Feature

Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90 An Evaluation of Their Coverage in Research Tools

Rebecca Hankins Has the move toward online resources had ince the mid-1990s, there has an effect on source material for the study of been an explosion of indexing Rebecca Hankins is Assistant black feminist theory? The last forty years and abstracting databases in- Professor of Library Science, Texas A&M have witnessed a critical mass of literary corporating previously print- University, College Station, Texas. and theoretical writings on the black femi- Sonly resources with newer, more com- Submitted for review September 11, nist movement. This article evaluates the prehensive, full-text services. Although 2007; revised and accepted for coverage of writings by a select group of there are a plethora of print indexes publication March 12, 2008. forty “second wave” (1963–75) and pre– considered invaluable to researchers, “third wave” (1976–90) black feminists the movement within the library field in twelve major electronic-literary and to replace print with electronic access women’s-studies indexing and abstracting to online databases has seen a marked services. Most of the twelve resources stud- increase. How has this move toward on- ied provide materials on the black feminist line resources affected access to source movement; however, Gender Studies Data- material for the study of black femi- base, Black Studies Center, and Periodical nist theory? The last forty years have Index Online, respectively, were identified witnessed a critical mass of literary as offering the best overall coverage of and theoretical writings on the black black feminist writers. Each of the twelve feminist movement. This article will databases studied are discussed in detail, evaluate the coverage of writings by a offering some useful hints for black feminist select group of “second wave” (1963– studies researchers interested in finding 75) and pre–“third wave” (1976–90) the most comprehensive materials in the black feminists in twelve indexing and field. The survey investigates the breadth abstracting services. Are the writings of coverage of writings authored by these of these black feminists indexed in the black feminists and determines that there major electronic literary and women’s is a critical need to either update current studies database resources available for thesauri or develop a new comprehensive researchers? What services provide ease tool for indexing and abstracting black of use combined with multiple levels of feminist writings. Finally, the results of this search strategies that include searching Reference & User Services Quarterly, study will assist libraries and librarians by author, subject, title, and publica- vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 270–286 in making decisions about purchasing the tion date simultaneously for retrieval © 2009 American Library Association. All rights reserved. most relevant resources for research on the of information? The survey will answer Permission granted to reproduce for writings of the feminist movement in gen- these questions and identify the avail- nonprofit, educational use. eral and black feminists in particular. ability of these writings as full text or

270 | Reference & User Services Quarterly Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90 abstracts. The survey investigates the An In-depth Comparison” by Linda A. Sanguenetti’s article surveyed the breadth of coverage and determines Krikos (1994); “An Evaluation of Index- coverage of women’s studies and femi- that there is a critical need to develop ing Services for Women’s Studies Peri- nist journals in the leading paper index- a comprehensive tool for indexing and odical Literature” by Deborah Mesplay ing services available at that time and, abstracting black feminist writings. The and Loretta Koch; “Indexing Adequacy again, “Women Studies Abstracts” was study will, more importantly, show what and Interdisciplinary Journals: The Case found to offer the best coverage, albeit databases provide access to scholarly, of Women’s Studies” by K. H. Gerhard in paper format. Some of the indexes peer-reviewed articles that legitimize a et al. (1993); and “Indexing of Feminist surveyed by Sanguenetti are included subject matter. Providing access to these Periodicals” by May Alice Sanguinetti in this survey: “Alternative Press In- resources encourages critical analysis (1984).2 The Koch and Preece article dex,” “Essay and General Literature,” of black feminist theory, thus further- surveyed table of contents services and and “Women Studies Abstracts” (now ing the diversity and scope of research. not the coverage of individual writers. a part of the much larger Gender Stud- The results will assist researchers in The articles by Mesplay and Koch and ies Database). Although the articles choosing the most relevant resources by J. A. Gerhard surveyed the general mentioned did not survey coverage of for their research on the writings of coverage of women’s studies journal individual writers, they provided a set the feminist movement in general and literature but not the writings of indi- of criteria to assist in reviewing the da- black feminists in particular. In this vidual black women writers that rep- tabases. This study will also test some era of shrinking budgets, the data will resent an important subset of feminist of the conclusions of these earlier ar- provide guidance for librarians seeking writers in the United States. Mesplay ticles and determine whether “Women to purchase electronic resources in the and Koch concluded that “of the index- Studies Abstracts,” which was found to area of black women’s studies. ing and abstracting services examined, have the best coverage of women’s and The black feminist writers chosen ‘Women Studies Abstracts’ provides the gender studies in earlier reviews, offers are consistently listed in major research overall best coverage.”3 Krikos’s article the best coverage of black feminists about and writings on the feminist was a follow-up to the Mesplay and writers. movement, including Patricia Hill Col- Koch article with the inclusion of the lins’s Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, “Women’s Studies Index.” Background Consciousness and the Politics of Empow- Although Krikos’s article also re- erment; the voluminous Pioneer Femi- viewed indexes rather than the coverage The study covers forty black feminist nists Project out of Harvard University of individual writers, it is an important writers: fifteen Second Wave (SW) and and its first major publication,Feminists resource because of its comparison of twenty-five pre–Third Wave (pTW). Who Changed America, edited by Barbara the three major resources at that time, The SW arguably dates either from Love in 2006; Barbara Christian’s semi- “Women’s Studies Index,” “Studies on 1963–75, according to Barbara Love nal 1985 work Black Feminist Criticism: Women Abstracts,” and “Women Stud- and Harvard’s Pioneer Feminists Proj- Perspectives on Black Women Writers; and ies Abstracts.” The article is also impor- ect, or from 1965–75, according to the more recent two-volume set, En- tant for its development of the follow- Darlene Clark Hine, African Ameri- cyclopedia of African American Women ing standards for comparing indexes: can historian and scholar. Love states, Writers, edited by Yolanda Williams Page scope; depth of indexing; currency, “we honor changemakers in the Sec- in 2007. Two comprehensive websites time-lag, and cost; publisher and edi- ond Wave movement beginning in were also consulted during formation of tor; format and arrangement; and vo- 1963, when Betty Friedan’s book, The the list of black feminist writers in this cabulary and subject headings.4 Two Feminine Mystique, was published and survey: Sherri L. Barnes’s Black American of these standards will be used in this spurred countless women into action Feminisms: A Multidisciplinary Bibliogra- study: scope, which Krikos describes . . . some historians say the true Second phy from the University of California– as “the number and type of materials Wave movement began in 1966 when Santa Barbara and the University of Min- indexed (meaning articles, book chap- the National Organization for Women nesota’s Voices from the Gaps.1 ters, books, dissertations, pamphlets) was founded . . . 1963–1975 were the and overlaps and gaps in coverage,” years of involvement by the greatest 8 Literature Review and format, defined as “considering the number of feminists.” All of the se- usefulness of the overall arrangement of lected writers were known activists in In searching library literature using the service and the content of the cita- the feminist movement. This SW period the terms women, women’s studies, and tions.”5 Krikos concluded that “‘Wom- relates to the founding of the modern indexing in a variety of combinations, en’s Studies Index’ actually indexes the feminist movement that grew out of five articles were retrieved: “Table of most comprehensive combination and the larger civil rights era, a time when Contents Services: Retrieving Women’s greatest number of women’s studies America was coming to grips with those Studies Periodical Literature” by Loretta journals.”6 Krikos also concluded that people unwilling to be classified as “sec- P. Koch and Barbara G. Preece (1995); “Women Studies Abstracts” “is essential ond class citizens.” The feminist move- “Women’s Studies Periodical Indexes: to research collections.”7 ment saw the larger movement as not

volume 48, issue 3 | 271 Feature addressing issues of sexism, unequal the women’s movement, and produced Scott, and Barbara Smith’s anthology pay, and the leadership role of women. scholarship that reflected the issues and All the Women are White, All the Blacks Black women long involved in civil concerns of black women who faced are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave: Black rights activism came to a similar con- discrimination that was both similar to Women’s Studies and Smith’s edited col- clusion, but the sensitive issue of wom- and different from the discrimination lection Home Girls: A Black Feminist en’s rights was often subsumed into the faced by the women represented by the Anthology challenged the prevailing no- larger struggle of achieving equality as dominant white feminists’ movement. tions of racial and sexual bias within black people. With the achievement According to Joy James, the women and outside of the academy. of some of the goals of the civil rights chosen generated a wealth of materi- Others used poetry, playwriting, and movement, such as the passing of the als to address these issues “not in an essays as the avenues for their expres- Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, attempt to diminish feminist struggle sions, reaching audiences from around black women felt it was time to turn but to enrich, to share in the work of the world; such as the prolific writer their attention to the rampant sexism making a liberatory ideology and lib- bell hooks, who taught at Yale, the Uni- and chauvinistic tendencies in many of eratory movement.”11 The SW writers versity of California, Oberlin, and was a the black civil rights movement lead- established an unprecedented body of distinguished professor of English at the ers. The Combahee River Collective, a scholarship, which is now being stud- City College in New York.14 Essential to group of black feminists that have met ied and analyzed by scholars the world the discussion about feminists’ writings since 1974, state in their discussion over. centering on the intersection of race of the genesis of contemporary black The writings of Toni Cade Bam- and sex are the poetry and essays of Au- feminism that bara have been cited by writers, both dre Lorde—she chronicles the struggles black and white, as some of the most of a black lesbian feminist poet and many of us were active in those groundbreaking work on documenting mother in Sister Outsider and Zami: A movements (civil rights, Black the emergence of black feminism in the New Spelling of My Name. Cancer Jour- nationalism, the Black Panthers), late 1960s and early 70s. Her publica- nals records her battle with breast can- and all of our lives were greatly tion The Black Woman: An Anthology is cer. Toni Morrison and Alice Walker affected and changed by their considered the first “major contribution are prolific writers that embraced the ideology, their goals, and the tac- in the development of Black women’s labels of controversial, insightful, and tics used. . . . It was our experi- literature.”12 She also served as editor creative from their first ventures in ence and disillusionment within of Women Writers of the Contemporary feminist writing. Examples of their early these liberation movements . . . South and Black Women Writers at Work. writings, The Bluest Eye and In Search of that led to the need to develop a Barbara Christian’s Black Women Novel- Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose, politics that was antiracist, un- ists: The Development of a Tradition and respectively, are still cited and studied like those of white women, and Black Feminist Criticism: Perspectives on in academic departments around the antisexist, unlike those of Black Black Women Writers are two of her world. Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Patri- and white men.9 best-known works. Christian was the cia Bell Scott are recognized authorities first African American woman awarded on black feminist scholarship and are Many within the black feminist move- tenure at Berkeley in 1978 and became founding coeditors of SAGE: A Scholarly ment viewed the early white feminist a full professor in 1986.13 Angela Y. Journal of Black Women. Pat Parker and movement as focusing primarily on Davis, scholar and political activist, a Michele Wallace, two lesbian, radical, issues of gender equity while ignoring professor in the History of Conscious- and revolutionary writers, wrote about issues of racism and classism that were ness at the University of California– contemporary political issues as well as the everyday experience for women of Santa Cruz, has written extensively domestic and sexual violence against color. Benita Roth, in Separate Roads on black liberation politics and prison women. Wallace’s seminal work Black to Feminism, sums up the feelings of reform. A former member of the Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman many black feminists: “They were wary Panther Party, she became someone created an enormous storm of contro- of joining white women’s liberation who intimately knows the U.S. justice versy with her negative depiction of groups that paid insufficient attention system after having been incarcerated black men. Johnnetta B. Cole and Pauli to the links between gender, racial, and put on trial in 1970 in a sensational Murray represent the diverse profes- and especially class oppression. Criti- case in which she was later acquitted of sions drawn to the feminist movement. cal of the middle-class bias of liberation murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy. Cole, primarily known for her tenure as movements, Black and white, Black This experience made her a worldwide the first African American female presi- feminists therefore found themselves “cause celeb”: “Free Angela Davis” was dent of the renowned Atlanta school maneuvering in the interstices between the rallying cry. This also provided her for African American women, Spelman the two.” 10 a unique entrée and perspective on rac- College, was also named Emory Univer- The writers in this study represent ism and political oppression. Influential sity’s Presidential Distinguished Profes- those who worked within and outside works such as Gloria Hull, Patricia Bell sor of anthropology, women’s studies,

272 | Reference & User Services Quarterly Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90

Table 1. Second Wave Black Feminists Bambara T Christian Barbara Cole Johnnetta B. D avis Angela Sheftall Beverly Guy bell hooks Gloria Audre Lorde rison T Pauli Murray Pat Parker Scott Patricia Bell Smith Barbara W Alice W Michele oni Cade oni Mor alker allace T . H ull -

SignificantT exts

Encyclopedia of X X X X X X X X X X X X African American Women Writers (2007)

Encyclopedia of X X X X X X X X Feminist Literature (2006)

Encyclopedia of X X X X X X X X X African American Culture and History (2006)

Feminists Who Changed X X X X X X X X X X X America (Love, 2006)

Black Women in America X X X X X X X X X X (Hine, 2005)

Separate Roads to X X X X X X X X X X X Feminism (2004)

Black Feminist Thought X X X X X X X (Collins, 2000)

Black Feminist Reader X X X X X X X X X X X X X (James, 2000)

Facts on File X X X X X X Encyclopedia of Black Women in America: Literature (Hine, 1997)

The African Continuum X X X X X X & African American Women (Writes, 1995)

Reading Black, Reading X X X X X X X X X X X X Feminist (1990)

Black Feminist X X X X X X Criticism (1985)

Black Women Writers X X X X X (1984) and African American Studies.15 She has posthumously), Song in a Weary Throat: depth and breadth of writing by these written consistently on women’s issues An American Pilgrimage, “recounts her women should be discoverable within including coauthoring with Beverly awakening to both racial and gender the research tools available today. Table Guy-Sheftall Gender Talk: The Struggle inequities and eloquently explains how 1 lists the texts consulted in making for Women’s Equality in African American she shaped herself into the civil rights’ the selection of black feminist writers Communities. Pauli Murray was a found- activist and feminist she became.”16 In to include in the study. ing member of the National Organiza- her later life, she became the first or- The pTW feminists were influenced tion of Women (NOW), a lawyer, and dained woman African American Epis- by the SW writers and those that wrote poet. Her autobiography (published copal priest in the United States. The in the 1980s, but who were most ac-

volume 48, issue 3 | 273 Feature

Table 2. Pre-Third Wave Black Feminists Angelou Maya Brooks Gwendolyn Butler O ctavia Collins Patricia H R Giovanni Nikki R H arris T Jones Jacqueline Gayl Jones June Jordan Marshall Paule rudier osa Guy ita D ove ill SignificantT exts

Encyclopedia of African X X X X X X X X X X American Women Writers (2007)

Encyclopedia of Feminist X X X X X X X X Literature (2006)

Encyclopedia of African X American Culture and History (2006)

Black Women in America X X X X X X X X (Hine, 2005)

Black Feminist Thought (2000)

Black Feminist Reader X X X X X X X (James, 2000)

Facts on File Encyclopedia of Black Women in America: Literature (Hine, 1997)

The African Continuum & X X X X African American Women Writers (1995)

Reading Black, Reading X X X X X X X X X X Feminist (1990)

Black Feminist Criticism X X X X X X (1985)

Black Women Writers (1984) X X X X X X tive prior to the 1990s when the Third this concept as a “woman who gains says, and fiction writing for years. Each Wave of the feminist movement is com- her strength from her community and of these women has received numerous monly thought to have begun. During uses that strength to uplift her people, accolades for their works. Gwendolyn the period after 1975, there continued physically, spiritually, economically, and Brooks and Rita Dove are also well- a consistent outpouring of writings by politically.”17 The twenty-five writers known poets, each having been named black feminists writers who chose a who work within this womanist tra- Poet Laureate of the United States in path that would not necessarily dis- dition represent a small number of 1985–86 and 1993–95 respectively. tance them from the larger women’s the literally hundreds of writers who Terry McMillan, Gloria Naylor, and movement, but carve out for them could have been chosen for this survey. Ntozake Shange have all written plays a unique identity as black feminists. Based on the genre and focus of their and popular literature that focus on re- This new theory used by many black research and writings, these writers lationships between women and men. women writers and coined by author fall into several broad groups. Maya Patricia Hill Collins, Deborah E. Mc- Alice Walker to distinguish them from Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Rosa Guy, Dowell, Trudier Harris, Jacqueline C. the white female-dominated feminist Gayl Jones, June Jordan, Sonia Sanchez, Jones, Paule Marshall, Nellie McKay, movement is termed womanism—the Ntozake Shange, Joyce Carol Thomas, Valerie Smith, Hortense Spillars, Clau- bridge between the two sides of femi- and Margaret Walker Alexander have dia Tate, and Gloria Wade-Gayles are nism, black and white. Walker defines all blurred the lines between poetry, es- known for academic scholarship that

274 | Reference & User Services Quarterly Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90

Table 2. Pre-Third Wave Black Feminists (continued) Shockley Ann Allen T Joyce Carol D owellMc D eborah E. Nellie McKay McMillan T NaylorGloria Sonia Sanchez Shange Ntozake V Spillers H ortense Claudia Gayles Gloria W Margaret homas erry erry alerie Smith alker W T ade- ate

SignificantT exts

Encyclopedia of African X X X X X X X X X X X X American Women Writers (2007)

Encyclopedia of Feminist X X X X X Literature (2006)

Encyclopedia of African X American Culture and History (2006)

Black Women in America X X X X X (Hine, 2005)

Black Feminist Thought X X X X X X (2000)

Black Feminist Reader X (James, 2000)

Facts on File Encyclopedia of Black Women in America: Literature (Hine, 1997)

The African Continuum & X X X X X X African American Women Writers (1995)

Reading Black, Reading X X X X X X X X X X X Feminist (1990)

Black Feminist Criticism X X X X X X (1985)

Black Women Writers (1984) X X X X focuses on women’s studies, ethnic and written and published at least three readings list.18 The databases chosen gender equity, and literary criticism. scholarly articles or books. were the most widely used and avail- Octavia Butler writes science fiction able sources of literature that contain that has female central characters. Ann Methods comprehensive coverage of periodical Allen Shockley has written novels and articles, literary works, popular and is a curator of African American collec- The American Library Association’s alternative literature, book reviews, es- tions at Fisk University in Nashville, Association of College and Research says, and other writings in women’s Tennessee. Table 2 lists the writers and Libraries Women’s Studies Section’s studies. the leading feminist texts in which they (ACRL/WSS) “Collection Development The twelve databases chosen are are represented. Some Second Wave Resources,” the University of California consistently listed as the major data- and pre-Third Wave writers overlap in at Davis’s extensive Women and Gender bases for the study of feminist writings age and time, either due to the popu- Studies study guide, Hope Olsen’s In- and literature in general: Alternative larity of their writings only taking hold formation Sources in Women’s Studies and Press Index includes the API Archives, after the earlier dates, or due to their Feminism, and Texas A&M University’s Black Studies Center, Black Women publication after the Second Wave had women’s studies guide developed by li- Writers, Communication Studies, Con- passed. The criteria for selection of brarian Nancy Northup were consulted temporary Women’s Issues, Essay and these writers were that they had to have in the development of the database and General Literature Review, Gender

volume 48, issue 3 | 275 Feature Studies Database, GenderWatch, MLA Index Online (PIO), covered all the au- cluded only twelve of the twenty-five Bibliography, Periodicals Index Online, thors in this study. All three databases pTW writers. Communication Studies Web of Science, and Women and So- have very simple search interfaces that (CommSt) covered fourteen of the SW cial Movements. Two of the databases, can be accessed from their home page. writers and nineteen of the pTW writ- Black Studies Center and Black Women While the top three databases were ers. Contemporary Women’s Issues Writers cover a wide range of material chosen for very different reasons, ease covered the writings of sixteen of the specifically related to black women’s of search and scope of coverage for each forty women in this survey: eight of literature. Each of the forty writers’ of the selected writers are shared quali- the SW and eight of the pTW. Using works were searched in these databases, ties for these resources. the author search options returned using the author search option when GSD provided more discreet writ- primarily book reviews. available, with the results divided into ings by the authors and a wide variety Essay and General Literature Re- three sections: peer-reviewed; not peer- of formats for writers’ works (books, view (E&GLR), given its coverage that reviewed; and books, anthologies, or articles, book reviews, and chapters), includes the humanities and social sci- edited works. The difference between but that information was only dis- ences, covered only twenty-eight of the finding peer-reviewed materials versus cernable by viewing each record. The forty writers, with a paltry number of not peer-reviewed means that the views retrieval list for GSD was inconsistent, citations for those covered. E&GLR cov- of the writers are considered scholarly sometimes retrieving articles written ers subjects that range from economics, and have a better chance of becoming by other authors about the target au- political science, and history to criticism a part of the canon of scholarship in a thor. BSC has an excellent search in- of literary works, art history, drama, and particular subject or discipline, in this terface, and the items retrieved were film, areas in which most of the women instance ensuring that black feminist sorted into a variety of formats such in this survey have published writings. scholarship is considered within the as essays, journal, resource, newspa- GenderWatch (GW) had an unimpres- larger feminist ideological and theoreti- pers, and other divisions. Individual sive return, covering only seventeen cal paradigm. The combined databases works retrieved included national and of the forty writers, ten SW and seven contain millions of pages of informa- international writings. PIO searches pTW. GW was hampered by its limited tion and offer the most sophisticated retrieved smaller sets because the da- dates of coverage that will be further approaches to discovering research ma- tabase contains only journal articles, elaborated on in the discussion section terial. but the search interface is simple and of this article. Web of Science (WoS) allows separation of the content into covered thirty-seven of the writers, but Results articles and book reviews. is a difficult database to use because MLA Bibliography is an excellent of the format of author citations. The Uncovering the depth of coverage of resource covering thirty-eight of the search interface allows for last names black feminist writings within the most forty individual writers in this survey. and first-name initials only. Women and commonly available research tools for MLA has a simple search interface and Social Movements (W&SM) covered the scholarly community today pre- a variety of options for retrieval of writ- only two of the writers as authors, but sented a number of challenges. The ings. After retrieving results, MLA pro- included all of the writers as subjects or standards used to evaluate the data- vides options to refine the search into discussion points in the new module in bases included scope, format, ease of separate data sets such as peer reviewed, the database titled “The Second Wave use of the search interface (location on books, book chapters, dates, genre, and and Beyond,” an online scholarly com- home page, help screens, and multiple other options. The lack of coverage of munity. This feature offers an opportu- search strategies), full-text availabil- Octavia Butler, one of the few black nity for those interested in the feminist ity, and peer reviewing. The search female writers of science fiction, and movement to discuss and share research results were restricted to only those Pauli Murray, known for her legal and within the scholarly community, mak- writings authored by the individual poetic legacies, is not explained. ing W&SM an invaluable source for the writers. Some databases did not offer Alexander Street Press’s Black study of this field. author searches, so alternative search Women Writers (BWW) focuses on strategies were used and will be further voices of women from Africa and the Discussion explained in the discussion section. African Diaspora, lacking coverage Tables 3 and 4 tabulate the frequency of African American women writers. Searching for articles and books writ- of writings by the authors within each BWW covered six of the writers in ten by black feminist writers presented of the twelve databases. The overall this survey: two SW (Angela Davis some challenges, but the overall cover- results of the survey showed that the and Audre Lorde) and four pTW (Rita age of the most commonly available of National Information Services Corpora- Dove, Nikki Giovanni, Rosa Guy, and the research tools at most institutions tion’s (NISC) Gender Studies Database Margaret Walker Alexander). API and offered a wealth of materials. Some da- (GSD) and ProQuest’s databases, Black the API Archive (API/A) included writ- tabases are superior to others because Studies Center (BSC) and Periodical ings by all of the SW writers but in- of the simplified search interface, the

276 | Reference & User Services Quarterly Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90 scope of documents within the re- but when using “Giovanni, Nikki,” ar- Communication Studies has limi- source, and availability of a wide range ticles were retrieved. “Davis, Angela” tations for this study because its content of writings, but in other cases it was a found nothing, but using “Davis, A” as dates from 1984 to the present. Many of matter of finding the right formula for a search string retrieved over sixty ar- the black feminist writers in this survey retrieving items. The resources sur- ticles by or about her. API/A presented began their scholarly output much ear- veyed display a variety of strengths a similar problem when searching for lier than 1984, so this limited the scope and weaknesses. These tools may offer writings by Trudier Harris, retrieving of coverage for these women. Those ar- access to articles available as abstracts, articles when a last name and the first ticles retrieved included a citation and full text, or through interlibrary loan. initial were used. However, Harris is a abstract for each entry, but despite its This section of the article will include common name; determining whether designation as a full-text resource, often a discussion of each of the databases, or not a work was written by her was the resources retrieved were not avail- offering some useful hints for the black not possible unless you knew the titles able as full text. The database provides feminist studies researchers interested of her writings. There was a similar a breakdown of the author’s writings in finding the most comprehensive ma- problem with Marshall, McKay, Shange, into peer-reviewed journals, number terials in the field. and others. In many instances it was of books, and catalogs published, but Table 5 lists the individual writers impossible to determine if the cited au- entries had to be checked to make sure and the twelve databases surveyed, thor was the desired person or someone the correct author is listed. Search terms showing those databases where their else with the same last name and first should be specific to the author’s full writings are covered. The table includes initial. In fact, there were writers with name if possible. For instance, a search the percentage of databases where each the same first and last names writing on for “Davis, Angela” retrieved five pub- author’s works are located, the percent- similar topics, as in the case of Margaret lished works, but one of the listings was age of the forty writers covered for each Walker and Margaret Urban Walker, for an Angela E. Davis, not Angela Y. database, and the average coverage for who both wrote on women’s issues. Davis. Similarly, with a common name SW and pTW writers overall. Sometimes Margaret Walker used her like Barbara Smith, an initial or knowl- Alternative Press Index and Ar- married name, Alexander, in her writ- edge of the person’s writings was neces- chive presented some serious problems ings, but often she did not. Confusion sary to find relevant material accurately. and inconsistencies in searching. The between the two is inevitable. The interdisciplinary nature of many scope and depth of searching was hin- Black Studies Center has an excel- of the authors’ writings in this survey dered by difficulties in searching for in- lent search interface. Searches retrieved necessitated changing the subject area dividual writers. When searching using short citations, but only provided ac- to include Art and Humanities or Social a writer’s last and first name as search cess to full-text articles listed in the Re- Sciences. An initial search for “Davis, terms, results were found, but often source category. No access was available Angela Y.” retrieved one item; searching indexing in this resource uses a last to those listed under Journals, which under Arts and Humanities retrieved name and first initial. This presented seems illogical and counterintuitive. two articles; and searching under Social serious problems for writers with com- BSC covers scholarly and popular black Sciences retrieved fifteen articles, eight mon last names such as Davis, Cole, studies periodicals, but peer-reviewed of those being peer reviewed. A similar Parker, Scott, or Smith. Also, searching articles were not identified. As a rel- search for “Angelou, Maya” retrieved names as an author search sometimes atively new resource available since zero under the default and Social Sci- retrieved articles about the authors’ 2005, BSC continues to add to its vari- ences search, but five documents were books written by someone else. Despite ous component modules. The scope of retrieved under the Arts and Humani- these problems, searches retrieved ar- coverage makes this a great resource for ties search. Although the search strategy ticles and book reviews by each of the researchers interested in black feminist in CS can take time, the resources re- SW writers. Availability was confined writings. The one drawback to this re- trieved are useful to studying the writ- to a brief citation listing and allowed source is that the six black newspapers ings of these individual black feminist no direct access to the articles, although that are a part of the resource center writers. a longer citation view includes format must be purchased individually at a Contemporary Women’s Issues type. Discovering whether articles cited cost that is prohibitive for smaller li- is noteworthy for its multidisciplinary were peer reviewed was extremely dif- brary budgets. and international resources that in- ficult and required further research in Black Women Writers has a simple clude “grey literature.” The coverage many cases. Another flaw with API is search interface and provides a useful of writings begins in 1992, excluding that it required two separate searches, division of a variety of formats for each most of the writers in this survey with one for the Index and one for the Ar- author, such as newspaper, essay, media, the exception of bibliographies and chive. It would be advantageous if those and journal. Available since 2005, BWW book reviews. Authors such as Sonia two databases were combined. A search is a relatively new resource, but it has a Sanchez, Toni Morrison, and the late to find articles for Nikki Giovanni us- promising future as a useful resource for June Jordan, women with national and ing “Giovanni” only came up empty, the study of black feminists’ writings. international reputations, continued to

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Table 3. Second Wave Writers

Databases Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM St Toni Cade Bambara Peer-review 4 2 0 5 Non peer-review 10 1 9 1 4 Books 1 2 Barbara Christian Peer-review 13 7 4 1 8 19 14 Non peer-review 16 3 79 1 34 Books 10 2 Johnnetta B. Cole Peer-review 1 8 3 16 2 Non peer-review 2 7 66 3 2 Books 1 2 Angela Davis Peer-review 27 12 13 8 2 1 2 23 5 Non peer-review 5 7 61 4 2 Books 1 1 3 Beverly Guy-Sheftall Peer-review 1 5 5 1 3 5 8 2 Non peer-review 1 4 1 120 12 2 Books 1 1 bell hooks Peer-review 5 9 8 3 6 17 5 Non peer-review 2 14 1 142 2 28 26 Books 6 8 Gloria T. Hull Peer-review 5 7 4 22 6 Non peer-review 4 1 2 73 20 4 Books 3 1 Audre Lorde Peer-review 32 23 48 3 3 2 32 4 Non peer-review 10 2 94 7 3 21 Books 3 2 1 Toni Morrison Peer-review 3 2 1 1 11 7 Non peer-review 3 48 1 16 15 Books 2 13 2 Pauli Murray Peer-review 5 8 1 13 Non peer-review 3 1 16 14 Books Pat Parker Peer-review 8 2 2 1 1 2 Non peer-review 17 3 Books Patricia Bell Scott Peer-review 1 2 4 2 4 1 19 1 Non peer-review 4 49 1 1 17

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Table 3. Second Wave Writers (continued)

Databases Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM St Books Barbara Smith Peer-review 6 2 1 1 14 4 Non peer-review 5 165 12 12 Books 1 5 Alice Walker Peer-review 24 18 6 2 3 3 36 7 Non peer-review 39 22 88 23 Books 1 1 4 Michelle Wallace Peer-review 4 8 1 1 2 9 7 Non peer-review 7 1 84 11 Books 3 3 2

Table 4. Pre-Third Wave Writers

Databases Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM St Maya Angelou Peer-review 2 6 1 6 7 2 Non peer-review 3 1 35 1 1 Books 3 1 Gwendolyn Brooks Peer-review 3 7 30 5 Non peer-review 15 4 Books 1 2 Octavia Butler Peer-review 1 7 1 3 Non peer-review 1 17 Books Patricia Hill Collins Peer-review 2 9 22 3 2 3 15 44 Non peer-review 9 1 119 1 3 Books 3 2 Rita Dove Peer-review 32 1 81 Non peer-review 145 12 4 145 Books 4 1 Nikki Giovanni Peer-review 1 7 1 1 2 9 1 Non peer-review 329 1 28 1 3 10 Books 8 1 1 Rosa Guy Peer-review 1 1 Non peer-review 1 1 5 1 Books 1 1

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Table 4. Pre-Third Wave Writers (continued)

Databases Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM St Trudier Harris Peer-review 17 13 36 4 Non peer-review 1 24 41 5 Books 6 11 Jacqueline Jones Peer-review 1 5 2 3 24 1 Non peer-review 3 1 2 44 3 2 Books 1 2 Gayl Jones Peer-review 18 4 19 Non peer-review 8 1 12 Books 2 June Jordan Peer-review 11 2 38 Non peer-review 14 3 56 4 14 Books 3 1 Paule Marshall Peer-review 5 5 Non peer-review 10 2 2 Books Deborah E. McDowell Peer-review 6 3 3 13 6 Non peer-review 3 1 5 48 20 9 Books 7 1 Nellie McKay Peer-review 5 4 1 5 21 3 Non peer-review 3 1 50 29 2 Books 8 Terry McMillan Peer-review 2 3 2 2 Non peer-review 7 1 Books Gloria Naylor Peer-review 2 4 6 Non peer-review 11 5 Books Sonia Sanchez Peer-review 26 32 1 25 Non peer-review 2 17 6 23 Books 1 Ntozake Shange Peer-review 8 1 11 Non peer-review 23 3 13 Books 1 Ann Allen Shockley Peer-review 5 7 2 2 24 11 Non peer-review 5 14 4 1 Books 1

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Table 4. Pre-Third Wave Writers (continued)

Databases Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM St Valerie Smith Peer-review 6 2 5 8 Non peer-review 1 31 24 2 Books 7 2 Hortense Spillers Peer-review 7 9 2 1 11 18 15 Non peer-review 8 1 55 23 15 Books 10 2 Claudia Tate Peer-review 9 1 5 22 Non peer-review 2 45 33 4 Books 6 2 Joyce Carol Thomas Peer-review 3 1 3 Non peer-review 1 1 2 1 Books Gloria Wade-Gayles Peer-review 3 1 1 12 Non peer-review 18 3 Books 1 Margaret Walker Peer-review 10 33 27 Non peer-review 17 2 6 Books 1 1 1 generate scholarly writings that were very uneven coverage of the writers author; a book review of her work was missing from this resource. in this study. The retrieved results did retrieved in the book author search; The search interface is difficult for include thorough information on the but the SFT&C option retrieved fifty- the average searcher because the default publication, including source, pub- five results of which thirty-eight refer- search is full text, requiring use of the lisher, subject areas, record type, word enced her writings. CWI offers Bool- help screen to learn how to search. The count, publication and article type, ean searching. For example, using the help screen notes, “CWI’s search inter- country, and language. Tables 3 and 4 search options for Gwendolyn Brooks face offers the ability to apply complex show that the coverage using the article retrieved nothing, but using the Bool- search logic to a query.”19 Even the author and book author options was ean option, “Brooks AND Gwendolyn” most advanced researcher would have mixed. Since this study is specifically retrieved thirty-four titles with twenty- to continually review the help screen about coverage of the writings of these three of those related to the poet Gwen- because the options are complex. The individual authors, those were the only dolyn Brooks. database provides four main options for two options listed. Searching for works by Patricia Hill searching for writings: by article author, Some examples of retrieved results Collins retrieved four articles, all writ- book author, search title and enhanced for Maya Angelou using the article ten by her, and all were peer-reviewed, title (ST&ET), and search full text and author option retrieved nothing; the although the database doesn’t note this citation (SFT&C), along with options book author option retrieved one book distinction; searching book author re- to restrict by subject, geographic re- review of Angelou’s writings; searching trieved six titles, but all were reviews gion, article, and publication type. Of by both the ST&ET and the SFT&C of Collins’ works; the SFT&C option the four options for searching CWI, options retrieved an interview tran- retrieved sixty-six results of writings by the SFT&C option retrieved the most script with Angelou. Using these same or about Collins, including those found coverage and includes works retrieved criteria for searching for works with in the article and book author search under the other searches. Despite these Toni Cade Bambara, using only her last options. Searching for works by Barbara specific options, the searches returned name, retrieved nothing under article Smith proved even more challenging

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Table 5. Complete Listing of Black Feminist Writers and Databases

Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM Total % St Maya Angelou X X X X X X X X X X X 11 91.6 Toni Cade X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 Bambara (SW) Gwendolyn X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Brooks Octavia Butler X X X X X X 6 50 Barbara Christian X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW) Johnnetta B. X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Cole (SW) Patricia Hill X X X X X X X X X X 10 83.3 Collins Angela Y. Davis X X X X X X X X X X X 11 91.6 (SW) Rita Dove X X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Nikki Giovanni X X X X X X X X X X X 11 91.6 Rosa Guy X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Beverly Guy-Sheftall X X X X X X X X X X 10 83.3 (SW) Trudier Harris X X X X X X X 7 58.3 bell hooks (SW) X X X X X X X X X X 10 83.3 Gloria T. Hull X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 (SW) Jacqueline C. X X X X X X X X X 9 75 Jones Gayl Jones X X X X X X 6 50 June Jordan X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 Audre Lorde X X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW) Paule Marshall X X X X X 5 41.6 Deborah E. X X X X X X X X X 9 75 McDowell Nellie McKay X X X X X X X X X 9 75 Terry McMillan X X X X X X 6 50 Toni Morrison X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW) Pauli Murray X X X X X X 6 50 (SW) Gloria Naylor X X X X X 5 41.6 Pat Parker (SW) X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Sonia Sanchez X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 Patricia Bell Scott X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW) Ntozake Shange X X X X X X 6 50 Ann Allen X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 Shockley Barbara Smith X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW) Valerie Smith X X X X X X X X 8 66.6 Hortense Spillers X X X X X X X X X X 10 83.3

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Table 5. Complete Listing of Black Feminist Writers and Databases (continued)

Black Feminists API/A BSC BWW Comm CWI E&GLR GSD GW MLA PIO WoS W&SM Total % St Claudia Tate X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Joyce Carol X X X X X X 6 50 Thomas Gloria X X X X X 5 41.6 Wade-Gayles Alice Walker X X X X X X X X X X 10 83.3 (SW) Margaret Walker X X X X X X X 7 58.3 Alexander Michelle Wallace X X X X X X X X X 9 75 (SW)

TOTALS 27 40 6 33 16 26 40 17 38 40 37 2 PERCENTAGES EACH 67.5 100 15 75 40 65 100 42.5 95 100 92.5 5 66.4 DATABASE OVERALL COVERAGE SECOND 15 15 2 14 8 11 15 10 13 15 14 1 131 88.6 WAVERS COVERED Pre–THIRD 12 25 4 19 8 15 25 7 25 25 23 1 190 75.6 WAVERS COVERED because of the commonness of her works of international scholars, included accessible on the home page. Search name. Knowledge of the preponder- in major women’s studies journals, and results are listed as short citations with ance of her writings on gay issues and are consistently listed in bibliographies links to the full records if available; of- on black women writers was essential on feminist scholarship. ten there are only citations with subject in finding her works. Of the ten items Essay and General Literature Re- terms. Scope and indexing coverage retrieved under the book author search, view has a limited scope of coverage includes every possible format. Some seven were references to Smith’s works; because its focus is only on books and book records retrieved provide a table SFT&C retrieved twenty-six works, but anthologies. Online indexing began in of contents. The tables only show the discerning which were Smith’s works 1985, thus eliminating many of the total citations for each author because required viewing each of the retrieved writings of both the SW and pTW writ- of the peculiarities of the search mecha- sources and reading through each ar- ers. The retrospective of this database nism. The results of an author search ticle. The author Barbara Ellen Smith has just become available, so it was out- are a combination of works written by also writes on feminist topics and her side the scope of this project. The data- the author and reviews of the targeted writings were retrieved under Smith’s base presented some serious problems authors’ publications by other writers. name, and often the indexer did not when searching using full names of the This database, similar to several oth- include her middle name or initial. writers because the retrieved results ers, gives a total number for all of the Despite the search problems and listed only a last name and a first initial. writings, but doesn’t distinguish be- uneven coverage of the individual black This required reviewing all results for tween books, articles, or reviews. For feminist writers in this survey, CWI is an relevance to the individual author. For example, a search for “Angelou, Maya” importance resource because there was some writers, such as Michele Wallace retrieved forty-four citations, but only material on each of the individual writ- and Barbara Smith, this database listed thirty-five were actually written by her. ers, albeit from the perspective of other each of the chapters in their books The forty-four citations included multi- writers reviewing or citing their works. as individual essays, including those ple essays from the same book, some by The inclusion of the writings of SW and books where they are the single author, the author but often written by another pTW black feminists in this resource thus skewing the search results. author, and the target author was listed demonstrates the global importance of Gender Studies Database provides along with the other writer of the es- their works; they are being cited in the a very simple search interface readily say, again, skewing the totals. It would

volume 48, issue 3 | 283 Feature take much more time to distinguish beyond the scope of this article. The even more. Limiting by language, how- between those items that were books, results of author searching were very ever, will lose articles translated into peer-reviewed and not peer-reviewed disappointing considering the subject foreign languages, as was the case with articles, especially if the search retrieved coverage scope of GW. It appears to one of Christian’s articles that had been a large number of citations. In the case cover the 1990s and the 2000s very republished in Italian. Filters are good if of bell hooks, the search retrieved 165 well, but the 1970s to 1980s are lack- the diverse areas of a particular author’s citations: 142 showed her as the author ing in important content, especially for research and writings are known. There and twenty-three were reviews of her many of the SW writers in this survey. are also some further issues on using the works. Barbara Smith posed additional Although the database states that it is middle initial of authors. The search for problems because of the commonness a full-text resource, there were a num- “Davis, Angela Y.” retrieved ten items, of her name, although other Barbara ber of searches that only retrieved an but the search for “Davis, Angela” re- Smiths do appear to use their middle abstract. trieved twenty-nine titles, twenty-three initials. The initial search for her works MLA Bibliography has a compre- of which were the Davis in the study. retrieved 213 citations, but close exami- hensive scope of coverage; the data- The search would have missed thirteen nation of the list to remove false drops base indexes books, journals, disser- additional titles had only the middle narrowed the citations to 165, because tations, book articles, and websites. initial been used. On the other hand, many of these were duplicates or books MLA provided the most sophisticated a search for “Guy-Sheftall, Beverly” re- with each chapter listed as a separate search interface. Either before or after trieved eight citations, and conversely, citation. Although problems were en- an author name search, the results can searching “Sheftall, Beverly” retrieved countered in searching, the results are be narrowed to peer-reviewed articles, the same eight citations. impressive and cover virtually every- language desired, genre, period, and In Web of Science (WoS), the re- thing published by the writers. other publication types such as book trieval of content is determined by the GenderWatch is a full-text data- chapters, forewords, or electronic. De- researcher bridging the steep learning base that covers subjects related to how pending on the name searched, add- curve for this resource. WoS has its gender affects society and dates back ing a middle initial may help focus a genesis mapping citations to scientific to the 1970s. The database contains search or make it overly restricted. For papers, and that model is not suited to scholarly journals, magazines, news- example, searching for “Davis, Angela” discovering humanities or social sci- papers, newsletters, regional publica- retrieved nine items, six articles by the ences articles. Using the Author Find tions, books, nongovernmental orga- targeted author, three by other authors tool in WoS is helpful, but the major nizations, and government and special with the same last name but different drawback is that the search engine reports. The search interface is not on middle initials, but searching “Davis, only allows searching by the author’s the home page, so it would be wise to Angela Y.” retrieved five items. The wis- last name and first and middle initial. look at the Search Tips before entering est choice is to do both searches, or at The database provides a number of the search site. After entering the site, least to experiment with middle initials options for pinpointing writers. Op- the basic search interface, similar to to see what results are found. Searches tions are available to limit by discipline PIO and MLA, date range, and limits can be categorized by format, identify- and by university affiliation, but if the can be set for scholarly peer-reviewed ing items as book, journal article, or writer is not affiliated with a university, journals or biographical information. book article. as in the case of Audre Lorde or Octa- For an author-specific search, the ad- Periodicals Index Online only in- via Butler, then results must be viewed vanced search tab must be used. Re- dexes journal articles. It has an easy individually. If the journals are known, sults retrieved include links to the ab- search interface on its home page. The it is possible to limit by source, type, stract and full-text articles, but very few scope of coverage is comprehensive, or publication year, but these are all books are retrieved. Scholarly journals, including national and international imprecise. The Preferred Name format magazines, or other source material are journal articles. The search results in- works well in searching for authors included in the retrieved set. Another clude peer-reviewed articles and book with names that are not common, such feature of this resource is an alert ser- reviews. The ability to filter the results as Sonia Sanchez or Ntozake Shange, vice that can be set up to inform the retrieved by journal titles, languages, but for names such as Barbara Smith or researcher when new material on a dates, or subjects helps to narrow the Pat Parker, it presents serious searching particular author is added. results to the correct author. For exam- problems. Both women have written For consistency of results through- ple, searching for “Christian, Barbara” extensively, so searching involves re- out this survey, only the author-related retrieved thirty-one articles, but not all viewing each citation for relevancy. A search option was recorded to evaluate were her articles. The option of filtering new feature called the Distinct Author is the coverage of the individual writers. the searches by language first narrowed a discovery tool showing sets of papers Additional search options retrieved a the listing to twenty-six in English, then possibly written by the same person. wealth of articles about or which refer- filtering by subject and in some cases Citation data is analyzed to create these enced the individual writers; this was by journal helped to narrow the listing sets. This feature is best used as a tool to

284 | Reference & User Services Quarterly Uncovering Black Feminist Writers 1963–90 focus a search rather than as a definitive gelou, Rita Dove, and Nikki Giovanni now a part of the much larger Gender list of a specific author’s works. do appear frequently. However, too Studies Database, continues to offer the Women and Social Movements is often many of the pTW writers such as best overall coverage of black feminist a series of document projects that in- Gwendolyn Brooks, Ntozake Shange, writers thirteen years later. There are clude primary and secondary writings Margaret Walker Alexander, and Terry competitors of equal importance, such within each project and is published as McMillan were missing from databases as the Black Studies Center, which an online journal. This Alexander Street that covered literature. continues to grow in content, and Pe- Press resource continues to evolve from Eight of the twelve databases cov- riodicals Index Online, which provides day to day, so what is seen on the home ered fifty percent or more of the writers. a straightforward search interface that page may not be there in the future, a Most of the resources contained a variety divides the results into useful categories fact to keep in mind when using this of formats, including articles, reviews, and dates. There are now also a number resource. The writings include primary and books, showing the variety of sub- of excellent women’s and feminist stud- and secondary source materials such jects covered by the writers. The acces- ies–specific resources—Black Women as photographs, poetry, court docu- sibility varied, but most of the databases Writers, GenderWatch, Contemporary ments, newspaper articles, broadsides, provided citations with links to further Women’s Issues and Women and Social and letters documenting women and information such as abstracts and tables Movements—available to researchers social movements in the United States of contents for some items, and in many interested in black feminist writers. from 1600 to 2000. A search of writers cases access was provided to article full Despite the coverage currently in this study retrieved primary source texts. Some of the difficulties of search- available, there is a need for the devel- documents on only Maya Angelou and ing could be reduced if databases would opment of a comprehensive resource the attorney Pauli Murray. Of particular add either the initial or middle name of for indexing and abstracting black femi- interest to researchers of black feminist those writers with common names so nist writers. There are models of how to writers is the module included under finding their writings would be much develop this type of resource, such as Women’s Commissions on the WSM easier and more accurate. The more re- the European Women’s Thesaurus, which homepage called “Second Wave” and alistic alternative is better indexing and states succinctly on its introductory Beyond, a free online scholarly com- good name authority records. In some page why this type of resource is nec- munity of feminist thinkers that will cases, it was difficult to determine if the essary: “With a professional thesaurus facilitate a supportive framework for citations were books, book chapters, or information can be made retrievable.”20 online publishing and discussion of articles, so the numbers listed should The Women’s Thesaurus, edited by Mary feminist activism and theories. The not be used as definitive numbers for Ellen S. Capek and published in 1987, website provides a history of feminist the resources, especially since all of these is another model, but new terms such activism since the 1960s and links to resources continue to add new informa- as womanism, womanist, liberatory femi- oral histories, discussions, reviews, im- tion daily. nist critique, and African Diaspora femi- ages, teaching, and research resources. Tables 3, 4, and 5 offer snapshots nism should be added. A thesaurus that Discussions with the group of scholars of the possibilities for discovering the contained name authorities would be may be useful for further developing broad spectrum of writings by this ideal because of the problems encoun- ideas for research and scholarship. group of selected black feminist writ- tered searching for writers with com- ers. Based on the results of this study, mon names where the writers does not Conclusions a similar survey of secondary article use a middle initial, such as Barbara writings about the forty black feminist Smith, Valerie Smith, and Pat Parker. A This study sought to determine the cov- writers used in this study would be of name authority listing would also assist erage of writings by forty black feminist benefit to black feminist researchers. with writers such as Angela Davis and writers within the primary electronic Especially for those writers that were Margaret Walker, prominent writers in scholarly research tools available. The not covered as authors in the selected their own right, but there are two other findings show that access to their writ- databases, further research to determine writers with the same names who also ings is widely available and, while there if their writings are referenced, cited, write on feminist topics. The scholarly are some issues with search interfaces, or reviewed would be of interest to output of black feminist writers and the the overall scope of coverage is good; in researchers looking for the appropriate feminist movement in the United States some tools, the coverage is excellent. resources. Additionally, a study com- in general could use an online version Despite the lack of consistent ter- paring black, Asian, and Hispanic femi- of a thesaurus similar to the Canadian minology for searching these resources, nist writers may provide insight into Feminist Thesaurus, with links to the the databases surveyed in this study patterns of coverage for feminist writers individual writers. The online environ- show that a majority of the SW writers in standard bibliographic databases. ment is ideal for this sort of project. are adequately covered, but the cover- This study affirms the previous New technologies such as blogs, wikis, age of pTW writers is uneven. The more studies by Mesplay, Krikos, and San- and social networks offer a variety of prominent writers such as Maya An- guinetti that Women Studies Abstracts, options for such projects. Perhaps one

volume 48, issue 3 | 285 Feature of the women’s studies groups in the Indexes: An In-depth Comparison,” Seri- of African American Women Writers (West- American Library Association would be als Review 20, no. 2 (Summer 1994): port, Conn.: Greenwood, 2007): 85. willing to take on this project. It would 65–78; Deborah Mesplay and Loretta 14. Ibid., 273. Koch, “An Evaluation of Indexing Ser- 15. Love, Feminists Who Changed America provide a tremendous service to the vices for Women’s Studies Periodical 1963–1975, 89. study of feminist writings in particular Literature,” RQ 32 (Spring 1993): 405– 16. Page, Encyclopedia of African American and feminist studies in general. 10; Kristin H. Gerhard et al., “Indexing Women Writers, 442. As the distinguished scholar Bar- Adequacy and Interdisciplinary Journals: 17. LaJuan Evette Simpson, The Women on/ of the Porch: Performative Space in African- bara Christian states in her essay “The The Case of Women’s Studies,” College & Research Libraries 54 (Spring 1993): 125– American Women’s Fiction (PhD disserta- Race for Theory,” “I know from literary 35; Mary Alice Sanguinetti, “Indexing of tion, Louisiana State University–Baton history that writing disappears unless Feminist Periodicals,” Serials Librarian Rouge, 1999): 11. there is a response to it.”21 While this (Summer 1984): 21–33. 18. ACRL/WSS Collection Develop- study reveals an unevenness of coverage 3. Mesplay and Koch, “An Evaluation of ment Resources, http://libr.org/wss/ committees/colldev.html (accessed July within some databases, it confirms that Indexing Services for Women’s Studies Periodical Literature,” 409. 18, 2007); UC Davis Gender and Wom- these black women writers are included 4. Krikos, “Women’s Studies Periodical en’s Studies, www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/ in the leading databases so others can Indexes,” 66. research/subjects/index.php?heading=32 find them, cite them, and, more im- 5. Ibid. (accessed July 17, 2007); Hope A. Olson, portantly, respond to their theories and 6. Ibid., 74. Information Sources in Women’s Studies and 7. Ibid. Unfortunately, Women’s Studies Feminism (Munich: K. G. Saur, 2002): scholarship, thereby enriching and ac- Index is only available as a computer disc 35–39; Nancy Northup, Texas A&M knowledging their important contribu- under the title Women’s Studies on Disc, University, Evans Library’s Search Now, tion to the canon of feminist studies. published by G. K. Hall; consequently, it http://library.tamu.edu (accessed July 20, is not accessible on the Internet. 2007). 8. Barbara J. Love, Feminists Who Changed 19. Contemporary Women’s Issues, http:// References and Notes America 1963–1975 (Chicago: Univ. of search.rdsinc.com/help/cwi_search.html Illinois Pr., 2006): xiii. (accessed Jan. 24, 2008). 1. Sherri L. Barnes, “Black American 9. Joy James and T. Denean Sharpley-Whit- 20. Gusta Drenthe, European Women’s The- Feminisms: A Multidisciplinary Bibli- ing, The Black Feminist Reader (Malden, saurus: A Structured List of Descriptors for ography,” www.library.ucsb.edu/subjects/ Mass.: Blackwell 2000): 262. Indexing and Retrieving Information in the blackfeminism (accessed June 29, 2007); 10. Benita Roth, Separate Roads to Feminism. Field of the Position of Women and Wom- “Voices from the Gaps,” http://voices (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Pr., en’s Studies (Amsterdam: International .cla.umn.edu (accessed June 29, 2007). 2004): 103. Information Centre and Archives for the 2. Loretta P. Koch and Barbara G. Preece, 11. James and Sharpley-Whiting, The Black Women’s Movement, 1998): i. “Table of Contents Services: Retrieving Feminist Reader, 145. 21. Page, Encyclopedia of African American Women’s Studies Periodical Literature,” 12. Love, Feminists Who Changed America Women Writers, 85. RQ 35 (Fall 1995): 76–86; Linda A. 1963–1975, 27. Krikos, “Women’s Studies Periodical 13. Yolanda Williams Page, ed., Encyclopedia

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