Discovering+American+Women's+History+Online

By Kerry Dubyk
 * A New Way to Discover American Women's History Online **

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=== While so much of women's history and the details of women's lives have gone undocumented, providing avenues for library patrons to explore that history is so important. Libraries play a key part in the recognition of the roles and accomplishments of women throughout American history. We need to make sure those resources are readily available and convenient to use, so our patrons have a new way to explore and research American women’s history. ===

One vital resource in this area is the award-winning [|Discovering American Women’s History Online], a rich digital database collection of primary sources covering all aspects of American women’s history, from the 1600s to the present. The collection covers a wide spectrum of diversity in time periods, geography, social class, and ethnicity that is a rare digital exhibit window into the range of amazing women throughout history. The site provides access to primary sources of all types: newspapers, photos, letter, diaries, portraits, manuscripts, maps, and artifacts that document the history of American women, from the girl scouts of the Wisconsin River Valley to the oral histories of women astronauts. The site is maintained by Ken Middleton, the Digital Initiatives Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University’s Walker Library, and was the winner of the [|ABC-CLIO Online History Award] and the [|ACRL WWS Significant Achievement Award] in 2009.

One of the greatest features of the digital collection is an interactive map that links more than 500 locations with online primary sources. This is especially useful when researching state, local, or family history. The collection provides a number of avenues for ease-of-use, such as directories based on over 300 subjects or by state, time period, and primary source type. Researchers are also able to narrow their areas of interest quickly and easily access an advanced search from any page. The use of this online collection transcends across libraries and usability for researchers of varying levels. From the curious learner to the academic scholar researching the past, Discovering American Women’s History Online enables library patrons of all types to access a great collection and catalog information on American women’s history in one place.

A particular challenge for public librarians is finding convenient and comprehensive resources for their patrons in various disciplines. More and more patrons are looking for high quality, free online resources. In fact, according to a 2013 Pew Research study, [|Library Services in the Digital Age], 73% of the Americans interviewed felt it is “very important” for public libraries to provide research resources such as free databases to the community. While there are an abundance of resources regarding women’s history, many are hard to find, difficult to use, or too expensive for library patrons to access. Discovering American Women’s History Online solves all of these issues for public librarians as a free online resource that is easy to use and provides detailed information about each collection. The site is accessible for all interest groups with the ability to browse by time period, location, and collection type. Whether a patron is looking for a resource for a school assignment or simply interested in learning more about a topic of general interest, this database is a wonderful asset for public librarians to recommend to their patrons. Local history is an important topic for many community libraries, yet new and engaging resources beyond the library shelf can be hard to find and maintain. The interactive map feature allows librarians or patrons to narrow a search by location to research local history easily. And as a collection, its wide ranging offerings stand as solid foundation for further research of interest.
 * Solving a Public Librarian’s Challenge**

Beyond local history, many patrons in both public and academic libraries are interested in finding women’s history resources for genealogical research. Primary resources are a rare gem for any family history enthusiast to uncover. Imagine discovering a photograph of your ancestor from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or an oral history interview from an ancestor’s life in the west in the early 1900s! While there are many websites devoted to genealogy, there are a lack of resources devoted to women’s history and few that can provide such valuable primary sources in one place. From the role of women in Jamestown, Virginia in the 1600s, women's clothing and dress through "The American Centuries", photographs from the Ogontz School in Pennsylvania attended by Amelia Earhart, to the "Four Star Women" of the Veterans History Project, this digital collection offers an accessible treasure trove of information into the past and is a great asset as a genealogy resource.

Academic librarians are continually looking for new ways to guide students in their areas of research. A common student plight is that by the time they reach a librarian they have already scoured the web, library databases, and catalogs and still haven’t found the material they need for their latest assignment. At the same time academic librarians struggle to provide high quality resources in a timely manner that meet student’s narrow research demands. Discovering American Women’s History Online may be that missing link for students across social science disciplines, particularly for students of women’s studies, history, and sociology. Take the topic of the suffragists, for example. Researchers can find digital images of Susan B. Anthony’s diaries or hear full-length interviews of women with key roles in the suffrage movement! The diversity and depth of the primary resources in the collection can provide a new and engaging way for students to immerse themselves in women’s history.
 * Engaging Students in Women’s History**

The collection is also an excellent source as researcher starter as a one-stop shop for women’s history across diverse subject areas and time periods. Students in various disciplines may find themselves doing research on a plethora of niche, or even controversial, topics that library guides don’t cover. The subject areas of Discovering American Women’s History Online cover a wide range of detailed topics from basket makers and birth control to witchcraft and women’s rights.

Librarians also seek tools to provide and teach students about primary sources. Discovering American Women’s History Online allows them to do this with detailed descriptions and links to more than 700 digital collections of primary sources. These primary sources are precious in any setting, but are especially so in the often forgotten side of women's everyday lives. Students might be particularly drawn to its catalog of digitized oral histories, a vast resource of interesting first-hand information.

On a more personal note to librarians, the legacy of women in libraries is one that we carry the responsibility of passing on. While we do this every day at the reference desk or in the classroom, we are also able to promote the histories of the trailblazing women in librarianship that came before us. Discovering American Women’s History Online not only preserves those pieces of history with unique subject areas for women in libraries, but lets us explore that past in detail. We can explore great accomplishments in women librarianship such as the first bookmobile introduced by Maryland Librarian Mary Titcomb at the turn of the twentieth-century or the Clara Breed Collection of touching and personal correspondence with over 300 letters between this San Diego's children's librarian and interned Japanese Americans during World War II. We can continue to preserve that legacy by remembering and celebrating the impact of women throughout history with our patrons and our library communities.
 * Preserving a Legacy**

//**Kerry Dubyk** is a Library Assistant at Penn State Abington Library and MLIS student at Rutgers University.//