The following list of collections is intended to provide a representative sampling of the Library's archival and manuscript holdings documenting the range of women's experiences. It is not exhaustive but suggests the depth and breadth of women's material s available. The list was compiled by consulting the Library's catalog records, inventories, and accession records to bring together descriptions of collections where women are significantly respresented. Entries are arranged alphabetically under seven broad subject headings. Restricted collections are designated by a Restricted notation after the geographic location note in the description.
Restrictions vary with each collection and usually involve only portions of a collection.
In some cases, researchers may need to seek permission from the donor before using the collection. In other cases, restrictions may refer to limitations on photocopies or permission to publish. In a few cases, the entire collection is closed until a certain date. If you are interested in a particular collection that is restricted, please inquire about collection and the nature of the restriction, since in many cases the materials may still be used. Although this guide focuses soley on archival and manuscript collections, the holdings of the Special Collections Library also includes more than 200,000 published volumes and includes extensive collections of pamphlets, broadsides, sheet music, and ancient papyri which are not reflected in this guide.