American Association of University Women (AAUW) Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia Branch

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research with the exception of media for which reformatting is pending. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Original media formats are restricted from access. Reformatted access copies may be available, or media reformatting may be available upon request. Contact research services staff at library-special@jmu.edu for additional information.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collection Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], American Association of University Women (AAUW) Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia Branch, 1929-2025, SC 0211, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Summary

Extent:
9.89 cubic feet 29 boxes
Creator:
American Association of University Women. Harrisonburg Branch
Abstract:
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia Branch document the activities of Harrisonburg's local AAUW branch and include administrative records, financial files, publications, annual conference materials, scrapbooks, and photographs.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], American Association of University Women (AAUW) Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia Branch, 1929-2025, SC 0211, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia Branch, 1929-2017, document the activities of Harrisonburg's local AAUW branch and include administrative records, meeting minutes, bylaws, membership records, financial files, publications and newsletters, annual conference materials, scrapbooks, ephemera, and photographs.

Researchers should note that while there is a discrete series for Financial Files, other series, specifically Administrative Files, also contain documents related to the financial goings-on of AAUW. Cross-referencing related series is encouraged. Similarly, the absence of a Correspondence series does not denote a lack of correspondence. In fact, correspondence is likely located in most series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, 1929-2015, comprises bylaws, meeting minutes, membership files, and general materials related to the administrative activities of the Harrisonburg branch of AAUW. Materials related to other branches, specifically bylaws, are also included.

Series 2: Financial Files, 1969-2007, documents the business activities of the AAUW, Harrisonburg branch. The account books document the branch's income and expenses. Complementary materials include financial statements and reports, budgets, and treasurer's reports.

Series 3: Causes, Activism, and Education, 1965-2008, comprises subject files related to the mission of AAUW, particularly concerning social movements, education, and voting rights.

Series 4: Publications, 1968-2011, contains official publications and printed material primarily created by AAUW as well as the Harrisonburg branch, other local branches, and the Virginia division.

The Harrisonburg Branch newsletter has had several title changes during the course of its publication. The titles represented in this collection include: "U" News, AAUW Newsletter, AAUW News, and The Inside Track. There are periods of time during which the newsletter does not have a discernable title. In the spirit of keeping like materials together, all branch newsletters, regardless of title, are filed under the generic title "Newsletters."

This series also includes publications explicitly related to causes, activism, and education. Relatedly, regularly published periodicals by AAUW also include articles related to the organization's causes. Researchers are encouraged to cross-reference Series 3: Causes, Activism, and Education for related subject files.

Series 5: Conventions and Programming, 1968-2017, comprises programs and related materials documenting the annual Virginia AAUW convention. The Harrisonburg branch's implementation of "Girls Can," a STEM career fair, is documented in this series. This series also includes assorted programming and promotional materials and flyers.

Series 6: Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Ephemera, 1929-2011, comprises five scrapbooks, photo albums and loose photographs, printed ephemera, and realia. The scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, ephemera, programs, and photographs documenting the activities of the AAUW, Harrisonburg branch during a given time period. Of particular interest is a sash including the phrase "MARCH FOR WOMEN'S EQUALITY, WOMEN'S LIVES."

Series 7: 2025-0909 Accession, 1979-2025, comprises assorted administrative records documenting the activities of the Harrisonburg branch of AAUW. Materials include newsletters, yearbooks, conference programs, newspaper clippings, and records related to branch initiatives including the Equal Rights Amendment, the Crystal Theodore Scholarship, and other philanthropic endeavors.

Biographical / historical:

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) was founded on November 28, 1881 when Marion Talbot and Ellen Richards met in Boston, Massachusetts along with 15 alumnae representing eight colleges. The aim of this first meeting was to discuss the needs of college-educated women and to broaden opportunities and assist women in higher education. The organization is nonpartisan and nonprofit with more than 170,000 members. The mission of AAUW is "to advance gender equity for women through research, education, and advocacy." Membership in AAUW is open to anyone holding a two-year associate degree or higher from an accredited college or university, or equivalent.

The Harrisonburg branch of AAUW was founded on April 15, 1929 in Alumnae Hall on the campus of the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (now James Madison University). The branch was organized with 15 charter members including Virginia Harnsberger, librarian at the State Teachers College, who was elected its first president. During the 1940s, the branch established and provided continued support for the Virginia Harnsberger Memorial Fund to furnish the Children's Room at the new Rockingham Public Library. In addition to membership dues, the recipe book Recipes of the Shenandoah Valley, first published in 1959, served as a primary funding source for branch activities and outreach. Since 1975, the branch has held regular book club meetings. Current branch initiatives include equal rights and equal pay advocacy as well as voter registration. In partnership with JMU, the branch organizes "Girls Can," an annual STEM conference and career fair for middle school girls.

The Harrisonburg branch of AAUW officially disbanded on July 1, 2025.

Acquisition information:
The collection was donated in five separate accessions between 2011 and 2025.
Processing information:

In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in 2017-2019. This collection was previously cataloged as SC 5036.

During this time, the collection was also reprocessed in order to simplify the intellectual arrangement, increase discoverability through better description, and better stabilize the materials through physical rehousing. Significant changes to the collection include the weeding of bank statements, canceled checks and check stubs, receipts, and deposit slips. Their research value is minimal and furthermore the financial activities of AAUW are documented in the bound account books and membership files which were retained. Additionally, duplicate materials, primarily multiple copies of newsletters and publications, were also discarded.

Loose copies of the Harrisonburg Branch Yearbook and branch newsletters, originally associated with the 1929-1947 scrapbook, were filed with like materials in Series 1 and Series 4 respectively.

When the collection was originally processed in September 2012, the pages of the 1929-1947 scrapbook were separated from the boards and photocopied. The original scrapbook, boards, pages, and photocopied pages are all retained.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into seven series:

  1. Administrative Files, 1929-2015
  2. Financial Files, 1969-2007
  3. Causes, Activism, and Education, 1965-2008
  4. Publications, 1968-2011
  5. Conventions and Programming, 1968-2017
  6. Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Ephemera, 1929-2011
  7. 2025-0909 Accession, 1979-2025
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard