Multimedia Bibliography: Trailblazing American Women

By Kathryn Benson

Purpose:

This bibliography is intended as a tool for public librarians seeking to grow their collection of women’s history resources for middle grade and early teen patrons. This bibliography puts particular attention on fields where men are typically celebrated and women overlooked: those of science, civil rights, combat, and aviation. In building this bibliography, I consulted resources such as the Odyssey Audio Book Award and ALSC’s Great Websites for Kids list. However, I had trouble finding items that would adhere to this bibliography’s project on mainstream media awards lists, so I also sought out suggestions by book bloggers and considered GoodReads reviews in the course of making my suggestions.

General Resources:

Discovering American Women’s History Online. http://digital.mtsu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/women. Website.

This history site allows students to browse its collection of articles and links by subject, state, time period, and primary source type. Though the website’s interface is a bit dated, the information is still solid–it just needs a facelift. The site is an index of women’s history resources and archives throughout the web, and most searches compile a list of links that will lead to sites hosted by other libraries and universities. This resource would be most helpful for a middle or high-schooler undertaking an in-depth research project, whether for school or because of personal interest. Because of the site’s clunky interface, the student may require help navigating its bountiful resources.

Distinguished Women of Past and Present. http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/.  Website.

At this website, again, an outdated interfaces hides a wealth of valuable information and resources. Visitors can browse by subject or search for women’s profiles by name. The subject list is long, and the amount of women included is impressive. The profile for each woman is short, but it includes important links to other resources on the web, making this site a good starting point for students undertaking research projects. The interface at this site is slightly more user-friendly than ‘Discovering American Women’s History Online,’ making this a good site for middle- to high-school-aged patrons to navigate on their own.

The Library of Congress, American Memory: Women’s History. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/ListSome.php?category=Women’s%20History. Website.

There are seven collections grouped under “Women’s History” in the Library of Congress website, and this site includes portals to four different collections related to the suffrage movement, a collection of broadsides and ephemera, a collection of manuscripts, and a general multi-format women’s history collection. This general multi-format collection is a good gateway for young researchers, although children may require assistance in navigating the somewhat-confusing Library of Congress Interface. Once that is conquered, however, there is a wealth of primary source material here, and for young users especially the photographic archives will be especially fascinating, since they offer a peek into a very different time in America’s history.

Women in World History. http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/. Website. 

This site for teachers and students provides a good starting point for research as well as a great resource for teachers searching for curriculum guides for women’s history lessons. The site offers thematic units built around such concepts as “Women of Courage” and “Women’s Ways to Connect Across Cultural Borders.” The site also includes biographies of female heroes and rulers, ranging from Shagrat Al-Durr to Anna Comnena. This is another site that could benefit from a digital update, but the information housed here is still sound and valuable.

Krull, Kathleen. Lives of Extraordinary Women. Audio Bookshelf, 2001. Audiobook on CD. 2hr.

This audiobook covers the lives of 20 extraordinary women who influenced history, ranging from Wilma Mankiller to Jeanette Rankin to Cleopatra to Joan of Arc. A well-rounded profile of each woman’s life is provided, highlighting the bad as well as the good, and presenting each historical figure as a complex and fully realized individual. The women covered range from politicans to adventurers and explorers to activists. This would be an excellent starting-point text to read or listen to in celebration of Women’s History Month, or at any time of the year.