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UH Women's Studies Program and Friends Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2000-007

The collection consists of administrative materials such as meeting invitations and agendas, minutes, financial reports, bylaws, and events sponsored by the Women's Studies department as well as newsletters published by the Women's Studies and Friends of Women's Studies and various ephemera and memorabilia. The bulk of the papers are dated between 1991 and 2011, but a few publications and clippings date to 1980s. The most recent papers include invitations to events organized by the Friends of Women's Studies, such as the annual Table Talk luncheon and other events sponsored by the Friends of Women's Studies and the UH Women's Studies department.

The records are arranged chronologically and divided into series by year, although the first series contains the records from the first 3 years of the UH Women's Studies due to a paucity of documents. Subsequent series correspond to a single year of operation. This chronological arrangement is intended to continue expanding as more materials from UH Women's Studies and the Friends of Women's Studies become available. Each series is divided topically into 8 standard sub-series, except where no such material exists for certain sub-series within a given year: UH Women's Studies Academic and Business Documents; Friends of Women's Studies business documents; Women's Archives and Research Center; Women's Studies and Friends of Women's Studies Financial documents; General Correspondence; Newsletters; Events, Programs and Scholarships; and Clippings and publications.

Dates

  • 1984-2011
  • Majority of material found in 1991-2011

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

4.50 linear feet

Historical Information

The Women's Studies Program at the University of Houston is an interdisciplinary academic field that analyzes and investigates women's roles, needs, history, and contributions to humankind. Women's Studies at UH was established in the summer of 1991. The Program offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor and an interdisciplinary graduate certificate -- both consist of courses drawn from the humanities, fine arts, law, and social and health sciences. The mission of the Friends of Women's Studies is to support the University of Houston Women's Studies Program through campus and community activities, as well as financial and volunteer efforts. The central focus of the Friends is the Women's Archive and Research Collections (WARC), a unique collection of documents from active and historical Houston area women's organizations, individuals associated with these organizations and local women's oral histories.

WARC, housed at the University of Houston Libraries' Special Collections Department, opened in October 1996. The WARC collecting area focuses on the roles of women and women's organizations that have made some impact on the lives of Houston area women. As it grows, WARC is expanding to statewide scope.

Collections in WARC include those focused on cultural development and social action, philanthropic, civic and professional associations, women's health issues, violence against women, minority women's groups, and a professional athletic franchise. WARC also includes the papers of several prominent Houston women. The collections document the ways that women have united to achieve their goals, the range of their concerns, and the impact they have had on the world around them. WARC also creates and preserves Texas women's oral histories through the Living Archives series, which features interviews with notable Houston women. The research collections support significant scholarly work on women's issues by students, faculty, and visiting professors and promotes awareness of women's contributions to culture through speakers, conferences, and other activities.

The Friends of Women's Studies provides financial assistance to graduate and undergraduate students and faculty and provides funds for graduate assistantships to continue processing and expanding collections donated to WARC. Scholarships are available to both undergraduates and graduates; UH faculty members may apply for doctoral fellowships and summer fellowships. An annual travel grant is awarded to a Women's Studies faculty member presenting research at conferences and a Student Essay prize for essays on a women's studies topic. Long range plans include a conference on Houston women's history and the endowment of a chair.

Note Author: Pavan Sirsi, 2003 (and edited by Kristen McAlear, 2011)

Acquisition Information

Donations by Women's Studies Program and Carey Shuart, 2000-2003.

Related Materials

Barbara Karkabi Papers

Title
Guide to the UH Women's Studies Program and Friends Collection
Author
Pavan Sirsi and Kristen McAlear
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
MD Anderson Library
4333 University Drive
Houston TX 77204-2000 USA
713-743-9750