Celebrating 25 Years of the ACRL Women’s Studies Section: Honoring Our

Past As We Approach Our Future

Dolores Fidishun, Ed.D.Head Librarian Penn State Great Valley

With help from WSS members and our sisters in the Women’s groups of ALA…

In the beginning…

There were several women’s groups in ALA including the SRRT Feminist Task Force, RASD Women’s Materials and Women’s Library Users Discussion Group, and the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship.

At the Midwinter meeting in San Antonio “a small group of feminist librarians interested in Women’s Studies talked about creating a place for this dynamic, still new discipline in our libraries and professional organizations.” (J. Ariel)

1983

• Led by Joan Ariel and Ellen Broidy and the “Women of the Winter of 83” a petition was circulated to establish an ACRL Women’s Discussion Group.

• Not everyone was convinced it was a good idea. Sue Searing originally felt it was unnecessary and would create more meeting conflicts, disturbed at the “elitist” nature of ACRL and worried that the cross fertilization in of academic and public librarians in the RASD group would be lost.

The ACRL Discussion Group

• Provide a forum across professional specialties to discuss women’s studies within the context of academic and research libraries.

• Feminist academic librarians needed involvement in ACRL to get funding for conferences.

• Collection building issues relevant to academic libraries were not being addressed.

• A new discussion group would tap women who would had not previously been involved.

• Women’s voices needed to be heard in the male dominated ACRL.

As Sue said, Joan was right!

• More and more women showed up for meeting and lively discussions ensued.

• The Discussion Group took on new projects such as Building Women’s Studies Collections: A Checklist for Libraries, Research and Resource Centers, and Individual Collections.

And then…A Section

• By 1985 the Discussion Group had grown to nearly 200 members.

• It soon became apparent that becoming a section would provide improved visibility and access to better resources.

• There was a lot of philosophical discussions going on-why did we want section status? What would we gain? (L. Goetsch)

1986-1987 We “Flew Up” (S. Searing)

• In 1986 the WSDG petitioned ACRL to become a section to “represent librarians and others who specialize or are otherwise professionally involved in the cross-disciplinary field of Women’s Studies.” (J. Ariel)

• In the 1987 membership year we became a full section!

Original Section Objectives

• To discuss, promote and support women’s studies collections and services in academic and research libraries.

• To foster the development of bibliographic instruction, faculty liaison and database searching in the cross disciplinary field.

• To encourage cooperative collection development an access to women’s studies materials.

Section Objectives

• To foster cooperation among women’s studies librarians, scholars, students and publishers.

• To work with other ALA groups to promote library and information service to women.

Becoming a Section

• All of the Section Chairs around that time talk about the paperwork and the ACRL bureaucracy

• But as Ellen Broidy said “ We are learning the organizational ropes while a the same time maintaining the feminist vision and energy the brought us together.”

• Sue Searing and Lori Goetsch, who were both willing to chair became the first co-chairs of the new section.

WSS is welcomed into ACRL

• Ellen Broidy, as the first chair of the new section after it was officially a section, attended the meeting of all the section chairs. When she was introduced as the Chair of the new Women’s Studies Section, the entire room broke out into applause.

Milestones begin…

• Dec. 1986 first WSS Newsletter is printed edited by Deb Biggs and Deb Schneider.

• 1ST WSS Business meeting is held on Jan. 18,1987.

• WSS Discussion at Midwinter: Jan. 20, 1987: “Antifeminism and its Effect on Women’s Studies” included two articles to read in advance.

1st Official WSS program

• June 27, 1987 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon• Women of Color: Resources and Access,

Information For, By and About Women of Color in the United States was truly a success with 140 attendees.

• Great programs continue with our Program Monday morning “Feminist Publishing: The Evolution of a Revolution”

WSS Continues to Grow

• In 1989-90 when Sarah Pritchard was Chair we were in her words “coming of age as a section.” Our first 5 year section review, led by Sarah Watstein received high marks. We had or first official logo and stationery designed. We began testing the Conspectus in Women’s Studies written by Sarah Pritchard.

Political Activism

• WSS responded to the times and stood up for women through their activism– Voting not to have a program at ACRL in Utah.

During her term as Chair in 1990-91 Patricia Kreitz had to go before the ACRL board to express our concerns and the refusal of the section to take part officially in the conference.

WSSLINKS

• 1996 , originally constructed by the Collection Development Committee and maintained for, many years by Marlene Manoff, began with about 10 disciplines.

Committees change over the years

• WSS Committees have changed over the years. – 1999 Technical Services became Electronic Resources and

Access– 2000 Ad Hoc Research Committee first met after Kris

Gerhard and Dolores Fidishun discussed how many of our members are interested in research. It became a regular committee in 2001

– 2001 Social and Education Committee became the Instruction Committee

– 2004 Communications Committee becomes the Membership Committee

Working with our Sisters

• Through the years we have partnered with other women’s groups in ALA. Theresa Tobin has been instrumental as a connection between the groups.– Each year Intro to Women’s issues at ALA – Joint socials with FTF– FTF/COSWL/WSS Research project on the gender of

ALA presenters led by Dolores Fidishun– Ongoing connections with the LAMA Women

Administrator’s Discussion Group

Core Lists

• In Jan. 200O the Core Lists web site was created. The Core Lists had originally been created in 1991 when Sue Searing was contact by a group of Russian Feminists about core titles in American Feminism. Sue brought the request to the WSS Collection Development Committee. In the beginning, Joan Ariel distributed paper copies of the lists, they then moved to the U. of Wisconsin gopher service. In 2004 they were converted to a database. (K. Cruse)

WSS Awards

• During Jessica Grim’s term as chair, she carried out a suggestion made by outgoing Chair Bonnie Jean Cox that we should have an award for achievement in Women’s Studies. During Jessica’s term a special committee established the awards including soliciting sponsorship from Greenwood and Routledge

First WSS Awards given

• At Annual of 2000 the first WSS Awards were presented:

• Susan Searing for Career Achievement in WS Librarianship sponsored by Greenwood Publishing

• Lynn Westbrook for Significant Achievement in WS Librarianship sponsored but Routledge

2003 SARS in Toronto

“This past summer WSS joined countless ALA groups in developing Plan B when the SARS threat disrupted our Toronto plans. Those of us who attended certainly missed you who were prevented from attending, but the work of the Section continued. Prior to the conference, the Executive Committee determined by e-mail poll that we would allow committee chairs to determine whether their committees would meet in Toronto. Many committees met, and those that did not each developed their own Plan B for accomplishing their work. Both the Executive Committee and General Membership meetings were held, and a number of us relaxed a little during the social hour. Unfortunately, the large number of panelists and moderators who could not attend the conference forced cancellation of the Monday program.”(S. River)

Leadership Orientation

• Starting in 2003 the section offered a Leadership Orientation to assist new officers and Committee Chairs in their new jobs

Instruction Guides

• First project of the Instruction Committee: Database Instruction Guides were mounted on the web in 2003 after being approved by the Publications Committee.

Women’s Studies Research Agenda

• 2006 The Research Committee completed the Research Agenda for Women’s Studies librarianship. – Used by Hope Olson in her Feminism and

Librarianship course

WSS and the Web

More section projects

• Continuing to contribute to the profession, section committees have created– Electronic Resources Information and Assessment– Women's Studies in Digital Archives Database– Bibliography of Scholarship on Women's Studies Li

brarianship– Collection Development Resources• And more

2008 We enter the world of Web 2.0

2008 is also a banner year

• Action plan approved to send section members to NWSA 2009 to present the information literacy standards

• Joint WSS Social/FTF Women’s Night Out at Giovanni’s Room in Philadelphia attracted over 70 people

• Annual 2008 will see the first set of research poster sessions

Staying True To Our Ideals

• Trying to stay true to the original spirit and culture of the discussion group:– Emphasizing a collegial/feminist atmosphere– Encouraging wide participation among members, new

and long standing– Providing multiple opportunities for information

sharing and discussion– Mentoring librarians new to the profession or to

women’s studies as well as developing leadership among our members. (J. Ariel)

What we are truly about…

• Sisterhood• Support• Mentoring• Learning• Advocating• Most importantly, connections between women who

have like beliefs• We nourish people souls. As Sue Searing said “WSS has

been my emotional and spiritual home in ALA. I have made and sustained wonderful friendships.”