GENESIS:

Aims

• To enable researchers to identify and locate relevant resources to improve the quality and quantity of their research

• To unify and organise information about research resources that are diverse in subject and physically distributed across a wide geographical area

• To relate the material to the wider context of women’s and gender studies and work in other disciplines which draw upon material about women

Methodology

Archival collections are described according to ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999). Library and museum collections are described in a different manner, due to there not being a standard method of collection description. A set of description terms has been designed which will provide the researcher with the relevant information to determine whether they want to pursue their research at that repository. Collections are described to a high level, ie not individual items. All collections are indexed in the following fields: personal, family and corporate names, place names and subjects; this will ensure that researchers can access the collections through various routes. The information on Genesis can be treated as a signpost to direct researchers to repositories that hold relevant collections; information on how to contact these repositories is provided in the parent record, and there are links to their websites, where applicable.

How will Genesis be useful for researchers?

Researchers can access over 2000 collection descriptions which will cover a wide range of subjects relating to women’s history. These include campaigning women, family life, education, politics, employment, arts and health. The project has also benefited the archive and library communities by enabling them to describe their women’s history collections and make these accessible to the wider community.

Partners

Lead Institution

The Women’s Library, London Guildhall University

University collections

• University of Birmingham, Special Collections

• British Library of Political and Economic Science, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Chelsea College of Art and Design, The London Institute

• Durham University Library

• University of Edinburgh

• University of Exeter, Library and Information Service

• Girton College, University of Cambridge

• Glasgow University Library

• Homerton College, Cambridge

• University of Huddersfield

• University of Hull, Brynmor Jones Library

• Institute of Education, University of London

• John Rylands University Library of Manchester

• University of Liverpool Library

• Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge

• Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick

• New Hall, University of Cambridge

• Newnham College, University of Cambridge

• Open University Library

• The Robinson Library, University of Newcastle upon Tyne

• Royal Holloway, University of London

• School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

• University of Sussex Library

• Trade Union Congress Library Collections at the University of North London

• University of Wales Swansea

• University of York Library

National collections

• British Library, Department of Manuscripts

• British Library - Modern British Collections

• British Library - National Sound Archive

• British Library - Newspaper Library

• British Library - Oriental and India Office Collections

• British Library - Slavonic and East European Collections

• Jersey Archive

• Public Record Office

• Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine

Specialist collections

• Archives and Museum of Black Heritage

• Feminist Archive (South)

• Feminist Library

• Glasgow Women’s Library

• Imperial War Museum, Department of Documents

• Imperial War Museum, Department of Printed Books

• Imperial War Museum, Sound Archive

• MAKE, the organisation for women in the arts

• Museum of London

• Northampton Record Office

• RASCAL Project

• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

• Royal Free Hospital

Associations

• Archif Menywod Cymru/Women’s Archive of Wales

• Catholic Archives Society

• Women’s History Network

Contact Details

Project website

http://www.genesis.ac.uk

Content: Gill Davenport
Last updated 2 July 2002