Additional Women's Collections: Alabama - Missouri

Alabama Department of Archives and History
http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/subject.html
Both governmental and non-governmental records are in this repository. Governmental records of note are midwife records from Talladega (AL) County Health Department; community organization materials from the Alabama Dept. of Education; Confederate widow files from the Alabama Dept. of Veterans Affairs; and the records of the Alabama Women's Commission. Some of the private organizations with records in the archives are: the Montgomery Business and Professional Women's Club; the Southern Woman's League for Rejection of the Susan B. Anthony Amendment; and the Alabama Women's Christian Temperance Union. Papers of individuals are also present.

Auburn University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives
http://www.lib.auburn.edu/sca/
Holdings include university records and manuscript collections. Included are many women's organizations such as: the Alabama Association for Women in Education; the Delta Kappa Gamma Society Pi Chapter; the League of Women Voters of Alabama; the Woman's Club of Auburn; and the Women Involved in Farm Economics, Alabama Chapter.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB Archives
http://www.uab.edu/historical/archives.html
Holdings include university records and manuscript collections. Some of the materials related to women include the records of the deans of the School of Nursing and of the directors of the health science library, the honors program, and the urban affairs center. Also documenting women are the papers and photographs of a former entertainment editor for the City's main newspaper, and the scrapbooks of the Women's Club of the School of Dentistry and of the auxiliary of the county medical society.

Arizona State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections
http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives/
Take a look at both the Arizona Collection and the Chicano Research Collection. The Arizona Collection hold the personal papers of many families and women, and within the Chicano Research Collection you will find the papers of lawyer and educator Cecilia Teyechea Denogean de Esquer, and Chicano movement activist Rose Marie Lopez.

Arkansas History Commission
http://www.ark-ives.com/
You'll find manuscripts telling the stories of nurses during World War I in this archives. Without online finding aids, it's difficult to tell what else you might find here, but there are many collections about the Civil War and Native American records.

University of Arkansas Libraries, Special Collections
http://libinfo.uark.edu/specialcollections/
A good resource for information about personal and governmental work for and against desegregation during the 1950s-60s. Personal papers from Daisy Gatson Bates, noted civil rights activist and poet Josephine B. Crump are in the collection, as are records from the Arkansas Council on Human Relations, which worked directly with the desegregation of schools.

University of Central Arkansas, Archives
http://archives.uca.edu/
The UCA Archives documents the history of the state of Arkansas and includes in its collecting priorities an emphasis on education, the environment, and minorities, including women. The involvement of women in the history of the state and their participation in environmental and educational issues is documented in the papers of Jane E. Stern and Eva Burkett. This site lists numerous unprocessed collections of women and women's organizations that probably hold many untold stories.

California Historical Society, North Baker Research Library
http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/northbaker_research.html
There is a long list of manuscript collections held here. The majority are personal papers. The papers of several women deal with legal, marital and family issues, as well as travel.

California State University Northridge, Special Collections and Archives
http://library.csun.edu/Collections/SCA/index.html
An archives of women's activities in the Los Angeles area, including in the motion picture industry, education and labor. The repository has both personal papers and professional records. Of note is the Urban Archives with holds the records of several area Women's Clubs.

San Diego State University, Special Collections and University Archives
http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/depts/spcollections/
At the home of the first women's studies program in the U.S. you will find the papers of Tish Sommers, co-founder of the Older Women's League, the San Diego Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the San Diego Chapter of the Older Women's League, the Center for Community Solutions, and (of course) the records of SDSU's Women's Studies Department.

Graduate Theological Union Archives
http://library.gtu.edu/archives/
Materials here cover ecumenical and inter-religious activities, ethnic plurality and women in religion. Collections of note are the papers of Anne McGrew Bennett an activist laywoman in the 1960s, '70s and '80s; the records of the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, Seattle, WA; and the records of the GTU Center for Women and Religion, the oldest center for women in theological education.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
http://www.huntington.org/ResearchDiv/WomenRes.html
Materials at the Huntington document women's achievements from the 18th century to the 20th. The collections are particularly strong in the areas of: suffrage, literary activities, religious leadership, and the women's club movement. Also of note are: business, political movements, labor, science, and the western experience. Individuals whose lives are prominent in these papers are: Frances Power Cobbe, Elizabeth Robinson Montagu, Annie Fields, Mary Austin, Mary Baker Eddy, Augusta Stetson, Clara Burdette, and Caroline Severance.

June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives
http://mazerlesbianarchives.org/
The Collection is committed to gathering and preserving materials by and about lesbians of all classes, ethnicities, races and experiences. Archival collections include the records of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Feminist Economic Network, as well as, the papers of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.

Sonoma State College, Special Collection/Archives, Salazar Library
http://library.sonoma.edu/regional/
Resources about over 1,000 women artists from the Middle Ages through the present day. Primary source materials include slides, photographs, personal correspondence, exhibition notices, brochures, and unpublished student papers. In addition, the Archives has historical information on feminist art organizations, periodicals, exhibition announcements, articles, and criticism chronicling women's art movements in the 1970s.

Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources, Special Collections & University Archives
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html
The papers of women are found in the subject list under a variety of headings. Be sure to look beyond "Gender Studies." Included are doctor and professor Celia D. Mosher, photographer Laura Aguilar, author and poet Cherríe Moraga, and labor activist Anne Draper.

University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Library
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
The papers of a number of women who made California their home are at the Bancroft. Women represented in the collections include the first director of the U.S. Housing Authority Catherine Krouse Wurster; writer Harriet Martineau; writer and suffragist Ina Sizer Cassidy; philanthropist and supporter of education Phoebe Apperson Hearst (also the mother of William Randolph Hearst); and artist and writer Julie Helen Heyneman. Also located here are the architectural drawings of Julia Morgan.

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley Digital Collections SunSITE
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Collections/
This website is a great resource and there is a webpage devoted to Emma Goldman: The Emma Goldman Papers.

University of California San Francisco, Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives & Special Collections, AIDS History Project
http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/ahp/
A rich source of information on the AIDS epidemic and particularly the response to it in San Francisco, CA. Materials related to women can be found in the records of the Women's AIDS Network and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

University of California at Santa Barbara, California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives (CEMA)
http://cemaweb.library.ucsb.edu/cema_index.html
The archives documents the cultural and political experiences of the African American, Asian American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American ethnic groups in California. Of note are the National Hispanic Women's Network Archives, the Sheila Ortiz-Taylor Papers, and the Anita Mackey Papers.

Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries
http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/archives/index.htm
This repository focuses on the areas of Human Rights, Western Americana, Politics, Labor, and Environmentalism. Of note are the U.S. arm of Amnesty International records, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom records and the Divided Spouses Coalition records.

University of Colorado Denver, Archives and Special Collections
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/public/library/archives/AHP1.html
A wide variety of materials about women's organizations in Colorado can be found here. Organizations represented include: the Colorado Women's Conference; American Association of University Women of Colorado; Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Denver Branch; Colorado Women in Higher Education; Institute for Radical Studies.

Connecticut State Library
http://www.cslib.org/women.htm
This site really highlights how you can ferret out women's history from run-of-the-mill government documents. In addition to lots of pointers on where to look, this page highlights particular collections that might be of interest, for example the Women's Committee of the Connecticut State Council of Defense and the Connecticut Order of Women Legislators. In addition to government records, holdings include: diaries, letters, and organizational materials too.

University of Connecticut, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
http://www.lib.uconn.edu/online/research/speclib/ASC/
Two areas of strength concerning women within this repository are nursing and the modern women's movement. Documents concerning the women's movement are within the alternative politics and culture collection, and several collections related to nursing and nurses are in the archives of nursing leadership.

Yale University Divinity School Library, Special Collections
http://www.library.yale.edu/div/speccoll.html
The scope of this repository is Protestant missionary work and American clergy and evangelists. Numerous women who were missionaries, especially to China, have their papers here. In addition women are represented in the records of organizations such as the Asian Women's Institute and the Church Missionary Society.

University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec
A collection of papers from British, American and Irish authors. Holdings include the papers of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Kay Boyle, Katherine Hoskins, Jane Heap, and others. Most of the materials are from the 20th century.

General Federation of Women's Clubs, Women's History and Resource Center
http://www.gfwc.org/content_1791.cfm
Located at the Women's History and Resource Center, the GFWC archives date back to 1890 and document the activities of this national federation and its state and local auxiliaries. The archives includes minutes, programs, publications, membership directories, scrapbooks and more. Note that finding aids are not available on this site.

Georgetown University Libraries, Special Collections
http://gulib.lausun.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/index.htm
There are numerous collections of women's papers located here. They include political activist, and world traveler, Mrs. Robert Low Bacon; Eleanor Roosevelt's White House social secretary from 1933-1945, Dorothy Dow Butturff; member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and wife of Texas Senator Earle B. Mayfield, Ora L. Mayfield and others. Look under Finding Aids, the collection list is organized alphabetically by last name.

Howard University, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Manuscript Division
http://www.founders.howard.edu/moorland-spingarn/MSSDIV.HTM
The contributions of women to the Black experience are well documented in the personal papers located here. Of note are journalist Alice Dunnigan; physician Lena Edwards; educator Angelina Weld Grimke; and musician Camille Nickerson. The WWW site offers an alphabetical listing of all the processed collections in the Manuscript Department, but your research will be easier if you can obtain the print guide: Guide to Resources on Women in the Processed Manuscript Collection of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.

Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Women's History
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/guide/women.html
The guide lists over 36 women for whom there are papers in the Library of Congress. Some of these women are Susan B. Anthony; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Carrie Chapman Catt; Julia Ward Howe; Margaret Sanger; Dolley Madison; Clara Barton; Marjorie Claire Stinson; Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sandra Day. O'Connor. You can also find the records on the following organizations: the National Woman's Party; the League of Women Voters; Women's Joint Congressional Committee; ERAmerica; National Council of Jewish Women; National Women's Trade Union League and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. To search for a particular subject / person / etc. go to the LC Catalogs.

National Archives and Records Administration, Archives Library Information Center, Pathfinder for Women's History
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/women.html
Full of all sorts of useful information like bibliographies and published collections of primary sources. An excellent starting place for research in women's history. However, unlike other pages listed here, this one does not tell you about holdings at this repository. To search for materials in the National Archives go to the search engine, NAIL.

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art
http://www.aaa.si.edu/
An essential resource for those studying American art. The collections include papers of artists, art dealers, art historians, collectors, and others; records of art galleries, museums, and art organizations; videos; and oral interviews. A lot of women artists are included. Many of the collections are microfilmed and are available through interlibrary loan.

State Archives of Florida: Collections Pertaining to Women's History and Women's Issues
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/archives/womensGuide/index.cfm
More than just government records here.

University of Florida, George A. Smathers Library, Special and Area Studies Collections
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/
The papers of several women of note in Florida history are at this institution. In particular are the personal papers of author Zora Neale Hurston and labor union activist Margaret Dreier Robins.

Emory University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Book Library
http://marbl.library.emory.edu/
A rich resource for Southern history. Present are the papers of authors, teachers, artists, and rural Georgia women from the 19th century. An extensive subject guide makes the women's collections accessible.

Georgia Archives
http://www.sos.georgia.gov/Archives/
This website provides information of selected resources highlighted to show some of the wide variety of material on women's history available for research at the Georgia Archives. Of note are: governmental records dealing with economic and social issues; manuscript collections documenting the lives of women like social worker, Rhoda Kaufman, as well as organizations such as the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers--which was founded in 1928.

Georgia State University Library, Special Collections, Women's Collection
http://www.library.gsu.edu/spcoll/pages/area.asp?ldID=105&guideID=544
Open since 1995, several collections in the archives document the Georgia women's movement, groups formed to take on passing the ERA, religious questions and other second-wave (1969-present) women's issues in Georgia.

Boise State University, Albertsons Library, Special Collections Department
http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/index.htm
These collections documenting the history of Idaho include just a few women and women's organizations. Mostly women writers and religious organizations, such as Church Women United.

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Archives-Library
http://www.aana.com/
Women, such as Sister Mary Bernard Alice Magaw, were pioneers as nurse anesthetists. The AANA Archives houses institutional AANA records, records related to nurse anesthetists or to organizations related to the field of nurse anesthesia; and rare books on anesthesia collected by nurse anesthetists such as Helen Lamb, CRNA.

Northwestern University Library, McCormick Library of Special Collections, Manuscript Collections
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/spec/manuscripts.html
The collections in this archives are international in scope, with a primary emphasis on feminism and activism in the United States. Among the collections are the papers of author Anaïs Nin, papers from the Study Club, 1896-1970 (women in Hyde Park), records of Feminar, a feminist film conference and others. Some have online finding aids.

University of Illinois at Chicago, University Library, Special Collections and University Archives
http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/
A good resource for historical sources about Chicago and the surrounding area. Although there are no finding aids online yet, the archives has the Jane Addams Memorial Collection, Midwest Women's Historical Collection and local records from groups as diverse as the Women's Christian Temperance Union to the Young Women's Hebrew Association.

University of Illinois at Springfield, Archives/Special Collections
http://www.uis.edu/archives/historical.html
The University Archives/Special Collections at Brookens Library has a number of local collections, including DES Action Groups, the Planned Parenthood group in Springfield records from 1938-95 and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom affiliate, started in 1947.

Wheaton College, Billy Graham Center Archives
http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/collectn.html
Includes several collections of private papers of women missionaries and evangelists, and organizations such as the Woman's Union Missionary Society.

Indiana Historical Society
http://www.indianahistory.org/
There are numerous collections related to women here. A few of the organizations represented are the Woman's Franchise League Of Indiana, the Daughters Of 1812, and the Woman Suffrage Association, in addition, the records of the Black Women In The Middle West Project are located here. Note: At the bottom of the home page is a search engine. There is also a Guide to Women's History Materials which provides detailed information on the women's collections.

Indiana University, Lilly Library manuscript collections
http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/collections-mss.shtml
The materials here cover a wide array of interests and are particularly strong in literature. If you are looking for letters from a literary figure check here--the names of major correspondents are listed in the descriptions for processed collections. Use the search engine to find names, etc. Also available is a subject guide to Women-Related Manuscript Collections however, it is selective, so it should not be the beginning and end of your search.

University of Notre Dame Archives
http://archives.nd.edu/
Note the Engendering American Catholic Studies guide. A good place to look for material relating to women and Catholicism. Includes papal letters to women, records from a number of women's Catholic organizations, and more.

Iowa State University, Archives of Women in Science and Engineering
http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/wise/wise.html
Holdings encompass the 20th century records from the Iowa Chapter of the Society for Women Engineers, Program for Women in Science and Engineering, Professional Women in American Nuclear Society Committee and other groups. Personal papers from Darleane Hoffman, nuclear engineer and Rachel Hartman Edgar, textile chemist are also in the collection.

University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa Women's Archives
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa
The archives focuses on 20th century political activism and African-American women in Iowa. Included in the personal papers and organizational records are materials documenting the YWCA of Greater Des Moines, Church Women United of Iowa, and the life of Mary Louise Smith.

Kansas State University Libraries, Special Collections, University Archives and Manuscripts
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/archives.html
The papers of alumnae and women prominent in KSU history (check out the K-State Women: Selected Holdings guide), as well as local and regional organizations are present here. Organizational records include: American Association of University Women; Kansans for ERA; Master Farm Homemakers; and Women in Communications, Inc.

Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/
Rich material concerning women and women in history, aviation, prohibition, abolition, and the Civil War, as well as the works of women writers and women in Kansas history. Of note are the records of the Kansas Governor's Commission of the Status of Women, and the papers of Molly Warren Wilcox, and Marilyn Lovell. Use the subject search to find the materials about women.

University of Louisville Libraries, University Archives and Records Center: Women's Manuscript Collections Project
http://library.louisville.edu/uarc/subjects/womenguide.html
Here you will find papers documenting lives and careers of attorney Laura Miller Derry, poet Diane di Prima, poet Hortense Flexner, pediatrician and West Louisville neighborhood activist Grace M. James, civil rights activist and Louisville alderman Lois Morris, constitutional historian and women's rights advocate Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau, Louisville radio columnist and ballet co-founder Louise Weiller, circuit court judge Rebecca Westerfield, and many others. In addition to these and other manuscript collections, the project includes University of Louisville-related papers and records, oral histories, reference files, and secondary sources.

Louisiana State University Libraries, Special Collections
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/
Follow the links to the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, and the subject guide for women. An excellent source for regional history. The collections include materials from white and black women alive during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. A significant number of the collections deal with plantation life.

Newcomb College Center for Research on Women: Newcomb Archives
http://www.tulane.edu/~wc/text/newarchives.html
This archives of 19th and 20th century documents from the Women's College of Tulane (1886-present), includes materials on women's education in general, as well as the second wave of southern feminism and southern culinary history.

Tulane University Libraries, Special Collections
http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/
Materials related to women's lives can be found in the main collection of 19th and 20th century manuscripts.

University of Maine, Fogler Library, Special Collections Department
http://www.library.umaine.edu/speccoll/
The Special Collections Guide to Manuscript Collections lists 19th and 20th century records of a few women's organizations in Maine. Look under the subject term Women to find brief descriptions of records for the American Association of University women, Maine Federation of Women's Clubs, League of Women Voters of Maine, and Maine Federation of Business and Professional Women. Browse through other subject terms such as Authors, to find more collections pertaining to women.

University of New England, Westbrook College Campus, Abplanalp Library, The Maine Women Writers Collection
http://www.une.edu/mwwc/
Published and non-published literary, cultural and social history sources, by and about women authors, either native or residents of Maine. These sources document and illustrate the times, circumstances and experiences of Maine women writers, revealing their public actions and private thoughts.

University of Maryland Libraries, Archives and Manuscripts Department
http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCV/
Be sure to check out the list of Women's Studies collections. Includes all kinds of information about women in Maryland history is available here, from the papers of author Katherine Anne Porter to papers of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and the National Women's Studies Association. The archives also has a substantial collection of personal papers written by women from all walks of life.

Congregational Library
http://www.14beacon.org/
The archives holds materials of women's organizations within the Congregational, Congregational Christian and United Church of Christ tradition throughout the world. The majority of the collections relate to missionary work.

Mount Holyoke College, Archives & Special Collections
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/archives/index.shtml
Papers and manuscripts reveal the history of one of earliest women's colleges in the U.S. Included are personal papers of alumnae, faculty, trustees and presidents, including Mary Woolley.

Radcliffe College Archives
http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/archives/index.php
The archives houses official records, student records, alumnae collections and other materials that document the history of the college both prior to its joining with Harvard and after.

Radcliffe College, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/
The largest repository of women's history to document the public and private lives of women. Subject areas of note are women's rights and suffrage, social and labor reform, family history, and women in the professions, government service, and political movements. The library holds the papers of Betty Friedan, Julia Ward Howe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and others, as well as the records of many Boston area women's organizations. This gopher also links travelers to a large number of other repositories through the link to Johns Hopkins.

Simmons College Library: College Archives
http://my.simmons.edu/library/collections/college_archives/
Extensive holdings of the personal papers of educators, nurses, social workers, and other professionals. There are also some records from women's organizations. Worth a look.

Smith College Archives
http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/archives/
Institutional records from the 19th and 20th century document the college, as well as, women's war work, education and student life from 1860- present.

Smith College, Sophia Smith Collection
http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/
The oldest repository of women's history. Over 5,000 linear feet of material about women in the U.S. from the late 18th century to the present. Some of the subjects documented are birth control, women's rights and international work of American women. Collections include the papers of Margaret Sanger, and the records of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Wellesley College Archives
http://www.wellesley.edu/Library/Archives/
As the institutional repository for Wellesley College--a women's college--this archives holds material documenting women and education. Details about the manuscript collections are sketchy, but they include some papers of past college presidents, faculty and alumnae.

Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
http://www.msu.edu/unit/msuarhc/
A number of small collections (a few folders each) of women living in Michigan at the turn of the 20th century are located here. Issues of note that are mentioned in the papers of Naomi Carrier Schopp and Mariette C. Crittenden are childbirth, homemaking, and education.

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Bentley Historical Library
http://bentley.umich.edu/
Note the Bentley's Michigan Women's History guide. Some of the records highlighted are University of Michigan archives from the offices of the Dean of Women, the Women's Athletic Association, and the Women's Research Club. Also listed are the Planned Parenthood of Mid-Michigan; NOW, Michigan Conference; and the Right to Life of Michigan collections.

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, William L. Clements Library, Manuscripts Division
http://www.clements.umich.edu/Manuscripts.html
Holdings relating to the history of women include the papers American abolitionists Cornelia Hancock, Elizabeth Comstock, Angelina Grimké Weld and Sarah Moore Grimké (for the Grimké sisters, look for the Weld-Grimké collection), and writers Lydia Maria Child and Lydia H. Sigourney.

Wayne State University, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs
http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/collections/alua.html
A great source of information about labor organizations which have large female constituencies. Included are the: Society of Women Engineers, Coalition of Labor Union Women, some Michigan chapters of NOW, Michigan AAUW, Association of Flight Attendants, UAW Women's department, and many chapters of the American Federation of Teachers, as well as the Detroit Feminist Women's Health Center Collection. Also there are personal papers of a number of women. Catalog records exist for many of the collections, but no finding aids at this time.

James J. Hill Reference Library
http://www.jjhill.org/History/
This enterprise offers a look at business history in the upper Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Maud Van Cortlandt Hill Taylor Papers document a wealthy women's activities and life; the range of topics covered span from family life and child rearing, to philanthropy, religion and upper class attitudes.

Minnesota Historical Society
http://www.mnhs.org/collections/manuscripts/manuscripts.htm
An impressive collection of women's personal papers and organizational records is housed here. You'll find the personal papers of Muriel Humphrey, Elizabeth Kenny, the nurse who discovered a breakthrough treatment for infantile paralysis, Meridel Le Sueur, author and Elizabeth Wallace, first full professor at University of Chicago, as well as many others. Organizational record holdings include groups ranging from the National Association of Women Business Owners to the Circle of the Witch.

St. Cloud State University, University Archives and Special Collections
http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/archives/default.asp
Here you will find the Minnesota Authors Manuscripts Collection of which Ida Kay Compton and Joanne Fluke are a part.

Jackson State University, Margaret Walker Alexander Research Center
http://www.jsums.edu/maw.htm
The Center houses the papers of professor and writer Margaret Walker Alexander who wrote the poem, "For My People" (1937).

University of Southern Mississippi, University Libraries, Manuscripts and Archives
http://www.lib.usm.edu/~archives/
Of note here is the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection which holds manuscripts, illustrations and other personal papers for authors and illustrators of children's literature, mostly American women, but some British as well.

Southwest Missouri State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives: Ozarks Labor Union Archives
http://library.missouristate.edu/archives/labor/index.htm
Includes several women's collections and a few labor unions' records in which you would expect participation by a number of women. Look for the Garment Workers, Office Workers and Service Employees, and of course, woman's auxiliaries.

Western Historical Manuscript Collection
http://www.umsystem.edu/whmc/
The holdings are physically located in several repositories and researchers should look at each location's home page. The Collection includes a wide range of records from women's labor groups, political and religious organizations, and the papers of individual women. The St. Louis, MO, repository has materials documenting the local gay and lesbian community, which can be found by looking under the guides to collections.