and Europe                       R 809.89287 W8728 1997

Entries cover a variety of women writer’s from antiquity to the present. Each biography includes a list of published works by the writer and some also include pictures.

 

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Finding Books and Other Items in the Library

To find books and other resources for women’s studies in our general collection start by going to the ALEX online catalog. Information on women and women studies is scattered throughout our collection. Below are some tips to finding relevant information.  

 

The main call numbers associated with women  and women issues are: 305.4 or 305.42

 

You can also find information by search by subject. Here is a sample of some related subject headings:

·         Women and Religion

·         Women and War

·         Women Athletics

·         Women Consumers United States

·         Women Crimes Against

·         Women Government Policy United States

·         Women History

·         Women in Literature

·         Women in Mass Media

·         Women Psychology

·         Women United States Social Conditions

 

You can refine your search results by viewing the Related Subjects and associated subheadings.  Searching by keyword broadens your search and retrieves more information.  Search by author if you want to find works, by a specific author, director, or actor. 

 

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Resources for Finding Articles on Women's Studies

For the latest information from authoritative sources, use scholarly journals. Some online library databases like Academic Search Complete are general databases that contain information from multiple disciplines. The following databases are other examples, typically more specific in nature, that contain information geared towards this discipline.

 

Anthrosource

Current issues for 15 of the most critical anthropology journals, along with archive access for all of the American Anthropology Association’s journals.

 

Biography and Genealogy Master Index

Index of biographical information from a variety of sources.

 

Wiley InterScience (Formerly Blackwell Synergy)

You can either browse by subject area, or use the advanced search options to find articles covering a specific topic.

 

Contemporary Women's Issues

Citations and limited full text access to articles dealing with sociology, psychology, education, and human rights issues relating to women.

 

Humanities International Complete

Contains full text from over 890 journals, some of which are unique to this database, along with citations from over 2,100 journals. Covers all of the humanities, including film.

 

JSTOR

This is a historical database with the most recent articles from 3-5 years ago. Use the browse feature to navigate to the links for journals by subject. Or you can use the keyword or other advanced search options. All articles are full text.

 

Project Muse

Associated with JSTOR this database contains 250 journals covering most of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

 

Women's Studies International

Covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies including the areas of sociology, political science, business, and others. Records span from 1972 and earlier to present.

 

 

Journal Finder

If you are having trouble finding the full text of a journal, Journal Finder can help point you towards the right database. 

 

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Web Resources for Women's Studies

There is a great variety of web sites that deal with Women's Studies. Following are a few websites that could be useful to your research. For additional web resources in this area, check out the library's delicious page of websites.

 

Bridgewater College’s Department of Sociology

This site is the home page for the Communication Studies Department at Bridgewater College.

 

Images of Women in Ancient Art

Associated with the art history program at Sweet Briar College, this site discusses representations of women in art from societies from prehistory, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and others.

 

Intute: Social Sciences, Women Studies

Intute is maintained by a group UK universities, providing databases of web resources for a variety of topics. This site evaluates and annotates web resources freely available on the Internet. Links are categories by subject, including Women and Law, Girls and Young Women, or Feminism and Gender.

 

Penn State University’s Social Science Library- Women Studies Guide

Outline provided by PSU’s Social Science library providing annotated links relevant to women studies.

 

Women in Congress

Provides biographical information on all the women (past and present) who have served either in the Senate or the House of Representatives.

 

Women's Studies Database

List of additional databases related to Women's Studies.