Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Women's History Month

Women's History Month, observed during March in the United States and the United Kingdom, has its origins in International Women's Day, first celebrated in 1911. The months offers educators, libraries, organizations and others an opportunity to promote, teach and learn about the accomplishments of women within our society historically and today.

Below are some links to information on women... both at the state level and national level:

KANSAS

Kansas Historical Society
http://www.kshs.org/search/index/query:women
(Web pages at the Kansas Historical Society's website regarding women. Be sure to click on the tabs on the page for links to information at Kansapedia, Kansas Memory, State Archives and shopping)

Kansas Women in Literature, by Nettie Garmer Barker
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/BarKans.html
(Transcription of a 1915 book)

Women's Suffrage in Kansas
Linkhttp://www.kancoll.org/voices/1997/0997sufr.htm
(A timeline presented by the Kansas Collection)

Status of Women in Kansas
http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-status-of-women-in-kansas-1
(2002 report published by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Click on FREE DOWNLOAD button)
2004 update
http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-status-of-women-in-kansas-2004-highlights
2009 State Profile
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/womens-economic-status-in-the-states/sws-2009/kansas-2009-1


NATIONAL

Women's History Month (US Library of Congress website)
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
("The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society."

Women's History Month (Law Library of the US Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/women_history.php
("Women’s History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women throughout the history of the United States.")

Women's History Month, March 2012 (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff05.html
(Part of the Bureau's Profile for America: Facts for Features)

Women's History Month (U.S. Department of Defense)
http://www.defense.gov/specials/womenshistory/
(Women in the military)

Women's History Month (National Register of Historic Places)
http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/wom/
("The National Register of Historic Places lists many properties significant for women's history. We take the opportunity of Women's History Month to highlight just some of the properties that exemplify the contributions of women to American history. ")

National Archives Online Gallery: Women
http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/women/

National Women's History Month
http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php
(Website of the National Women's History Project)

Women's History Month (History.com)
http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history-month

Ten Things Invented By Women
http://www.womenshistorymonth.co.uk/
(From the U.K. Women's History Month website)

Some State Library ATLAS Catalog Subjects:
Women--Kansas
Women air pilots--United States--Biography
Women composers -- United States -- Biography
Women educators--United States--Biography
Women--History
Women journalists--United States--Biography
Women judges--United States--Biography
Women labor leaders--United States--Biography
Women legislators--Kansas--Biography
Women legislators--United States--Biography
Women painters--United States--Biography
Women photographers--United States--Biography
Women physicians--United States--Biography
Women pioneers--Kansas
Women psychologists--United States--Biography
Women scientists--United States--Biography
Women singers--United States--Biography
Women social reformers--United States--Biography
Women--Suffrage--Kansas

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Redrawing our Congressional Districts


As the Kansas Senate prepares to vote on proposed changes to the state's Congressional districts, this may be a good time for a bit of a redistricting review.



The apportionment of seats in Congress is based on the population of the states as counted by the U.S. Census Bureau during the decennial census. The states are then provided small area population counts so that they may redefine their Congressional districts to reflect changes in the state's population.

There are four Congressional districts in Kansas. The First Congressional District, which covers most of the western half of Kansas, has lost population while the other three, especially the Third District, have gained population. The Special Committee of Redistricting then has to redraw the maps so the population served by the districts is more equal. The Special Committee will do the same with the Kansas Senate, House and Board of Education districts, which have also seen population shifts.

To learn more about redistricting, and to see current proposals, the Kansas Legislative Research Department has created this site:

You can learn more about the Special Committee on Redistricting on the Kansas Legislature's site: