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American Association of University Women, Washington State Records, 1926-2023

Overview of the Collection

Creator
American Association of University Women. Washington State Division.
Title
American Association of University Women, Washington State Records
Dates
1926-2023 (inclusive)
circa 1960-2005 (bulk)
Quantity
49 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0032aauw
Summary
The American Association of University Women, Washington State Records document the growth and development of the Washington State Division of this organization from its inception in 1927 to the present. The collection contains numerous series documenting the development of the division and its branches.The files reflect the educational, political and social interests of the division members and document the issues on which they focused their attention.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

Founded in 1882, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has headquarters in Washington, D.C. The AAUW is an association of women graduates from regionally accredited colleges and universities. The purpose of the association is to conduct programs of interest for members in the areas of international relations, education and culture.

In 1926, at the North Pacific Sectional Conference in Portland, Oregon, members of Washington branches met and formed a temporary state organization. Subsequently, on January 27, 1927 in Longview, Washington, members of Washington branches including Bellingham, Cowlitz County, Grays Harbor, Lewis County, Olympia, Pullman, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Walla Walla, and Yakima met, creating and adopting a Divisional Constitution and bylaws.

Acceptance of bylaws and election of state level officers led to the appointment of the first state committee chairs for education, international relations, legislation, history, membership, publicity, and fellowship. The individual branches soon duplicated these chairs. From the first, the branches followed closely the pattern of the National organization, working to further its programs. The Washington State Division and the Washington branches changed in accord with the National structure through the years. When the National Association shifted emphasis in the study-action program, the branch programs followed suit.

As the United States became involved in World War II, the activities of the branches turned wholeheartedly toward the war effort. Some of the war effort activities included selling war bonds and stamps, raising money for the USO, serving on Red Cross committees, holding full-time positions vacated by men in the armed forces, aiding in the survey of places of refuge in community homes in the event evacuation of nearby cities became necessary, and setting up nursery schools. There was also a continued interest in community problems as well as state and national legislation. The branches worked to raise the minimum wage law for women, establish kindergartens in schools, and found nursery schools.

In the 1950s, a growing interest in civil defense and community affairs prompted AAUW members to lead in their communities through speaking, planning adult forums, and sponsoring lecture series. An interest in radio, TV, and films become evident by 1957 with half the branches participating in the activities of the American Council for Better Broadcasts. Some branches presented programs on local stations.

In the late 1960s, interest in legislation and in various phases of education, particularly those having to do with school programs, continued to grow. During the 1970s, both branch programs and those of study groups broadened their scope to include topics of interest to both men and women, including ecology, environment, nuclear energy, economic development and employment. Issues of taxation, educational standards and school funding, judicial reform, alternatives for Washington (constitutional reform), and other political issues remained important. Programs dealing with foreign countries, art exhibits, theater productions, and social activities continued.

Individual branch members became involved in community, county and state governmental affairs. Instead of merely making themselves knowledgeable on legislative issues and the political views of the candidates, branch members offered themselves as candidates for offices and services on state and local boards and commissions.

The American Association of University Women continues to promote equity for all women and girls, lifelong education, and positive societal change.

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Content Description

Spanning over seventy years, the American Association of University Women Washington State Records are a rich resource on the history of the division and associated branches. Those interested in donating AAUW Washington State material should review Preserving AAUW's Historical Records (see next section of this guide) for more information.

The collection spans the years from 1926 through the present, with the bulk of the material focused on the 1960s through the 2000s. The materials contain records created and kept at the State Division level, those created and maintained by individual branches, and a small amount of records generated at the national level. The collection reflects this distinction through four series: State Division Records, Branch Records, National and Regional records, and A/V Materials and Photographs.

The State Division records document administrative information, organizational activities, special projects, funds and foundations, public policy and issues, state conventions, historian's files, and publications. The files reflect the educational, political and social interests of the division members and document the issues on which they focused their attention, including women and children, gender equality, and long term health care.

The administrative records include bylaws, meeting minutes, and officer/committee reports. The records documenting the organizational activities include community and cultural interests as well as job descriptions and handbooks for members. Special projects of the organization include "Expanding Your Horizons," which is a program designed to encourage young women and girls interested in science and math, along with workshops held at the state level. The series includes detailed information on the association's educational foundation, including branch contributions and foundation awards. The state division historian's files comprise reports from individual branches and the history of the state division. Publications include state level directories and newsletters.

Records maintained at the branch level include branch administration and activity files, histories, and publications. The Bellingham Branch donated the most extensive records to date including bylaws, minutes, and activities such as book sales and past president luncheons. The remaining branch records are far less extensive, and document primarily meeting minutes and major activities. Included among this series are several scrapbooks from various branches. These scrapbooks include photographs and clippings that document the history of the branches. The branch histories include information on the conception of each branch, including names of organizers and early participants. Publications in this series include branch directories and newsletters.

National and regional records dated 1977-1981 document Marion Boylan's activities as AAUW's national Cultural Interests Area Representative, including her attendance at the 1980 International Federation of University Women's conference in Vancouver, B.C. The final series includes audio/visual materials and loose photographs. This series contains photographs documenting both state and branch-level activities, and includes videos and slide presentations from AAUW projects and conventions.

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Other Descriptive Information

Preserving AAUW Historical Records

Several AAUW Washington State officers and branch members have expressed an interest in preserving their historical records. This document suggests some issues to consider when making decisions about what to preserve, what to discard and what to forward for inclusion in the AAUW Washington State Records at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Goltz-Murray Building, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9123.

Does WWU accept records from all chapters or branches of the AAUW in Washington State?

Due to space limitations, the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies at WWU cannot accommodate or preserve historical records from all the many chapters of AAUW in Washington State: our collecting efforts have focused primarily to date on preserving records from the State-level organization as well as primarily from chapters from northwest Washington. Some chapters have chosen by preference to establish their own strong relationships and collections with archives, museums and libraries closer to their locale, and where records are more accessible to members and individuals from nearby communities. For logistical reasons, CPNWS may suggest that branches consider archiving records at other archival institutions in the region.

What Should You Keep?

The records produced by your Branch or State Office may have current, temporary, or permanent value. Some record types normally considered to have permanent value for legal, financial, administrative or historical purposes are: charters; bylaws; articles of incorporation; minutes of general, board, or committee meetings; Branch, State, or Regional publications; annual reports; research reports; general histories; and financial documents.

Records unique to AAUW, such as convention programs or transcripts of proceedings, materials describing programs and their implementation, and correspondence files which document the creation of Association policies and projects should also be retained.

The decision to retain a record or record series must be judged according to its current, temporary, or permanent value to the organization. In order to determine the value of a record, consider the following:

  • 1) How often is this record used?
  • 2) What information does it contain that will or might be needed again?
  • 3) Does it describe an important event, policy, or program carried out by your AAUW Branch or Division?
  • 4) Does it contain vital legal, financial, or administrative information?
  • 5) Does it contain unique information?
  • 6) How old is the document?
  • 7) Do other materials adequately document the same issue or subject in your Branch or Division history?

Suggestions of groups of records to retain:

  • Branch histories
  • Records describing establishment of Branch Branch newsletters
  • Branch membership records
  • Educational Foundation Minutes of Division Board of Directors meetings
  • Minutes of Executive Committee meetings
  • Financial records
  • Fund raising documentation
  • Meeting minutes
  • Officers' files
  • Pamphlets and brochures produced by Division or Branch
  • Policy records
  • Public relations files
  • Foundation and fund documentation
  • Scrapbooks
  • Photographs
  • State Convention material
  • Directories and Yearbooks

What not to keep

Not all records can be or need to be retained. The value of some records is temporary. Once their usefulness ends, they should be discarded. Records having only temporary value include: old receipts; raw data adequately compiled elsewhere; drafts of publications; old forms; routine correspondence; duplicate letters and publications; publications and reports other than your own; and old requisition forms.

What format will records be preserved in?

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies focuses on preserving, arranging and describing archival materials in their original formats. CPNWS can and does accept certain born-digital records (for example, newsletters or minutes in PDF format). Please contact us with any questions! Like other archival institutions, and given the scope and size of our holdings and limited resources, CPNWS does not typically or automatically perform large-scale digitization of donated material as part of the archiving process.

How can we access materials that have been donated?

Please don’t hesitate to call or email to set up an appointment to access AAUW records at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. Visit our website or contact staff with any questions.

Who do we contact with additional questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Archivist or Director of Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections. See contact information at the head of this guide or on our website.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

American Association of University Women, Washington State Records, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The American Association of University Women, Washington State Records are organized in accordance with the following series and sub-series arrangement:

  • Series I: Washington State Records, 1926-2008 (1950-2000)
    • Subseries 1. Administrative Records, 1927-2006
    • Subseries 2. Organizational Activities, 1927-2006
    • Subseries 3. Special Projects, 1940-1997
    • Subseries 4. Funds and Foundations, 1929-2003
    • Subseries 5. Public Policy and Issues, 1941-2001
    • Subseries 6. State Conventions, 1926-2008
    • Subseries 7. Washington State Division Historian's Files, 1926-2001
    • Subseries 8. Publications, 1927-2022
    • Subseries 9. Website, 2004-2010
  • Series II: Branch Records, 1918-2022 (1960-1999)
    • Subseries 1. Branch Administration and Activities, 1918-2021
    • Subseries 2. Histories, circa 1900-2006
    • Subseries 3. Publications, 1957-2022
  • Series III. National and Regional Records, 1977-1981
    • Subseries 1. Cultural Interests Area Representative, circa 1978-1980
    • Subseries 2. International Federation of University Women (IFUW), 1977-1980
  • Series IV: A/V Materials and Photographs, 1943-1999 (1977-1999)
    • Subseries 1. Videos, 1989-1998
    • Subseries 2. Slides, 1977; 1991
    • Subseries 3. Cassette Tapes, 1993
    • Subseries 4. Photographs, 1951-1999

Custodial History

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies was designated the official repository for the Division and received the first acquisition in May 1986.

Future Additions

Materials will continue to be accrued as State Officers and branch members transfer their records to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

Separated Materials

Archival content from some Washington State branches is housed at other repositories including the University of Washington and Washington State University.Click here to search the library's catalog.

Processing Note

In August 1999, Diana Shenk processed the records held at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. In September 2004, Amber Raney re-engineered the collection and its finding aid, integrating new materials donated from the Bellingham branch and recent newsletters. Center staff merged additional National and Bellingham Branch records in August 2005, and again in 2007.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Diana Shenk
August 1999

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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