Women’s History Month celebrates women’s contributions to our shared social, cultural and political history. Women’s History Month has been observed since 1987 when a Congressional Resolution expanded Women’s History Week to a month-long celebration, which includes International Women’s Day on March 8th.

This year’s theme is, “Our History is Our Strength.”

• Women’s History Month — This site from the Library of Congress, National Gallery and other federal agencies and cultural organizations presents a variety of exhibits and collections, images, audio, video, and teaching resources that pay “tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society.”
• Women of Influence — “21 notable American women who broke new ground, some by championing equal rights for all and others by their accomplishments in fields such as government, literature, and even in war.”
• Women’s History Month — InfoPlease has a great collection of resources for all ages, including articles, timelines, brief biographies, quizzes and more
• 300 Women who Changed the World — A collection of brief profiles from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Women’s History — Notable women, inspiring quotes, history quizzes and more from the Biography Channel
• “Votes for Women”: Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920 — A collection of prints and photographs from the American Memory project of the Library of Congress
• What did you do in the War, Grandma? — A collection of oral histories about the World War II experiences of Rhode Island women
• Women who have left their “Stamps” on History — A list of women who have “made a significant contribution to society” and, consequently, have had a commemorative U.S. postage stamp issued in their honor; from Infoplease
• Women Artists in History — Information about women artists, from Medieval times through the twentieth century
• International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame — A list of women enshrined in the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame
• The Girls of Summer — Learn about the history of women’s baseball in this great site from The Exploratorium
• Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers and Broadcasters in World War II — A special exhibit by the Library of Congress highlighting the accomplishments of eight brave and talented women

Biographies

• Biographies of Women Mathematicians — Learn about women in mathematics from ancient times to the present
• Distinguished Women, Past and Present — Biographies of women who contributed to our culture in many different ways
• The Women of the Hall — Biographies and pictures of women selected for the National Women’s Hall of Fame

Activities for Kids

• Women’s History Month Booklist — A list of books for kids, linked to the library catalog

• Women’s History Month — Lesson plans and online resources for students to explore women’s contributions to history worldwide from Edsitement.com
• Women Who Made History — “Discover women who have made a difference” with information and activities from Scholastic