Records of Women Entrepreneurs Homebased, 1983-2001
Overview
Records of Women Entrepreneurs Homebased, a monthly support group open to all women running a business from their homes or thinking of doing so.
Dates
- Creation: 1983-2001
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
TERMS OF USE
Access. Unrestricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in records created by Women Entrepreneurs Homebased is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
1.25 linear feet (3 file boxes)The collection includes information packets, membership directories, minutes, correspondence, notes, financial records, surveys, and printed material from other similar organizations collected by Louise Bonar. Folders titled "official records," contain minutes, correspondence, notes, and occasional budgets. Financial records include several membership lists and lists of guests attending various meetings. Folders are arranged with information packets first, followed by organizational records, financial records, and an alphabetical listing of the remaining records. The printed material from other organizations is arranged alphabetically by organization name at the end of the collection. Folder titles were created by Louise Bonar; information added by the archivist appears in brackets. Copies of the Women Entrepreneurs Homebased newsletter, entitled WEH News, are located in the Schlesinger Library periodicals; a master set of duplicates (1986-2002) is stored separately in the master file drawer.
HISTORY
Women Entrepreneurs Homebased (WEH) was founded in 1983 to enable women in the western suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, to share business concerns of mutual interest and to overcome the isolation of working at home. Their mission statement reads: "Women Entrepreneurs Homebased exists to encourage, inspire, support, motivate, and challenge members to make business and financial goals a reality. In trust and confidentiality, we exchange information on business issues and contacts."
WEH had no officers; members volunteered to facilitate meetings, take minutes, edit the newsletter, etc. Meeting once a month, members and guests discussed a topic selected by consensus at a previous meeting or through a yearly survey. A display table was provided at each meeting for members to put out their business cards, brochures, business announcements, and other promotional material. Members interested in meeting more frequently were encouraged to join "accountability groups" where they could discuss more targeted problem solving and focused goal setting. Membership included the cost of meetings, newletters, and a membership directory.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession numbers: 2000-M76, 2001-M15, 2001-M135
These records were given to the Schlesinger Library by Louise Bonar in May 2000 and January and August 2001.
Processing Information
Processed: March 2005
By: Johanna Carll
- Title
- Women Entrepreneurs Homebased. Records of Women Entrepreneurs Homebased, 1983-2001: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was made possible by a gift from Mary and Michael Gellert.
- EAD ID
- sch00347
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.