Mapping the World of Women's Information Services is an on line database of women's information centres, libraries and archives. It was developed in 1998 in the Netherlands by the International Information Centre and Archives for the Women’s Movement (IIAV) in collaboration with the Royal Tropical Institute, and Oxfam, GB, with a grant from UNESCO. Presently Atria, institute on gender equality and women’s history, the successor of the IIAV, maintains the database.
Contents
It contains almost 400 women's information centres from over 130 countries and can be accessed through the Atria website.
What are Women’s Information Services
Women have collected and disseminated information for hundreds of years, but it is only from early 20th century that centres have been developed for the specific purpose of collecting and documenting what has come to be known as women’s information. Women’s information envelops a wide spectrum of material, cultural, political and educational issues.
Women’s information centres give women access to information that affects them. In the past fifty years, influenced by the worldwide women’s movement, collections have become more established and have developed their own professional instruments (for example the Women’s Thesaurus, an instrument developed to index women’s information).
Women’s information services include:
Targetgroup
The database is a resource for anyone looking for print, on line, photographic, audio-visual, or other resources about women. Sources of women's information are to be found in over 50 languages, covering hundreds of relevant subjects, from more than 130 countries. Targetusers are women and women’s organizations, policymakers, decision-makers and general information services.