Women and Gender Studies Section | The American Library Association Archives

The Women's Studies Section (WSS) was formed to discuss, promote and support Women's Studies collections and services in academic and research libraries; to investigate and develop bibliographic instruction, faculty liaison, and database searching in this cross-disciplinary field; to encourage cooperative collection development and access for Women's Studies materials; to foster cooperation among Women's Studies librarians, scholars, students and publishers; to work with other ALA groups to promote library and information service to women.  Its committees include Communication, Conference Planning, Nominating, Technical Services, and the ad hoc Section Review and Conspectus (1).

The roots of the WSS began when the ACRL approved the formation of the Women's Studies Discussion Group in 1983 (2), which achieved section status when approved in 1987 (3).

1.  ALA Handbook of Organization and Membership, 1988/89, p. 71-72.

2.  College and Research Libraries News, March 1983, p. 74.

3.  ALA Yearbook of Library and Information Services, 1987, p. 63.