Celebrate Women’s History Month with Hart House Library

Did you know that October is Women’s History Month in Canada? The purpose of the observance is to give Canadians “an opportunity to learn about the important contributions of women and girls to our society – and to the quality of our lives today”.[1] The celebration was first declared by the Government of Canada in 1992, following a successful lobbying campaign initiated by Lyn Gough, in British Colombia. October was selected to correspond with the decision of the Edwards v. Canada – more commonly known as the Person’s Case – when Canadian women were first declared to be persons under Canadian law.[2] The Status of Women Canada is responsible for selecting a theme for each year’s event, and the theme for 2013 has been announced at Canadian Women Pioneers: Inspiring change through ongoing leadership.[3]

We’re celebrating here in the library, and we’re highlighting some of the great titles about the fierce and fearless women who helped to shape our country, and those who continue to help it grow with their contributions in a variety of areas, including the arts, sciences, and a variety of social initiatives.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Women’s History Month in Canada, or around the world, be sure to check out the following sites:

Happy reading!

Feminists Organizing for Canada
by Nancy Adamson

Many books have been written about the women’s liberation movement – one of the most successful social movements of the twentieth century. This book examines the practices, ideology, organizations, and strategies of the movement itself, and it documents and analyzes the struggles of the contemporary Canadian women’s movement. The book offers extensive histories and a number of previously unpublished documents related to the women’s movement – definitely worth a read if you’re interested in the “behind the scenes” details!

The Small Details of Life: Twenty Diaries by Women in Canada
ed. Kathryn Carter

This anthology presents twenty diary excerpts written by Canadian women between 1830 and 1996. The excerpts cover a wide range of subjects, from the challenges faced by nineteenth-century travelers and settlers to the workday struggles and triumphs of twentieth-century students, teachers, housewives, and artists. The writers themselves are just as varied and intriguing.

Canuck Chicks and Maple Leaf Mamas
by Ann Douglas

Part book of lists and part encyclopaedia, Maple Leaf Mamas carefully details the achievements of Canadian women in politics, sciences and medicine, sports, the arts, and more over the last two centuries. It’s well sourced, with numerous magazines and news articles cited, and detailed footnotes. An Amazon.ca review describes the book as having “a wealth of trivia on tap”, and concludes that “history lessons are seldom this fun”. We think so too.

Your Loving Anna: Letters from the Ontario Frontier
by Anna Leveridge, ed. Louise Tivy

Discover the experience of pioneer life straight from the source. This journal of pioneer life and hardships in the backwoods of Hastings County, Ontario begins in 1891. More information about Anna, and other Canadian pioneer women, can be found through Trent University.

Once you’re done with these titles, be sure to check out similar items in both the University of Toronto and Toronto Public Library collections:

Roughing It in the Bush, by Susanna Moodie
Eleanora’s Diary: The Journals of a Canadian Pioneer Girl, ed. Caroline Perry (More information about Eleanora can be found here.)

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[1] “Women’s History Month”. Status of Women Canada. Government of Canada. October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2013.

[2] Forster, Merna M. “Women’s History Month in Canada”. Heriones.ca. http://www.heroines.ca/celebrate/historymonth.html, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2013.

[3] “Women’s History Month”. Status of Women Canada. Government of Canada. October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2013.

About harthouselibrary

The Hart House Library is an organic space, a living institution which grows and adapts to the ever-changing needs of our dedicated multi-demographic patrons. Under the stewardship of the Literary and Library Committee, the library seeks to be all-inclusive by offering a variety of opportunities to student groups and volunteers to participate in building a stronger literary community at Hart House and maintaining a relevant and special collection of literature to reflect the library’s evolving interests. Hart House library is a reading and browsing library, whose unique contribution to the university experience and to Canada’s literacy culture has been attested by generations of students, including many of Canada’s promising writers and leaders. The library’s physical character is consistent with its cultural and historical character. This requires that, first, the library be maintained as readers space, not a study space, and second, that a conservation-oriented approach be taken to physical change. Address: 7 Hart House Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3 Phone:(416) 978-2452 Hours: Wednesday hours 7:00 am–11:00 pm

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