TWU Libraries

Woman's Collection
The Woman's Collection of the Blagg-Huey Library at Texas Woman's University represents a major research collection on the history of American women. The Library first began collecting the biographies of great women in 1932 at the suggestion of its president, Dr. Louis H. Hubbard, "to serve as role models" to students. Since then it has grown to over 42,000 books, 3,000 cubic feet of manuscript collections, 19,000 photographs, approximately 2,000 periodical titles, and major manuscript and book collections on microform. The Woman's Collection also houses the University Archives, which provide rich research materials on the history of women's education in Texas. An international cookbook collection offers insight into culinary and cultural history.

About the WASP Collection
Between 1942 and 1944, at the height of World War II, more than a thousand women left homes and jobs for the opportunity of a lifetime--to become the first in history to fly for the U.S. military. They volunteered as civilian pilots in an experimental Army Air Corp program to see if women could serve as pilots and relieve men for overseas duty. These women became the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, better known as the WASP. Under the determined leadership of Jacqueline Cochran, Nancy Harkness Love, and General Henry "Hap" Arnold the WASP exceeded beyond all expectation.

Access is provided by the Woman's Collection Department during the hours listed below. For timely access to the rare books and manuscript collections, or for tours of the collection's materials, we encourage researchers to contact the Department before coming to use the collection. Manuscript listings provide access to collections of personal papers, the University Archives, documents, photographs, and records. The Texas Women's Bio-files can be accessed through the TWU Online Catalog.

The Woman's Collection staff is available to help researchers Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Materials housed in the vault are available during staff office hours only. Patrons will find a portion of the TWU Woman's Collection materials available on open stacks whenever the Library is open. Materials with easy access include:

The Woman's Collection is located at Blagg-Huey Library on the Texas Woman's University main campus off Bell Avenue in Denton, Texas. We are 35 miles north of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

E-mail address: womansc@twu.edu
Mailing address: P.O. Box 425528
Denton, TX 76204
Phone: (940) 898-3751
Fax: (940) 898-3745

How You Can Help
Private financial support it critical to our efforts to preserve women's history, continue the preeminence of this great archive, and acquire space for archival expansion. Unrestricted gifts to the Woman's Collection meet current needs and provide the greatest flexibility.

Restricted gifts may be directed to the following areas:

• Research fellowships
• Funded staff postitions
• Funded student positions
• Endowments for special Woman's Collection projects
• The WASP Endowment

Donating research materials, photographs or other historically significant artifacts is also a great way to make a tax-deductible contribution to the TWU Woman's Collection. Additional opportunities for giving may be further explored by contacting the Director of Libraries or the Assistant Director of Libraries for Special Collections, P.O. Box 425528, Denton, TX, 76204-5528; 940-898-3751 or womansc@twu.edu.

Dawn Letson
- M.L.S., Assistant Director of Libraries for Special Collections. With TWU Woman's Collection since 1991. Previously worked at Southern Methodist University DeGolyer Library, Curator of Manuscripts and Photographs.
E-mail: Dawn Letson at dletson@twu.edu

Ann McGuffin Barton
- B.A. in History/Government. Library Assistant in the Woman's Collection since 1997.
E-mail: Ann Barton at abarton@twu.edu

Kimberly L. Johnson
-M.A. in Women's Studies, B.S. in Mass Communications.  Library Assistant in the Woman's Collection since 2007.
E-mail: Kimberly Johnson at kimmyjo@twu.edu