Guides: Women's and Gender Studies: Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

The "Library of Congress, repository of more primary source collections and more primary source expertise than any other institution in the world… [says]:

Primary sources are original items or records that have survived from the past, such as clothing, letters, photographs, and manuscripts. They were part of a direct personal experience of a time or event.

Other cultural institutions may offer variations on the Library of Congress definition, but all of them list some combination of the following:

A record created at the time a historical event occurred.
An event described or recorded by someone who either participated in or witnessed it.
Information derived from a direct participant.
An object created as part of daily life.
An artifact or record of its time."

Johnson, Mary. (2009). Primary Source Teaching the Web 2.0 Way. Linwood Publishing, Inc. Worthington, Ohio.

If you need help finding primary sources, please contact the Women's and Gender Studies Librarian, Julie Leuzinger.

Primary Source Discovery

British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries is an online collection that spans more than 400 years of personal writings, bringing together the voices of women from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
Godey's lady's book
Godey's Lady's Book was intended to entertain, inform and educate the women of America. In addition to extensive fashion descriptions and plates, the early issues included biographical sketches, articles about mineralogy, handcrafts, female costume, the dance, health and hygiene, and more.
LGBT Thought and Culture
LGBT Thought and Culture is an online resource hosting the key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The collection includes materials ranging from seminal texts, letters, periodicals, speeches, interviews, and more.
North American women's letters and diaries
North American Women's Letters and Diaries includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. Dates of Coverage: Colonial to 1950.
Sex & Sexuality
Sex & Sexuality explores changing attitudes towards human sexuality, gender and sexual behaviours in America and beyond, from the late-nineteenth century to the present day through the use of archival materials.
Struggle for Women's Rights, Organizational Records, 1880-1990
The Struggle for Women's Rights, organizational records, collection is comprised of records of three important women's rights organizations: the National Woman's Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Action Alliance.
Women's Issues and Their Advocacy Within the White House, 1974-1977
The Women's Issues and Their Advocacy Within the White House collection provides documents concerning Patricia Lindh's and Jeanne Holm's liaison with women's groups and their advocacy within the White House on issues of special interest to women. Documents are from 1974-1977.
Women's Studies Archive: Women's Issues and Identities
Women's Issues and Identities traces the path of women's issues from past to present. It captures the foundation of women's movements, struggles, and triumphs. This resource focuses on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century.
Women's Studies Manuscript Collections from the Schlesinger Library: Voting Rights, National Politics, and Reproductive Rights
Women’s Studies Manuscript Collections from the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College consist of three series: voting rights, national politics and reproductive rights.
Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps
Women at Work during World War II contains two major sets of records documenting the experience of American women during World War II: Records of the Woman's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, and Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps.

Primary Source Discovery on the Web

Digital Transgender Archive
A database of digital and digitized trans history materials.
Discovering American Women's History Online
A database of around 700 digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States. Has an interactive map as well as advanced search options where you can limit by place, time period, and primary source type.
Duke University's Digital Repository of Women's Liberation Movement Print Culture
A digital collection of manifestos, speeches, essays, etc. from the American Women’s Liberation Movement from the 1960s to 1970s.
HEARTH: Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History
HEARTH is a core electronic collection of books and journals in Home Economics and related disciplines published between 1850 and 1950.
Independent Voices
Independent Voices chronicles the transformative decades of the 60s, 70s and 80s through the lens of an independent alternative press.
National Archives Library Information Center - Women's History
The struggle for women to gain acceptance, recognition and equal rights in society has been a long process. In recognition of the contributions of American women, ALIC presents a listing of web sites relevant to women in the United States.
Suffragist Oral History Project
Tape-recorded and transcribed oral histories from twelve leaders and participants of the woman’s suffrage movement.
UNT Libraries Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Archive
The LGBTQ Archive at UNT is a repository for records documenting the history and culture of the LGBTQ communities in the South and the Southwest. This major collecting initiative documents people, places, and events through primary source materials, including letters, photographs, newspapers, and more.
USC Libraries ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives
The oldest active LGBT+ organization in the US and the largest repository of LGBT+ materials in the world.
Women Making History and Culture: 1963 - 1982
Historical audio recordings concerning women and the women's movement.

Women's and Gender Studies

What is a Primary Source?

Primary Source Discovery

Primary Source Discovery on the Web

Additional Links