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Libraries hosts book, panel discussions for National Archives Month

'Curating Women’s Activism' explores representation of feminism and women's activism in archives

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In celebration of American Archives Month, The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries will host a book and panel discussion that honors the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States.

A discussion of Kate Eichhorn’s book "The Archival Turn in Feminism: Outrage in Order," published by Temple University Press, is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The virtual event will take place via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/96984805065.

From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, the Libraries will host a panel discussion to explore the representation of feminism and women's activism in archives, via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/94199181813. The three guest panelists are:

·       Ziba Perez Zehdar, Donald Bruce Kaufman Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library

·       Maxine Wolfe, coordinator, Lesbian Herstory Archives

·       Kenvi Phillips, curator for race and ethnicity, The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University    

“With this year being the centennial of women's suffrage in the United States, we planned events that thematically align with this anniversary by discussing the ways that archives collect and document the experiences of women and feminist activism,” said Julie Poterfield, instruction and outreach archivist for the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and organizer of the event. Porterfield said both the panel and the book discussion will address the ways that women and their histories are represented in the archival record.

American Archives month is an initiative created by the National Archives to highlight and advocate for archival repositories and the work of archivists and takes place throughout the month of October.  

For information about “Curating Women’s Activism” and National Archives month, contact Julie Porterfield, instruction and outreach librarian at jmp48@psu.edu. For general information about the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, contact spcollections@psu.edu or 814-865-1793.

Last Updated October 27, 2020