NBL Reference Toolkit

Aside from digital collections, most of the RUL’s physical collection on women and gender is housed at Douglass Library. The collection focuses on sexuality and feminist theory in its interdisciplinary manifestations within global, transnational, national and diasporic settings. The Media Center collection on women and gender includes resources on DVDs and other formats, and maintains an emphasis in similar areas. Alexander Library, on the College Avenue Campus, houses resources in women’s history and women’s literature, and also government documents, including publications from the United Nations, and foreign countries. Some examples of unique collections are listed here.

An example of the title is the acclaimed Belgian film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a landmark motion picture by Chantal Akerman, which is housed in the Media Center collection.  For more information on media collection, please visit the media collection's libguide on women and girls, or contact Jane Sloan at 848-932-5037 or jsloan@rulmail.rutgers.edu.

The Alicia S. Ostriker Collection of Women’s Poetry, a gift from Rutgers Professor Emerita Ostriker, consists of women’s poetry published by small presses in New Jersey and beyond during the second half of the twentieth century.  Another important collection is the Donna M. Davis  Collection of Lesbian Fiction, a gift from Helen Schietinger. Both collections are significant in critical areas of import in interdisciplinary curriculum.

In response to growing interest in global and transnational investigations on women and gender issues in the recent years, Rutgers Libraries, together with Rutgers’ Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), has collaborated in the creation of an open access web portal “CWGL Poster Collection” containing posters published by international women’s organizations, and collected by the CWGL.  As a result of these efforts, rare posters with compelling visual aesthetics that define by women’s activism are now available to scholars, students and activists all over the world. The searchable portal is available here.

The personal narratives provide unique insights into the private and public lives of women. The Douglass Alumnae Oral History Project is a collection of intergenerational interviews of Douglass College graduates from 1924 to mid 1990s. The narratives include their recollection of their time at Douglass and anecdotes of professors, classmates, college traditions as experienced by the students interspersed with world events such as depression, Spanish War, World War II, providing a glimpse to women’s lives through many decades in central New Jersey. Available only on site. Please contact Kayo Denda at 848-732-5023 or kdenda@rutgers.edu for information.

The Women’s File is a collection of pamphlets, leaflets, press releases, newspaper clippings, posters, newsletters, etc. that pertain to women’s issues from the 1970s to the 1990s. It is a historical material and displays unique overview that might not be found elsewhere.  The Women’s File is located in 5 cabinets along the wall in the Mabel Smith Douglass Room. Please contact Kayo Denda at 848-732-5023 or kdenda@rutgers.edu for information.