Introduction

Women’s collections today owe their number, size and vigor to feminism, with its dual commitments to activism and scholarship on behalf of women. While libraries and archives have long collected materials by, for, and about women, they have traditionally done so for male-defined goals, such as building a male-centered history or training women for traditional roles. But feminism forces a shift to woman-centeredness, with the objective of expanding woman’s public role. Recognizing feminism as the dynamic force behind women’s collections provides a framework for understanding the history of these collections.