From Bonita Dickman, Senior Library Assistant

The end of winter is finally in sight, warm days are ahead, and it’s time to celebrate Women’s History Month. You may be surprised (or not) to learn that this event has only been nationally recognized since 1981, beginning with Women’s History Week from March 7-13. The observance was expanded to include the entire month of March in 1987 thanks to the efforts of the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance). 

Students in biology class, Edgewood College 1959

Students in biology class at Edgewood in 1959. From the library's History of Edgewood College digital collection.


For a deep dive into resources on women’s history, check out our research guide on the topic. And while you’re on the library website, make sure to take a look at our Women of Edgewood College digital collection, featuring stories and interviews of the women who have influenced the past, present, and future of the college. 


Finally, if you’re looking for a book to read this month, here are a few recommendations that you can place on hold through the library’s catalog: 
The radium girls : the dark story of America's shining women
Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives

 

Wild swans : three daughters of China
Chang recounts the evocative, unsettling, and insistently gripping story of how three generations of women in her family fared in the political maelstrom of China during the 20th century.

 

The Memphis diary of Ida B. Wells
Published for the first time in its century, The Memphis Diary of Ida B. Wells offers an intimate look at the hopes, thoughts and day-to-day life of the young woman who would later become the celebrated civil rights activist and anti-lynching crusader.