Recent reference sources in women's studies Available to Purchase

As the field of women's studies has grown into a mature academic discipline, the number of sources devoted to women has increased dramatically, particularly in the last decade. Many of these sources are basic, but fill gaps in the literature and refine search strategy. This article focuses on introductory level materials (listed in the bibliography) appropriate for search strategy use. Titles discussed are useful for topic selection (almanacs, annuals), background information (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks), supplementary information (statistical, biographical, bibliographic sources), and access to the library catalog and periodical literature (indexes, abstracts). Sources were culled mainly from American Reference Books Annual, New Books on Women and Feminism, and the “New Reference Books in Women's Studies” section of Feminist Collections. With a few exceptions, these sources have been published since the mid‐eighties and were not discussed in Susan Searing's Introduction to Library Research in Women's Studies or Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography, 1980–1985 by Catherine Loeb, et al.