Women in Development Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of over 3800 pamphlets in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, and Indonesian that facilitate research on women and women's issues in third world or developing countries; included are extensive files arranged by country or region of the world. Among the major topics addressed are agriculture; education; employment; project design and evaluation; and water, health, and sanitation. The collection was created by the Agency for International Development/Women in Development program.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This collection is open for research.
Women in Development Collection, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
In March 1990, the Agency for International Development/Women in Development (AID/WID) program contacted the Women's Studies program at the University of Maryland at College Park to ascertain their interest in the Women in Development (WID) collection. AID/WID wanted to donate their archival library collection of books, government documents, working papers, unpublished papers, pamphlets, audio-visual materials, and other items to a library that would provide access to the collection and to which they could refer potential researchers. They welcomed proposals from libraries in the Washington D.C. region as well as libraries specializing in women's studies outside the metropolitan area. The Woman Studies program contacted Betty Day, the Women's Studies bibliographer, who, with the assistance of Hugh O'Connor of Government Documents, prepared a proposal. In addition, Dr. William E. Kirwan, president of the University of Maryland at College Park, and a number of faculty members wrote letters of support to show how the collections would support research and teaching on women in developing countries at the University. In the fall of 1990, Ms. Day was informed that the collection would be given to the University of Maryland.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Women in Development collection contains a wide range of material covering the period from 1944 to 1990 with the bulk of the material dating from 1978 to 1983. This pamphlet collection consists of approximately 3800 items written predominantly in English but including documents written in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Norwegian, Portuguese and Indonesian. The collection contains "working or "occasional" papers sponsored by organizations in developed or developing countries, unpublished papers and speeches, and journal offprints. Also included are published conference papers, monographs, annual reports, bibliographies, brochures, news clippings, newsletters and journal issues.
This collection is designed to facilitate research on women and women's issues in third world or developing countries; included are extensive files arranged by country or region of the world. Among the major topics addressed are agriculture; education; employment; project design and evaluation; and water, health and sanitation. The collection also offers a historical view of the operations of an agency dedicated to international development.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The Women in Development Collection was donated to the University of Maryland at College Park Libraries by the Agency for International Development/Women in Development program in fall of 1990.
Processing Information
Processed by Sharon Groves, April 1991
In November 1990 the materials in the Women in Development collection were sorted; federal and international government documents were transferred to the Government Documents Department, monographs were sent to the Technical Services Division of the University Libraries to be cataloged for addition to the Libraries to be cataloged for addition to the Libraries' general collection, and manuscript/pamphlet materials were transferred to the Historical Manuscripts and Archives Department of the Special Collections Division.
In preparing this collection for patron use, duplicated items, office correspondence, and news letters were sorted out. Office correspondence was returned to the Agency for International Development/Women in Development program, duplicates were discarded and long runs of newsletters were sent to the Technical Services Division of the University Libraries to be cataloged for the general library collection; individual and scattered issues of newsletters were integrated into the Women in Development Collection. The materials were then organized into the Subject and Geographical series, using acid-free folders and boxes. Paper clips, staples and other fasteners were removed and replaced with plastic clips; items too thick to be clipped have been filed between sheets of acid-free bond paper. Lastly, the guide was written.
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access.
Arrangement of Collection
This collection is arranged in two series.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Related Material
The Archives and Manuscripts Department at the University of Maryland Libraries also includes the Women's Studies Pamphlet Collection, a grouping of published and unpublished papers, reports, brochures, and newsletters documenting women's issues and interests in the United States and other nations of the world. In addition, the Archives of the National Women Studies Association is located at the University of Maryland.
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.