Narrative
The FAU Libraries are requesting $30,154 to purchase the following collection from Gale’s Archives of Sexuality and Gender series:
• Women’s Studies Archive: Women’s Issues and Identities
This digital archive offers a detailed look at women’s issues of the past and present and focuses on women’s social, political, and professional achievements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics include the History of Feminist Theory and Activism, women and religion, domestic culture, sexuality and gender expression, health and mental health, law, industry, and more. The collection currently contains over 1 million pages of digitized primary source material, including rare and unique content from manuscripts, newspapers, and periodicals. The content has been selected from sources such as the British Library, the New York Public Library, the National Women’s History Project, and the London School of Economics.
This collection supports one of the Libraries’ core and fundamental values: diversity. Adding this to the library holdings will enable student researchers to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of gender and diversity issues. The FAU Libraries have identified Diversity as a fundamental value and have articulated in their new Strategic Plan a goal to “Develop a culture that serves as a model of diversity and inclusion for staff and for the Libraries’ patrons.” Strengthening the Libraries’ collections of resources in support of minority or underrepresented populations is a key objective for meeting this strategic goal and serving all of FAU’s diverse community.
Target Student Population
In the FAU Strategic Plan for 2015-2025, a set of Pillars and Platforms aimed at creating new knowledge that benefits society have been outlined, which include the Platforms of Community Engagement & Economic Development; Diversity; Global Perspectives & Participation; Leadership, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship; Peace, Justice, & Human Rights; and South Florida Culture.
The content of these collections will directly support student learning and engagement by providing rare and unique primary sources. The Women’s Studies: Women’s Issues and Identities collection benefits the students of the Center for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality graduate program, including the following courses: Women, Sexuality, and Culture (WST 6312), Women, Environment, Ecofeminism, Environmental Justice (WST 6348), Graduate Research Seminar in Women’s Studies, Seminar in Gender Issues (SOC 6809). Further, these collections support the Center’s undergraduate and graduate certificate program courses including: Introduction to Women’s Studies (WST 2010), Introduction to Sexuality and Gender (WST 2608), and Sex and Gender in American Culture (WST 3640).
Students in STEM, Neuroscience and other key and interdisciplinary areas related to the FAU Pillars and Platforms benefit from these collections, in helping our students to be better positioned to distinguish ourselves and our university; enhance the career success, retention, advancement and campus experiences of women in STEM; produce graduates who can skillfully relate to their peers and colleagues and communicate effectively; promote leadership and mentoring to benefit the campus community; and help solve equity issues.
The Libraries will regularly review these resources’ statistics to monitor usage of these collections.
Other Costs
1. Gale: A Cengage Company – Women’s Studies Archive: Women’s Issues and Identities @ $30,154.00
TOTAL = $30,154.00
Sustainability
The requested amount will cover the cost to purchase and license the collection for perpetual access. Annual maintenance fees to this vendor are capped, so the Libraries will not be charged any fees if this archive is purchased.
