Library Online Resources
This easy to use resource provides biographies of thousands of women. If you aren't sure who you want to research, use the handy listing of Notable Women located on the people page of the database.
Don't forget about our downloadable media titles on women's studies available 24/7! Choose OverDrive, Freading, or OneClickdigital to access videos, eBooks, or audiobooks.
A treasure trove of news and periodical articles to find out what women are doing today. Audio files, book reviews, images, and broadcast transcripts are also included in this all-inclusive database.
Research social issues related to women. The full-text articles feature both the pros and cons of each issue, and offer a wide variety of resources including images, podcasts, and recommended websites.
Discover the important contributions women have made to the world of science in this easy to use database. To access a handy list of women prominent in the field, visit the Browse Biographies section, and then choose the Women in Science icon.
Author and Rollins College professor Dorothy Mays visits OCLS and discusses what life was like for Puritan women in 17th century Colonial America.
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Websites
Learn the history of women's suffrage by watching video clips or viewing photo galleries of accomplished women. You can read about the "firsts" in women's achievements and much more!
This informative section of the Library of Congress Website has a wide array of resources on women and their contributions to our history. Photographs, programs, audio/video, and more make this website a must for your research needs.
If you can't visit Alexandria, Virginia to see the National Women's History Museum in person, be sure to visit their official website. The Online Exhibits explore women in industry, women spies, women in World War II, and women in education, among other topics.
This terrific source from the Smithsonian Institute is useful for students, parents, and teachers alike. It features a variety of articles and photo galleries on Women’s History, as well as lesson plans and other Teaching Resources useful for anyone interested in “Her-story.”
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Library Materials
From ancient times to the present, there were many women who helped shape our world. These titles explore their lives, struggles, and triumphs.
Watch these DVDs and discover the impact women had on our history. From soldiers, early women's rights activists, and First Ladies, to Sacajawea and today's politicians, there's something here to interest everyone.
You'll learn some interesting facts about what life was like in the past for Florida women, and the effect they had on United States History.
Here are some of the newest non-fiction titles that deal with the status of women in today's world. Resources include women's rights and social conditions in the 21st century, as well as a few from the past.
A wide array of topics are included in this compilation of some of the most memorable speeches, addresses, and sermons given by women.
View additional Library Materials in the Selected Biographies section below.
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Mobile
To fully access this content, you may need the latest version of iTunes. Download iTunes for free now!
iTunes U
Use this free application to subscribe to courses on Women’s History and many more subjects. Access the world’s largest collection of free educational content, including audio, video, books, and presentations from leading universities.
iTunes | Website
Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft for iPad
Wollstonecraft, often called the "mother of feminism," wrote about the rights of women as compared to those of men in her 1792 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. This version of the feminist classic, which advocates for the right of all women to an education, is made exclusively for the iPad. It features quick navigation and multiple bookmarking ability and is available for 99 cents at iTunes.
iTunes | Website
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Social
This daily blog in the Orlando Sentinel features Central Florida moms sharing their experiences at balancing family and career. Read it, or better yet, share your first-hand knowledge about the job that never ends!
Test your knowledge of women's history and politics with this quiz from NOW, the National Organization of Women. NOW is the largest organization of feminist activism in the United States, and its aims include promoting equality and ending all forms of violence against women.
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Selected Biographies
Adams | Truth | Stanton | Tubman | Anthony | Bethune | Keller
Roosevelt | Lange | Earhart | Mead | Angelou | Steinem | Winfrey
Biography excerpts taken from The National Women's History Project or Biography in Context.
Women Rights Advocate
A self-educated woman, Adams held strong political beliefs. She was well- respected and her opinions were influential in government affairs before, during, and after her husband's term as president.
Abolitionist, Suffragist
Sojourner Truth was freed when New York abolished slavery in 1828. Already a forceful speaker for abolition, she attended a Women's Rights Convention in 1850 and became a strong voice for women’s rights and suffrage with her famous speech in Ohio in 1852, "Ain't I a Woman?"
Women's Rights Activist
Known as both an eloquent speaker and a forceful writer, Stanton spearheaded the movement for equal rights for women in the United States. She formed the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 and served as its president for 21 years.
Fugitive Slave, Rescuer of Slaves
Tubman was born into slavery and fled to Philadelphia in 1849 but returned to Maryland the next year. It was then that she began the first of many Underground Railroad trips to lead family and friends to freedom using caution, skill, and subterfuge. During the Civil War, Tubman was a spy and scout for the Union. In 1896, she spoke at the convention of the American National Woman Suffrage Association convention.
Women's Rights Activist, Suffragist
Susan B. Anthony began her lifelong campaign for women's suffrage when she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1852. Together they organized the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. When committed people work for justice, she said, "Failure is Impossible." The Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, has been called the "Anthony Amendment" in tribute to the tireless work of this great crusader.
Educator, Presidential Advisor
In 1904, Bethune opened a school for black girls in Daytona Beach that became Bethune-Cookman College in 1929. From 1936 to 1944, Bethune served as advisor to President Roosevelt on minority affairs. She was vice-president of NAACP from 1940 to 1955.
Advocate for Disadvantaged
Despite being deaf, blind, and unable to speak, Keller became an active writer and international public speaker. Her books and lectures advocating rights for disabled people helped the public recognize the potentials of people with physical limitations.
Humanitarian
During her husband's presidential administration, Eleanor Roosevelt used her position as First Lady to promote reforms that helped women, minorities, and the poor. In 1948, as a delegate to the United Nations, she worked brilliantly to win passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Photographer
Lange photographed bread lines in the depression years, living conditions of migrant workers in California in the 1930s, and documented the treatment of Japanese-Americans in WWII in the crowded internment camps. Her powerful photographic images brought public attention to inhumane conditions.
Pioneering Aviator
In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also has the distinction of being the first person, male or female, to fly solo non-stop from Hawaii to California, and the first to fly solo round-trip from the U.S. to Mexico.
Anthropologist, Author
Mead received a Ph.D. from Columbia in 1929 after studying families in Samoa, New Guinea and other cultures, and concluding there is no "natural" assignment of gender roles. She also investigated many western cultures and wrote books about the changing roles of women and men.
Author/Poet
Angelou is a novelist, poet, professional stage and screen writer, dancer, editor, lecturer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. In 1993, Angelou recited an original poem at President Clinton's inauguration, confirming her status as "a people's poet."
Women's Rights Activist/Writer
Steinem is a feminist activist, writer, lecturer, and editor. Her activism was inspired by time spent in India, where she witnessed both the oppression of women and the power of non-violent protest. She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972, and since then her writing and organizing have made her an iconic but down-to-earth figure in the women’s movement.
Advocate/Business Woman/Entertainer
Winfrey, a businesswoman who rose to fame with her own top-rated talk show and movie production company, has become one of the most affluent and powerful women in America. Deemed the undisputed "Queen of Talk" since the mid-1980s, she is the first black woman to host a nationally syndicated weekday talk show and was worth over $1 billion by 2003.
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