The mission of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History is to collect, preserve, and make accessible records documenting the history of women and other gender minorities. It is a rich source for those interested in women’s movements for social change, particularly suffrage, reproductive rights and reproductive justice, and the women’s liberation movement. We collect these records so that any researcher has the opportunity to tell the full, complicated story of these social and political movements. For this to be possible, the records we steward must reflect the diversity of the people and movements that have changed everyone’s lives.

Special Collections Finding Aids

Special Collections Finding Aids - You can find Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History materials by using our finding aids. These provide in-depth information about collections.

Search Tips:

• Search for names, events, or organizations.
• Click the arrows to see the folders under each topic.
• Read the Scope and Content notes as well as the Biographical/Historical note on the main page to get a sense of the materials and subjects in the collection.

What We Collect

This list represents topics documented in our collections of historical records. Most of our collections have been assigned to multiple categories. For more information on the kind of materials the Sophia Smith Collection collects and the topics it plans to steward in the future, please visit our collection development strategy.

The Sophia Smith Collection is committed to anti-oppressive subject analysis. This means that while we primarily use Library of Congress Subject Headings (“LCSH”) to describe and categorize our collections, we also acknowledge that many LCSH terms are offensive or outdated. In those cases, we use our best understanding of the preferred terms as defined by the communities the subjects describe.

The arts	Architects Artists Photographers Women in the film and television industry Women in the music trade Women in the theater
Identities	Asian American women Black women Jewish women Latina women Lesbian and queer women Native American women White women
Literature and writing	Children’s literature Feminist literature Journalists Publishers and publishing Travelers’ writings Women authors Women poets
Power	International cooperation Politics and government War
Religion	Missionaries Women and religion
Social and political movements	Abortion rights movement African American civil rights Anti-racism Anti-rape movement Antislavery movements Birth control movement Criminal justice reform Environmental justice Left wing political movements Labor movement Lesbian community Peace movements Reproductive and sexual health Reproductive justice Welfare rights movement Women’s liberation Women’s suffrage Women’s societies and clubs
Social Roles	Daughters Female friendship Girls Motherhood Older women Significant others
Work	Education Lawyers Social work Women in higher education Women in medicine Women in sports Women in STEM Young Women's Christian associations

Digitized Content

Special Collections Finding Aids	To review digitized material available for each collection, click on the "View Digital Material" tab for each finding aid.
Sophia Smith Collection Digital Collections	Digitized materials (including audiovisual materials) from the SSC and databases featuring digitized SSC material.

Research Guides

Gloria Steinem Special Collections Resources

Ms. Magazine Special Collections Resources

Oral Histories Special Collections Resources

Planned Parenthood Special Collections Resources

Women's Suffrage in the U.S. Special Collections Resources

World War I Special Collections Resources

World War II Special Collections Resources

YWCA of the U.S.A.

Collection Development

For more information on the kind of materials the Sophia Smith Collection collects and the topics it plans to steward in the future, please see our Collection Development Strategy.

Schedule a Class Visit

For assistance in scheduling a class visit, please contact Maureen Cresci Callahan (mcallahan@smith.edu, 413-585-2970) or email specialcollections@smith.edu. We look forward to exploring the possibility of collaboration.

Contact

Contact specialcollections@smith.edu with questions regarding the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History.