This collection consists primarily of records and publications of Maine women’s organizations, dating from the late Nineteenth Century to the present, which chronicle the public discourse and organized public activities of women in Maine during this period. The collection also includes some government documents, academic studies, publications from out-of-state women’s organizations and documents from Maine organizations that were sometimes allied with feminist organizations, such as the Maine ACLU.

The collection documents the efforts of women’s organizations to address a variety of social and political issues, including women’s suffrage, the Equal Rights Amendment, childcare, healthcare, environmental pollution, reproductive rights, LGBTQ Rights, and social stratification. The materials chronicle changing social roles of women in Maine, such as the entry of women into traditionally male professions and also provide evidence of the persistence of obstacles to gender equality, such as gender stereotypes, employment discrimination and domestic violence.

The majority of materials were digitized from the collections of Raymond H. Fogler Library's Special Collections Department. Some items were harvested from the Internet Archives and other repositories.

Audio recordings and transcripts were funded through a generous gift of the Paul R. and Polly N. Camp Quasi-Endowment Fund for Fogler Library.

For more information, contact Special Collections at 207.581.1686 or um.library.spc@maine.edu.