The library has an abundance of resources available to facilitate the study of women’s history. A subject search of the library’s catalog for the term “women” brings up 12,389 results. A search of the Research page on our website brings up a wealth of other resources from our collection of book lists, the library’s blog and past exhibitions. American Women’s History Online “covers the important people, events, legislation, and issues relevant to the study of women’s history in the United States,” while Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides “convenient access to U.S. military records, including the stories, photos, and documents of the men and women who served.” Access Video on Demand and Kanopy offer streaming video, audio and film on a broad variety of topics and themes, including areas such as women’s history and women’s studies. The library’s museum pass program features circulating passes for the Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice. An area within the library’s History neighborhood focuses on women’s studies and related fields, but it represents only one dimension of the library’s holdings and the potential for discovery which emerges from encounters across the library’s collections and spaces.
This guide brings together a curated collection of books, websites, films, educator resources, and past programs in one convenient resource. This more focused collection of resources aims to facilitate serendipitous discoveries of the same kind which may result from exploration of the library’s physical space.
It also provides a brief discussion of Women’s History Month as a time when the library places a special emphasis on women’s history and the celebration of the achievements of women. For events held at the library during March 2025, see the library’s Women’s History Month brochure.
#learn
Learn about Women’s History
See below for lists of nonfiction and historical fiction, geared toward adult readers and centered around the experiences and perspectives of women.
For teens, kids, and the youngest readers, below are lists of books that highlight varied narratives and perspectives of women.
Online resources include:
- National Women’s History Alliance
- National Women’s History Museum
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- American Women: A Guide from the Library of Congress
- Featured films hosted on Kanopy (available for library cardholders)
- American Women’s History Online (available for library cardholders)
The library’s museum pass program recently added the Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice to its list of circulating passes. This institution, according to their mission, “builds contemporary action and intergenerational movement for gender justice through the lens of history and of place.” One pass lets in 4 visitors.
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Resources for Educators
See the materials below for potential starting points for engaging learners. You’ll find lesson plans, digital tools, curricula, and more.
- Teacher resources collected by federal cultural agencies
- Teacher’s guide from the National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEment initiative
- Resources from Learning for Justice
- “Teaching and Learning about Women’s History” from The New York Times
- “Women & the American Story,” a K–12 curriculum from the New-York Historical Society
- Lesson plans by Edutopia
- Lesson plans from the National Education Association
- Educator resources from the Smithsonian History Explorer
- Resources from the Anti-Defamation League
- Classroom tools from the National Women’s History Museum
- Educator tools from Facing History and Ourselves
- Educator resources from PBS LearningMedia
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Past Programs at the Library
Past programs held at the library and still relevant to Women’s History are available on the library’s YouTube channel. Featured below are several particularly notable recent programs, which continue to enjoy great currency.
Serene Khader’s presentation of her new book “Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop” explores the prospects of the women’s liberation movement and projects new possibilities for a more inclusive feminism.
Dedicated to “inspiring excellence in community based leadership,” the Phyllis Marchand Leadership Lecture is an annual library event held in honor of Phyllis Marchand, Princeton Township’s longest serving mayor and a leader and leadership mentor in the community for five decades. The YouTube playlist below gathers each of the Marchand Lectures which were recorded in 2022, 2023 and 2024:
#month
Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month, celebrated in March every year, offers an opportunity to explore the stories and perspectives of women, both past and present.
What we now know as Women’s History Month can be traced back to the 1970s, when grassroots efforts in the United States to organize an annual observance of women’s history gained traction. Organizers selected March for the observance to correspond with International Women’s Day, which dates to 1910. In the 1980s, responding to advocacy from the non-profit organization National Women’s History Project (now known as the National Women’s History Alliance), a combination of Congressional resolutions and presidential proclamations designated an annual Women’s History Week. Congress designated March as Women’s History Month in 1987 and renewed this observance annually until 1995, when yearly presidential proclamations replaced the Congressional resolutions. The U.S. president has announced March as Women’s History Month every year since. The National Women’s History Alliance selects an annual theme for Women’s History Month.
See the Law Library of Congress’s Women’s History Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide” for a collection of executive and legislative branch documents pertaining to this history.
The library offers programming and resources exploring the history and uplifting the achievements of women throughout the year, but this month serves as a chance to focus our efforts. For events held at the library during March 2025, see the library’s Women’s History Month brochure.
Content made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.