ABSTRACT
Traditional women’s collections are concerned with woman’s past, but in recent years there has been a trend toward collections that focus on woman’s present. While traditional collections provide the sources for historical scholarship, representatives of the newer trend provide the documentation for social change. Even when research oriented, these collections support change in laws, hiring practices, admissions procedures and so on. Nurtured by a revitalized feminism they reflect the feminist agenda in their emphasis. Education, work, politics and sexuality, for example, are each the theme of one or more collections. Although generally small in size and focused on one issue they have little else in common. They may be held in university centers, non-profit organizations, or private homes. Many suffer from lack of funds, but others are generously supported by grants. Some of these collections are marginal to the library world, others are leaders in it. No overview of women’s collections today would be complete without an examination of representatives of this trend.
