Records of the Women's History Research Center, 1968-1980

The records of the Women's History Research Center (Women's History Research Center) include requests for information, correspondence concerning their periodical collection, staff progress reports, logs of correspondence and telephone calls, etc., documenting the administrative operations of the Center. Most folder titles were created by Women's History Research Center staff members; additional titles and information provided by the archivist appear in square brackets. The arrangement was created by the archivist.

Series I, OFFICE FILES, 1970-1977 (#1.1-11.5), includes correspondence, memos, financial documents, job applications, staff progress reports, volunteer sign-up sheets, etc. It is arranged in two subseries.

Subseries A, General, 1970-1977 (#1.1-5.4), includes correspondence; staff, supervisor, and planning meeting minutes; organizational charts; financial documents; memos; office manuals; etc. Also included are a small number of copies of SPAZM, a mimeographed collection of blurbs from newspapers, magazines, and other printed sources as well as announcements submitted by women's groups; there are also folders of materials collected for use in the newsletter. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Personnel, 1971-1979 (#5.5-10.8), includes job applications, staff progress reports, etc. Containing accounts of work that was completed in the office, and of conferences or events attended as representatives of the Women's History Research Center, progress reports were written by paid staff members, interns, and volunteers. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries C, Volunteers, 1970-1975 (#10.9-11.5), includes correspondence, job descriptions, sign-up sheets, etc. Sign-up sheets contain the names and interests of individuals wanting to volunteer at the Women's History Research Center. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series II, INQUIRIES, 1969-1976 (#11.6-21.14, 49CB, 50CB), contains requests for information, logs of correspondence and telephone calls, and mailing lists. It is arranged in two subseries.

Subseries A, Requests for information, 1969-1976 (#11.6-18.5), contains letters from across the United States and, to a lesser extent, other countries requesting information on specific topics, women, and organizations; general requests for information on the women's liberation movement; and requests for Women's History Research Center publications such as songbooks and bibliographies, and price lists. Carbon copies of responses to such requests are often included. Some responses are noted on the envelopes in which requests were received, indicating that requests were processed by a staff member before being given to an intern or volunteer who wrote the reply. Many requests mention monetary donations for information. Folders are arranged chronologically.

Subseries B, Address lists, correspondence and telephone logs, 1971-1976 (#18.6-21.14, 49CB, 50CB), contains records of incoming requests for information and outgoing responses. Logs indicate the date, general topic of the request, and the type of information sent in return. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series III, CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT, 1972-1974 (#22.1-23.2, 49CB), includes correspondence relating to materials acquired by the department and requests for information, mostly asking for suggestions for non-sexist reading materials for children and young adults. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series IV, PERIODICAL DEPARTMENT, 1969-1974 (#23.3-34.8), includes correspondence with publishers of women's periodicals, logs and lists of periodicals collected by the Women's History Research Center, filing procedures, etc. It is arranged in two subseries.

Subseries A, Correspondence, 1969-1974 (#23.3-30.56), contains correspondence with publishers of women's periodicals, many of them small, independent publications. Correspondence concerns the Women's History Research Center's efforts to complete their holdings of each title, requests for information about other organizations' activities and events, and requests for permission to include periodicals in Women's History Research Center microfilming projects. While many files contain clippings, flyers, and mailings, there are no periodicals in this subseries. It is probable that the periodicals relating to these files were among those sent to Northwestern University. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Logs and procedures, 1969-1973 (#30.57-34.8), contains logs and lists of periodicals acquired by the Women's History Research Center and filing and staff procedures. Logs include periodical titles; name of the publisher, usually a grass-roots women's organization; and the issues acquired. Photocopies of index cards in #34.1-34.6 include similar information. The invite book contains a record of organizations contacted by the Women's History Research Center and asked to contribute materials to the Center's collection. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series V, PROMOTIONS DEPARTMENT, 1970-1977 (#34.9-41.5, 49CB), includes correspondence, memos, flyers, notes, etc., relating to publicity for the Women's History Research Center. Correspondence includes files relating to the advertising of microfilm collections produced by the Women's History Research Center and conferences in which members of the Women's History Research Center participated or at which the Women's History Research Center offered pamphlets to conference participants. Many files appear to have been created by the law and health departments, which may have ceased to exist following the release of the Women and Health and Women and Law microfilm collections. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series VI, WOMEN'S STUDIES DEPARTMENT, 1968-1974 (#41.6-43.13), contains correspondence files and clippings concerning women's studies programs throughout the United States. Correspondence topics include syllabi, conferences, and workshops sponsored by women's studies departments. Files are arranged alphabetically by school.

Series VII, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, 1973-1975 (#43.14-47.12), includes grant applications, intern applications, program evaluations, manuals, etc., relating to the internship program funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare). Files document the Women's History Research Center's planning, administration, and efforts to evaluate the program. Correspondence logs document a portion of the work accomplished by interns and the evaluations and questionnaires provide an overview of the internships; for more detailed accounts of the work accomplished, see the progress reports in Series I, Subseries C. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series VIII, UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, 1974-1980 (#47.13-48.10), contains carbon copies of responses to the requests for information received by the Women's History Research Center, and answered by the Archive of Contemporary History at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, as part of the agreement between the two organizations upon the Archive's acquisition of the Women's History Research Center's topical research files. Files do not include the original request. Filed among the responses is correspondence between Laura X and Wyoming's David Crossen, in which Laura X expresses her dissatisfaction with Crossen's replies to requests for information. Also included are memos documenting Women's History Research Center's procedures for handling requests for information following the sale of the topical files. Files are arranged alphabetically.