Online/Electronic Resources

This section gathers information about women using the online environment, primarily the Internet. It doesn’t include electronic resources themselves (see “Electronic Resources” instead), but focuses on how women view and use online resources such as email, discussion groups, etc. Because this is an area of rapid change, some of the articles listed cover stages of online development superceded by newer technologies, but are included as they provide a fuller history of the field and offer conceptual frameworks valid for analyzing future online developments.

Atkinson, Steven D. and Judith Hudson, eds. WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES. New York: Haworth Press, 1990. 420p.
This collection of sixteen articles touches on the range of information (and lack of it) available on women in the online databases available to researchers. Among the topics: coverage in humanities, social/behavioral sciences, biomedical, legal, and business-related databases; locating information on lesbians, women of color, women in developing countries, women in sports, women in government; finding women’s studies materials and feminist perspectives, using reference and online bibliographic databases.

Balas, Janet L. “Women’s Information Resource Exchange (WIRE).” COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES v.14, no.4 (April 1994): 25-26.
A brief description of what was at the time an online information service based in San Francisco (now part of CompuServe).

Balka, Ellen. “Womantalk Goes On-Line: The Use of Computer Networks in the Context of Feminist Social Change.” Vancouver, BC, Canada: Ph.D. dissertation, Simon Fraser University, 1993. 422p.
Analysis of four computer networks used for social change, concluding that women’s organizations will benefit little from the existing design of such networks because of the social biases inherent in them.

Bezanson, Deborah. “Women and Government Online: Two Case Studies.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.385-396. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Brail, Stephanie. “Take Back the Net! Don’t Let On-Line’s Dirty Little Secret Prevent You From Exploring Cyberspace.” ON THE ISSUES v.3, no.1 (Winter 1994): 39-42.
Notes the online harassment experienced by some women in an environment where they are largely a minority, but also mentions such services as ECHO (East Coast) and Women’s Wire (West Coast) that offer woman-friendly Internet access.

Broadhurst, Judith. THE WOMAN’S GUIDE TO ONLINE SERVICES. New York: McGraw, 1995. c.418p. bibl. index. ill.
A guide (useful to men as well) to newcomers to the online environment, with discussion of online stalking, locating sites for children and for career advice, and specific information about online services.

Broadhurst, Judith. “On-line Gold Mines.” WORKING WOMAN v.18 (September 1993): 80-81.
Looks at online resources such as bulletin boards and networks.

Bromley, Hank. “Gender Dynamics Online: What’s New About the New Communication Technologies?” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.16, no.2 (Winter 1995): 16-19.
Bromley examines women’s access to and participation in online resources such as discussion lists and discovers that “women are faring little better on this medium than on its predecessors” (p.16).

Cardman, Elizabeth. “The Gender Gap in Computer Use: Implications for Bibliographic Instruction.” RESEARCH STRATEGIES v.8, no.3 (1990): 116-128.

Collins-Jarvis, Lori A. “Gender Representation in an Electronic City Hall: Female Adoption of Santa Monica’s PEN System.” JOURNAL OF BROADCASTING & ELECTRONIC MEDIA v.37, no.1 (Winter 1993): 49-65.
Examines possible factors, including public access terminals and restructuring of the network toward a more welcoming environment, that led women to use Santa Monica’s Public Electronic Networking system at a much higher rate than other such networks.

Darcy, Robert, et al. “Women & Politics Data Bases.” WOMEN & POLITICS v.1, no.4 (Winter 1980-81): 77-81; v.2, nos.1-2 (Spring-Summer 1982): 115-120; v.2, no.3 (Fall 1982): 69-76; v.2, no.4 (Winter 1982): 125-128.
This series of columns offers abstracts of machine-readable data bases in a variety of fields of interest to researchers studying women and politics.

Davidson, Keay. “Liberte, Egalite, Internete.” NEW SCIENTIST v.146 (May 27, 1995): 38-42.
Examines the idea of democratization as a result of electronic communication.

Dentinger, Susan. “Using the Internet to Reach Libraries: Part I.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.12, no.3 (Spring 1991): 8-11.
Briefly explains the Internet, what it can be used for, and how to access library catalogs using this electronic network.

Dentinger, Susan. “Using the Internet to Reach Libraries and Databases: Part II.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.12, no.4 (Summer 1991): 11-15.
Looks at how to discover what’s available on the Internet, suggests some Internet guides, gives an example of FTP, and introduces WMST-L women’s studies list.

Detlefsen, Ellen Gay. “Issues of Access to Information About Women.” WOMEN’S COLLECTIONS: LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, AND CONSCIOUSNESS, ed. Suzanne Hildenbrand, pp.163-171. New York: Haworth Press, 1986.
Notes the lack of information resources on feminism/women’s studies in general, with specific attention to sparse online services and indexes, but also describes some promising online resources developing during the 1980’s. Also published in SPECIAL COLLECTIONS v.3, nos.3/4 [1986].

Dibbell, Julian. “A Rape in Cyberspace.” THE VILLAGE VOICE (December 21, 1993): 36-42. Also available via anonymous ftp from parcftp.xerox.com as file/pub/MOO/papers/VillageVoice.txt, and will be part of the next edition of COMPUTERIZATION AND CONTROVERSY: VALUE CONFLICTS AND SOCIAL CHOICES, ed. Charles Dunlop and Rob Kling (1st ed., Academic Press, 1991). See also FLAME WARS: THE DISCOURSE OF CYBERCULTURE, ed. Mark Dery (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1994), pp.237-261.

Discussion of an attack on the female character of a woman using a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon, a role-playing game) through manipulation of the character by a male MUD user.

Dickstein, Ruth and Karen Williams. “Social and Behavioral Sciences Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.73-94. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Dolan, Donna R. “Exploring the Coverage of Women in Biomedical Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.95-121. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Durniak, Barbara Ammerman. “Researching Information About Women in Reference Databases: Advances and Limitations.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.175-203. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Ebben, Maureen Majella. WOMEN ON THE NET: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF GENDER DYNAMICS ON THE SOC.WOMEN COMPUTER NETWORK. Urbana, IL: Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1994. 311p.

Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. “On a Screen Near You: Cyberporn.” TIME v.146 (July 3, 1995): 38-45.
The famous cover story featuring a Carnegie Mellon report on online pornography.

Erlich, Reese. “Sexual Harassment an Issue on the High-tech Frontier.” MACWEEK (December 14, 1992): 20-21.

Falk, Joyce Duncan. “Humanities [databases].” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.7-72. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.
Compares/contrasts sixteen databases in the humanities as to subject content and indexing vocabulary related to women.

Falk, Joyce Duncan. “The New Technology for Research in European Women’s History: `Online’ Bibliographies.” SIGNS v.9, no.1 (Autumn 1983): 120-133.
An introduction to primary and secondary sources for database searching, query format, and possible databases to search.

FEMINIST COLLECTIONS: A QUARTERLY OF WOMEN’S STUDIES RESOURCES v.17, no.2 (Winter 1996); special issue: “Information Technology and Women’s Studies: Reports from the Field,” ed. Phyllis Holman Weisbard and Linda Shult.

Fey, Marion Harris. “Freeing Voices: Literacy Through Computer Conferencing and Feminist Collaboration.” Rochester, NY: Ph.D. dissertation, University of Rochester, 1992. 399p.

Freeman, Elisabeth and Susanne Hupfer. “TAP: Tapping Internet Resources for Women in Computing.” COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM v.38, no.1 (January 1995): 44.

Gibbons, Ann. “Creative Solutions: Electronic Mentoring.” SCIENCE v.255 (March 13, 1992): 1369.
A brief look at an online network called Systers, developed to connect young women computer scientists with mentors for career advice, research help, and the like. (Part of a special section on women scientists.)

Glass, Betty J. “Scenes from Academic Libraryland: Internetting Women: A Guide for Non-Surfers.” WLW JOURNAL v.16, no.3 (Fall 1993): 11-13.
Recommends introductory print materials about the Internet and lists some email discussion groups and other resources such as the InforM women’s studies database.

Glazier, Mary. “Internet Resources for Women’s Studies.” C&RL NEWS (March 1994): 139-141, 143.
Introduces electronic mail discussion groups, Usenet news groups, online library catalogs, electronic texts, gopher sites, and other Internet resources.

Gossen, Eleanor A. “Women in Nonbibliographic Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.259-280. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Gregory, Sophfronia Scott. “Heartbreak in Cyberspace.” TIME v.142 (July 19, 1993): 58.
Describes the repercussions surrounding the online romances carried on by a male bulletin board subscriber. When the three women discovered each other, they announced the man’s identity to the network, setting off a lively debate on electronic etiquette.

Hafner, Katie. “Adventures On-Line.” WORKING WOMAN v.20 (January 1995): 48-52+.

Herring, Susan C. “Politeness in Computer Culture: Why Women Thank and Men Flame.” COMMUNICATING IN, THROUGH AND ACROSS CULTURES: PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD BERKELEY WOMEN AND LANGUAGE CONFERENCE, ed. Mary Bucholtz et al. Berkeley: Berkeley Women and Language Group, forthcoming 1996.

Herring, Susan C. “Posting in a Different Voice: Gender and Ethics in Computer-Mediated Communication.” PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, ed. Charles Ess. Albany, NY: SUNY, forthcoming 1996.

Herring, Susan. “Gender and Participation in Computer-Mediated Linguistic Discourse.” 1992. 13p. Available from ERIC: ED 345552.
Paper from the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Philadelphia, PA, January 1992.

Herz, J.C. “Pigs in (Cyber)Space.” GENTLEMEN’S QUARTERLY v.64 (October 1994): 156+.
The author’s experiences in the online environment.

Hildenbrand, Suzanne. “Computerized Literature Searching and the New Women’s History.” WOMEN’S STUDIES QUARTERLY v.16, nos.1-2 (Spring/Summer 1988): 124-127.
While acknowledging the limitations of online searching for women’s history topics, the author encourages use of online databases and offers tips on how and what to expect.

Hildenbrand, Suzanne. “Electronic Graffiti or Scholar’s Tool? A Critical Evaluation of Selected Women’s Lists on Internet.” WOMEN, INFORMATION, AND THE FUTURE: COLLECTING AND SHARING RESOURCES WORLDWIDE, ed. Eva Steiner Moseley, pp.215-223. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press, 1995.

Hudson, Judith and Kathleen A. Turek. ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH ON WOMEN: A SHORT GUIDE. 2nd ed. (version 2.5) Albany, NY: Institute for Research on Women, 1994. 50p. $8.00 payable to Research Foundation Research on Women, Publications, Social Science 341, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222.
A “female-friendly” introduction to electronic resources for/about women, including electronic mail, discussion groups, anonymous ftp, gophers, and more, plus a good listing of discussion groups, examples of ftp, and a bibliography of other resources. (See online version in “Electronic Resources” section.)

Hudson, Judith and Victoria A. Mills. “Women in the National Online Bibliographic Database.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.237-257. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

“Information Services at Women’s Institutions in Japan.” NWEC NEWSLETTER v.9, no.2 (November 1992): 1-4.
Discusses the National Women’s Education Centre (NWEC) project of keeping an online database of women’s resources available at the 700 women’s institutions surveyed. ,br>
Ingall, Marjorie. “Hi Girlz, See You in Cyberspace!” SASSY v.6 (May 1993): 72-73.
One young woman’s experience with the MindVox electronic bulletin board service.

Irving, Richard and Mary Jane Brustman. “Women’s Issues and Online Legal Research.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.123-153. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Koch, Loretta P. and Barbara G. Preece. “Table of Contents Services: Retrieving Women’s Studies Periodical Literature.” RQ v.35, no.1 (Fall 1995): 76-86.
Compares three online tables of contents databases (Current Contents, UnCover,and OCLC’s ContentsFirst) as to completeness of coverage of women’s studies periodicals, using the print FEMINIST PERIODICALS: A CURRENT LISTING OF CONTENTS (Office of the UW System Women’s Studies Librarian) as the standard.

Kome, Penney. “Virtual Sisterhood: Women on the Net.” HERIZONS v.9, no.3 (Fall 1995): 15-17.
Part of a special section that also includes: “My Favorite Mailing Lists” by Kome and “An Introduction to Going On Line” (Patricia Robertson).

Kramarae, Cheris and H. Jeanie Taylor. “Women and Men on Electronic Networks: A Conversation or a Monologue?” WOMEN, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND SCHOLARSHIP, ed. H. Jeanie Taylor et al., pp.52-61. Urbana, IL: Women, Information Technology, and Scholarship Colloquium, Center for Advanced Study, 1993.

Kramarae, Cheris and Jana Kramer. “Net Gains, Net Losses.” THE WOMEN’S REVIEW OF BOOKS v.12, no.5 (February 1995): 33-35.
A look at the legal implications of the rapidly developing Internet for such issues as sexual harrassment, pornography, hate speech, and limited information.

Lewin, Tamar. “Dispute over Computer Messages: Free Speech or Sex Harassment?” NEW YORK TIMES (Late New York Edition), (Sept. 22, 1994): A1+.
Three students at Santa Rosa Junior College in California received settlements related to the two women being the subject of insulting messages on a men-only bulletin board; the third student, a man, reported the remarks to the women and experienced retaliation for his actions. See also “If Flames Singe, Who Is to Blame?” in NEW YORK TIMES (Late New York Edition), Sept. 25, 1994, Sec. 4, p.3.

Light, Jennifer S. “The Digital Landscape: New Space for Women?” GENDER, PLACE AND CULTURE v.2, no.2 (September 1995): 133-146.
While acknowledging that the impact of technology “is conditioned by existing relationships,” Light argues that “if women are willing to become proactive users expressing a point of view about how they want to interact with new technologies, then they can use technology for empowerment” (pp.135-135).

Miller, Connie. “Lesbians Online.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.281-299. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Miller, Laura. “Women and Children First: Gender and the Settling of the Electronic Frontier.” RESISTING THE VIRTUAL LIFE: THE CULTURE AND POLITICS OF INFORMATION, ed. James Brook and Iain A. Boal, pp.49-57. San Francisco: City Lights, 1995.
Questions the use of the frontier metaphor for the online world and challenges the idea of “gender gap” on the Internet (and of gender roles themselves in the real world).

Mooney, Susan C. “Global Organizing: Technology and the Goals of Women’s Organizations.” WOMEN, INFORMATION, AND THE FUTURE: COLLECTING AND SHARING RESOURCES WORLDWIDE, ed. Eva Steiner Moseley, pp.225-227. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press, 1995.

“Networking the E-mail Way.” THE TRIBUNE no.52 (November 1994): 37-40.
Summary of “experiences, strategies, ideas, problems, issues” from various online women looking toward the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum, Beijing/Huairao, China, 1995.

“Outline of On-Line Information Retrieval Service (Information Centre for Women’s Education of NWEC).” NWEC NEWSLETTER v.8, no.1 (May 1994): 1-4.
Explains the online information retrieval system developed by Japan’s Information Centre for Women’s Education and the types of databases available.

Parry, Linda E. and Robert R. Wharton. “Networking in the Workplace: The Role of Gender in Electronic Communications.” WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY, ed. Urs E. Gattiker, pp.65-91. New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1994. (Technological innovation and human resources, v.4)

Plant, Sadie. ZEROES AND ONES: THE MATRIX OF WOMEN AND MACHINES. New York: Doubleday, forthcoming 1996.

Pritchard, Sarah M. “Developing Criteria for Database Evaluation: The Example of Women’s Studies.” REFERENCE LIBRARIAN no.11 (Fall/Winter 1984): 247-261.
Offers detailed guidelines for examining the coverage (scope, timeliness, etc.), content, vocabulary/indexing, structure, availability, and overall assessment of databases for use by women’s studies researchers.

Pritchard, Sarah M. “Trends in Computer-based Resources for Women’s Studies.” FEMINIST TEACHER v.3, no.3 (Fall-Winter 1988): 8-13.

Pryor, Judith and Ann Margaret Scholz. “The Article You Want When You Want It: An Introduction to Document Delivery Services.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.14, no.4 (Summer 1993): 11-14.
Discusses the CARL UnCover system, OCLC’s document delivery service, and UMI’s ProQuest, plus various library projects that involve searching databases and delivering full-text documents.

Reeves, Cheryl. “Women in Sport Online.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.369-383. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Resnick, Rosalind. “E-Mail Goes Female.” LADIES HOME JOURNAL v.111, no.5 (May 1, 1994): 100+.

Resnick, Rosalind. “High-tech Challenge: Attracting Women Readers to Cyberspace.” AMERICAN JOURNALISM REVIEW v.16 (October 1994): 14-15.
Discussion of electronic publishing.

Shea, Virginia. NETIQUETTE. San Francisco: Albion Books, 1994. 160p.
According to publicity, “establishes the do’s and don’ts of communicating online, from the Golden Rule to the art of the flame, from the elements of electronic style to virtual romance.”

Shult, Linda. “Computer Talk.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.13, no.1 (Fall 1991) – present.
An ongoing column in FEMINIST COLLECTIONS that lists new databases, email discussion groups, electronic texts, Web sites, key email address, and other computer resources of interest to women’s studies teachers/researchers. Available online from v.17 no.1 (Fall 1995) at URL: https://cms.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/fcmain.htm

Sims-Wood, Janet and Frances C. Ziegler. “Women of Color in Online Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.301-313. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Sinclair, Carla. NET CHICK: A SMART-GIRL GUIDE TO THE WIRED WORLD. New York: Holt, 1996. 243p. index.

Smith, Judy and Ellen Balka. “Chatting on a Feminist Computer Network.” TECHNOLOGY AND WOMEN’S VOICES: KEEPING IN TOUCH, ed. Cheris Kramarae, pp.82-97. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1988.
Discusses both negative aspects of computers’ effects on women (displacement of jobs, deskilling, loss of control over work) and empowering aspects of use of computers as information managers (time-saving, lower cost compared to long-distance telephone, networking over wide distances) and proposes a feminist computer network.

Span, Paula. “The On-line Mystique.” THE WASHINGTON POST (Sunday, Final Edition, WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE), (February 27, 1994): W11+.

Spender, Dale. “Electronic Scholarship: Perform or Perish?” WOMEN, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND SCHOLARSHIP, ed. H. Jeanie Taylor et al., pp.28-43. Urbana, IL: Women, Information Technology, and Scholarship Colloquium, Center for Advanced Study, 1993.
Worried that “women’s knowledge, scholarship, and ways of thinking are threatened now more than at any other time” because that knowledge exists “almost exclusively” in the endangered medium of print, Spender discusses the implications of the electronic era for the preservation and extension of feminism.

Stafford, Beth and Yvette Scheven. “Women in Developing Countries Online.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.315-349. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.
Evaluates online and print search results and suggests a lengthy list of possible search terms.

Sutherland, Kathryn. “Challenging Assumptions: Women Writers and New Technology.” THE POLITICS OF THE ELECTRONIC TEXT, ed. Warren Chernaik et al., pp.53-65. Oxford, England: Office for Humanities Communication, Oxford University Computing Services, with the Center for English Studies, University of London, 1993.
The director of Project Electra, an electronic resource on women writers of 1785-1815, speculates on the values of computer technology in reproducing/mak ing available otherwise “invisible” texts.

Takayoshi, Pamela. “Building New Networks from the Old: Women’s Experiences with Electronic Communications.” COMPUTERS AND COMPOSITION v.11, no.1 (1994): 21-35.

Thomas, Susan Gregory. “Women Rate the On-line Networks.” GLAMOUR v.92 (August 1994): 96.
This brief piece is noteworthy because of the coverage it gives to women’s resources on the on-line computer services such as CompuServe, America Online, and Women’s WIRE.

Tufani, Luciana. “The Lilith Information Network: Italian Feminism in an International Context.” WOMEN, INFORMATION, AND THE FUTURE: COLLECTING AND SHARING RESOURCES WORLDWIDE, ed. Eva Steiner Moseley, pp.211-214. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press, 1995.
“The first Italian database that collects and provides information specifically on what women write in Italy and abroad,…” the Lilith network connects with other women’s documentation centers in Europe, and coordinators have developed an extensive “female thesaurus” for the work of cataloging the materials included.

Valauskas, Edward. “Gender and Boolean Searching.” ONLINE (May 1992): 88-89.
Looks at differences in the ways men and women use new technologies and suggests that standards or agreed-upon rules to enhance communication are “essentially feminine” and move us toward “technologic diplomacy.”

Van Gelder, Lindsy. “The Strange Case of the Electronic Lover.” MS. v.14 (October 1985): 94-95+. Also found in COMPUTERIZATION AND CONTROVERSY: VALUE CONFLICTS AND SOCIAL CHOICES, ed. Rob Kling (Academic Press, 1991).
Relates the experiment of a male psychiatrist who impersonated a young, disabled woman in an online network, developing intimate friendships with several women who were appalled when they learned his identity.

Via, Barbara J. “Feminist Perspectives Through Cited Reference Searching.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.221-236. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Walker, Geraldene, et al. “Bibliometric Techniques Applied to Women’s Issues in Business Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.155-173. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Weinschenk, Andrea. “Women in News and Popular Databases.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.205-219. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

Weisbard, Phyllis Holman. “Gophering Around in Women’s Studies.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.15, no.2 (Winter 1994): 18-22.
Offers a general introduction to the gopher system of retrieving information on the Internet; describes electronic resources available from the University of Wisconsin Women’s Studies Librarian’s office and the University of Maryland’s women’s studies gopher. (See also: “More Gophering Around in Women’s Studies…”.)

Weisbard, Phyllis Holman. “More Gophering Around in Women’s Studies….” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.15, no.3 (Spring 1994): 17-22.
Lists a sampling of gophers of interest to women’s studies researchers, describes CARL UnCover resources, and the Veronica system of searching the Internet for relevant resources. (See also “Gophering Around in Women’s Studies.”)

Weisbard, Phyllis Holman. “Web-ster Definitions: A Quick Introduction to the World Wide Web and Women.” FEMINIST COLLECTIONS v.16, no.2 (Winter 1995): 26-28.

Wojahn, Patricia A. “Computer-mediated Communication: The Great Equalizer Between Men and Women?” TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION v.41, no.4 (November 1, 1994): 747-752.

WOMEN & PERFORMANCE, forthcoming special issue: “Sexuality and Cyberspace,” ed. Stacy Horn and Theresa Senft.
The issue is to include a “Feminist Yellow Pages of Cyberspace,” listing resources across the feminist community.

Zoe, Lucinda Rhea. “Women’s Studies: Curriculum Materials Online.” WOMEN ONLINE: RESEARCH IN WOMEN’S STUDIES USING ONLINE DATABASES, ed. Steven D. Atkinson and Judith Hudson, pp.351-368. New York: Haworth Press, 1990.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Here are some actual online resources on the topic of “Women and Information Technology,” only a sampling of what is available. Wherever possible, multiple points of access have been noted, including print versions, gopher and Web sites, ftp addresses, and the like. Because this listing is necessarily outdated before it appears in print, be advised that there will be additions/deletions/changes in this listing on a regular basis. Although a number of “article-type” online resources appeared during the early 1990’s, there has been much less available lately, perhaps indicating that most discussions are occurring on a more informal level within various email lists or via personal email. Note that World Wide Web browsers are case sensitive; enter the addresses exactly as indicated.

Agre, Phil. “The Gender Politics of `Exploring’ the Net.” THE NETWORK OBSERVER online serial] v.1, no.10 (October 1994). 10p. URL: http://weber.ucsd.edu/~pagre/tno/october-1994.html#net

Almstrum, Vicki and panelists. “Improving Mentoring for Women in Computer Science Fields: Joint Panel for 1993 CSC & SIGCSE Technical Symposium, Feb. 18, 1993.” 1993. URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers
Vicki Almstrum moderates a panel of three (Paul Myers, Cindy Brown, and Barbara Simons) talking about mentoring programs. Part of the 1993 CSCand SIGSCE Technical Symposium February 18, 1993; version posted is March 30, 1993.

THE ARACHNET ELECTRONIC JOURNAL ON VIRTUAL CULTURE online serial] v.2, no.3 (July 26, 1994); special issue: “Gender Issues in Computer Networking,” ed. Leslie Regan Shade. Available via ftp://byrd.mu.wvnet.edu/pub/ejve/EUVCV2N3.PACKAGE or at URL: gopher://gopher.cic.net and select “Electronic Serials”/”CIC E-journals Collection” then look under alphabetic list for Electronic Journal on Virtual Culture, v .2, no.3. Includes: “The Accessibility of Computers to Organizations Serving Women in the Province of Newfoundland” (Ellen Balka and Laurel Doucette); “Guidelines for an Introduction to Networking: A Review of the Literature” (Sally Jo Cunningham); “Weavers of Webs: A Portrait of Young Women on the Net” (Nancy Kaplan and Eva Farrell); and “Cross-Gender Communication in Cyberspace” (Gladys We). (See separate entries for each, with URLs.)

Balka, Ellen and Laurel Doucette. “The Accessibility of Computers to Organizations Serving Women in the Province of Newfoundland: Preliminary Study Results.” THE ARACHNET ELECTRONIC JOURNAL ON VIRTUAL CULTURE online serial] v.2, no.3, July 26, 1994. URL: gopher://gopher.cic.net and select Electronic Serials/CIC E-journals Collection and look under alphabetic list for Electronic Journal on Virtual Culture v.2, no.3

Balka, Ellen. “Women’s Access to On-line Discussions About Feminism.” (CPSR Internet Library) ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS/La Revue Electronique de Communication online serial] v.3, no.1 (February 1993). URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/access.discuss.fem
A history of feminist networks, bulletin boards, and discussion lists.

Broadhurst, Judith. “Bridging the Gender Gap.” NETGUIDE online serial] no.301 (January 1, 1996): 84. 4p. URL: http://techweb.cmp.com/net/issues/016issue/016gender.htm
Broadhurst explores why women, according to a recent survey, make up only one-third of Internet users.

Bruckman, Amy S. “Gender Swapping on the Internet.” 1993. URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers/gender-swapping
Discussion of MUDs (“text-based multi-user virtual reality environment” or “multi-user dungeon”) and the gendered characters that participants take on.

Carlstead, Sara M. “The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: One Student’s Experience.” ACM CROSSROADS: THE INTERNATIONAL ACM STUDENT JOURNAL no.1.1 (September 1994). 2p. URL: http://info.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-1/hopper.html

Carmichael, James V., Jr. “It Only Hurts When I Flame: Civility Rights vs. Civil Rights on the Information Highway.” 1994. From Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) WSS/EBSS Meeting at American Library Association meeting, Miami, Florida, June 27, 1994. URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers/civility-rights-civil-rights
Looks at the possibilities of “androgynous communication” within cyberspace, and current gender inequity in communication.

Chaika, Melissa. “Ethical Considerations in Gender-Oriented Entertainment Technology.” ACM CROSSROADS: THE INTERNATIONAL ACM STUDENT JOURNAL no.2.2 (November 1995). 3p. URL: http://info.acm.org/crossroads/xrds2-2/gender.html

CMU’S SCS WOMEN’S PAGE. URL: http://www/.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/org/women/www/home.html
This page from women at the Computer Science School at Carnegie Mellon University includes pointers to many sources on women in computer science found at other locations.

Cottrell, Janet. “I’m a Stranger Here Myself: A Consideration of Women in Computing.” Association for Computing Machinery, 1992. URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/cottrell.stranger
Explores the dropout rate of women computer science students, looks at the assumptions about gender differences, gender bias in software, and suggests ways to encourage women.

CPSR: WOMEN AND COMPUTING. URL: http://cpsr.org/dox/program/gender/gender.html
A listing of links to a number of “women and computing resources,” including those at specific schools, plus selected papers on the topic.

Cranor, Lorrie Faith. “An Alternative Review of Doom 2.” ACM CROSSROADS: THE INTERNATIONAL ACM STUDENT JOURNAL no.1.3 (February 1995). 2p. URL: http://info.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-3/games.html

Cunningham, Sally Jo. “Guidelines for an Introduction to Networking: A Review of the Literature.” THE ARACHNET ELECTRONIC JOURNAL ON VIRTUAL CULTURE online serial] v.2, no.3 (July 26, 1994). URL: gopher://gopher.cic.net and select Electronic serials/CIC E-journals Collections, then look under the alphabetic list for Electronic Journal on Virtual Culture, v.2, no.3.

DeBare, Ilana. “Logged On or Left Out?” THE SACRAMENTO BEE (January 1996). URL: http://www.nando.net/sacbee/women/
This substantial series includes articles on “Women in the Computer Industry,” “Profiles” (a look at four women in the computer business), “Secretaries and Computers,” “Women On-line,” “Girls and Computing,” “Girls and Video Games,” and “Raising Computer-savvy Kids.”

THE ELECTRONIC SALON: FEMINISM MEETS INFOTECH. April 1992. Collection of papers delivered at the electronic conference in connection with the 11th Annual Gender Studies Symposium, Lewis and Clark College, April 1992. Most papers are available at URL: http://snyside.sunnyside.com/cpsr/gender/clark. Includes: “Computers and Their Bodies: Sex, War and Cyberspace” (Deborah Heath); “Electronic Networks: Safe for Women?” (Cheris Kramarae and Jeanie Taylor); and “Making Minds: Sexual and Reproductive Metaphors in the Discourses of the Artificial Intelligence Movement” (Sue Currry Jansen).

FEMINA: WOMEN & COMPUTERS. URL: http://www.femina.com/femina/computers
Offers links to a number of computer science and networking resources.

GEEKGIRL. 1995- . P.O. Box 759, Newtown NSW, 2042, Australia URL: http://www.next.com.au/spyfood/geekgirl
A “Webzine” from Australia, available both online and in print by subscription.

Heath, Deborah. “Computers and Their Bodies: Sex, War, and Cyberspace.” 1992. 20p. URL: http://snyside.sunnyside.com/cpsr/gender/clark/Health.Deborah
Paper presented at The Electronic Salon: Feminism Meets Infotech in connection with the 11th Annual Gender Studies Symposium held at Lewis and Clark College, 1992.

Herring, Susan. “Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar Baggage to the New Frontier.” 1994. URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/herring.txt
Speech given at the American Library Association’s convention in Miami, Florida, June 27, 1994.

Hinkel, Susan R. “Technology and Gender.” NEW TECH NEWS (March 1992). URL: gopher://milkyway.wils.wisc.edu (the Wisconsin Interlibary Services gopher menu) and choose New Tech News/New Tech News/March1992/Technology and Gender

Hudson, Judith and Kathleen A. Turek. ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH ON WOMEN: A SHORT GUIDE. 2nd ed. (version 2.5). Albany, NY: Institute for Research on Women, University at Albany, 1994. (c/o Publications, Social Sciences 341, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222) 52p. URL:gopher://cscgoph2.ALBANY.EDU/ then select Academic Departments, Women’s Studies, Women’s Studies Network Resources, and * * Guide by Hudson and Turek. Print version available for $8, check payable to Research Foundation at SUNY, sent to address above. Also available in print (see above), this guide offers “how-to” for email, electronic discussion groups, ftp, gopher, World Wide Web, and other uses of the Internet for women.

Hunt, Laura. “Sources for Women’s Studies/Feminist Information on the Internet.” 4th ed. Spring 1995. URL: gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu:70/00/inetdirsstacks/women%3ahunt
Hunt’s listing of Internet resources for women’s studies includes the basics of how to access gopher servers, library catalogs, email, free networks, ftp, and the like, plus descriptions and access for the numerous listserv discussion groups available for women.

Jansen, Sue Curry. “Making Minds: Sexual and Reproductive Metaphors in the Discourses of the Artificial Intelligence Movement.” URL: http://snyside.sunnyside.com/cpsr/gender/clark/Jansen.Sue
Paper presented for “The Electronic Salon: Feminism Meets Infotech,” in connection with the 11th Annual Gender Studies Symposium at Lewis and Clark College, April 1992.

Kaplan, Nancy and Eva Farrell. “Weavers of Webs: A Portrait of Young Women on the Net.” THE (ARACHNET) ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF VIRTUAL CULTURE v.2, no.3 (July 26, 1994). URL: gopher://gopher.cic.net then select “Electronic serials/CIC E-journals Collection and look under the alphabetical list for Electronic Journal on Virtual Culture, v.2, no.3 or use: ftp://byrd.mu.wrnet.edu/pub/ejvc/KAPLAN.V2N3
Investigates a small group of young women, asking with whom and how they interact via electronic links, and how they view their communications and relationships on the Net.

Kramarae, Cheris and Jeanie Taylor. “Electronic Networks: Safe for Women?” March 1992. 8p. URL: http://snyside.sunnyside.com/cpsr/gender/clark/Kramarae-Taylor
A paper produced for The Electronic Salon: Feminism Meets Infotech in connection with the 11th Annual Gender Studies Symposium at Lewis and Clark College, 1992.

“LA Times Roundtable on Women in Computing.” March – April 1994. URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers/la-times-roundtable
Participants in this online dialogue include: Reva Basch (The Well), Esther Dyson (computer analyst), Mary Flynn (from U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT), Karen Frankel, George Gilder (fellow at Discovery Institute, Seattle), Wendy Kaminer (writer and public policy fellow at Radcliffe), Robin Raskin (editor of PC MAGAZINE), and Jo Sanders (of the Gender Equity Program at the City University of New York).

Lawley, Elizabeth Lane. “Computers and the Communication of Gender.” [1995.] URL: http://www.itcs.com/elawley/gender.html
Includes the topics of “Technological Determinism,” “Gender as a Social Construction,” and “Where Does the Future of Gender in a Virtual World Lie?”

Leveson, Nancy G. “Educational Pipeline Issues for Women.” COMPUTING RESEARCH NEWS (October 1990/January 1991). URL: http:/www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/pipeline.html
Discusses the low enrollment and high dropout rates among women in computer science.

McDonough, Jerome. “Web-sters’ Net-Work: Women in Information Technology.” URL: http://lucien.berkeley.edu/women_in_it
A listing of resources useful for women in library and information science, computer science, and information technology: bibliographies, directories, useful Web pages, organizations, and more.

Michel, Kathleen. “Gender Differences in Computer-mediated Conversations.” 8p. URL: gopher://gopher.kidlink.org:70/00/arc/KIDPLAN.RESRCH00

Mulvaney, Becky Michele. “Gender Differences in Communication: An Intercultural Experience.” 1994. URL: http://cpsr.org/gender/mulvaney.txt

O’Hare, Sharon L. and Arnold S. Kahn. “A Computer Bulletin Board in Women’s Studies Courses.” URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu/Educational_Resources/AcademicResourcesByTopic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers/email+womensstudies.
Examines the postings on a computer bulletin board set up for an introductory women’s studies evening class team-taught in 1992.

Pearl, Amy, et al. “Becoming A Computer Scientist: A Report by the ACM Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Science.” COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM v.33, no.11 (November 1990): 47-58. URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/becoming.comp.sci

PLEIADES NETWORKS: AN INTERNET RESOURCE FOR WOMEN. URL: http://www.softaid.net/~pleiades/
The network offers to “assist women in learning how to use the Internet,” help women’s organizations/companies get onto the World Wide Web, and “serve as a clearinghouse for information of interest to women.”

Resnick, Rosalind, ed. “Women Online: Executive Summary.” Interactive Publishing Alert, 1995. URL: http://www.netcreations.com/ipa/women.htm
Sponsored by Apple Computer, this survey of some 300 women on various online services concluded that women are more interested in communication uses (email and bulletin boards) than software downloading and shopping. Full text edition also available ($495 online; $695 paper).

SEA CHANGE online serial]. URL: http://www.igc.apc.org/vsister/sea/one/index.html
Produced by the Virtual Sisterhood online list, the August 1995 issue includes links to online groups worldwide, news from the Beijing World Conference on Women about electronic organizing, and news of the VS Web development team. May be retrieved in English, French, or German. Coordinator of the Virtual Sisterhood list is Barbara Ann O’Leary.

“Sex, Lies and Computer Networks: Playing Down Power and Violence in Virtual Worlds.” January 20, 1994. URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/Computing/Articles+ResearchPapers/pornography+computing
A summary by Janice Swan of a panel discussion including: Dr. Caecilia Innreiter-Moser (member of Network Services at Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria); Christoph Lechner (JKU Computer Center); Bigga Rodeck (Hamburg University, Germany); Dr. Maria Bauer (Justice Department, Vienna); Andreas Neubacher (student at JKU); and Dr. Marie-Luise Angerer (University of Salzberg, Austria). The discussion concerns the University’s decision in October 1993 to block use of four online news groups that broadcast pornographic material.

Shade, Leslie Regan. “Gender Issues Bibliography.” March 1994. URL: http://www/cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/gender.biblio

Shade, Leslie Regan. “Gender Issues in Computer Networking.” 1993. URL: http://www.cpse.org/cpsr/gender/leslie_regan_shade.txt
From a talk given at Community Networking: The International Free-Net Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, August 17-19, 1993.
Shade examines the participation of women in computer science, in networking (most lists are predominantly male, and even feminist lists often include a large percentage of men), social interaction on the net, and the possibilities for enhancing women’s experience with cyberspace. Another version is found in WOMEN, WORK, AND COMPUTERIZATION: BREAKING OLD BOUNDARIES, BUILDING NEW FORMS, ed. by Alison Adam (New York: Elsevier, 1994), pp.91-105.

Spertus, Ellen. “Gender Benders.” URL: http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/humor.html
A brief collection of humorous incidents in the lives of women computer professionals dealing with a world dominated by men.

Spertus, Ellen. “Thoughts on Web Pages Listing Women.” May 22, 1995. URL: http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/webwomen.html
Discussion of several (men’s)online listings of the Web pages of women, in one case with photo ratings.

Spertus, Ellen. “Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?” MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, 1991. (MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, technical report no.1315) 112p. Available in Hypertext or Postscript at URL: http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/why.html
Spertus discusses societal pressures against being successful, how male-dominated environments discourage women, the language inequalities, some interventions that have failed, and some recommendations for improving the situation.

Spertus, Ellen. “Women and Computer Science.” URL: http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/gender.html
Ellen Spertus’ home page on WWW, includes links to a number of online documents at other gopher/Web sites, plus Spertus’ own writing.

“Statistical Trends in Computer Science.” Computing Research Association. URL: http://cra.org/CSStats/Trends.html
Statistical information, taken from SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 1993 INDICATORS (National Science Board), on computer science degree production, women in computer science, and minorities in computer science 1975-1991.

Strok, Dale. “Women in AI.” IEEE EXPERT v.7, no.4 (August 1992). URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/ieee.txt
An examination of the field of artificial intelligence research and how women are faring.

“TAP References – Women in CS.” URL: http://www.cs.yale.edu/HTML/YALE/CS/HyPlans/tap/cs-women-refs.html
An up-to-date bibliography on women in computer science, with some cites retrievable as text files.

“TAP References – Women in Cyberspace.” URL: http://www.cs.yale.edu/HTML/YALE/CS/ HyPlans/tap/cyber-women-refs.html
A bibliography on women and network computing.

“TAP: The Ada Project: Tapping Internet Resources for Women in Computing.” URL: http://www.cs.yale.edu/HTML/YALE/CS/HyPlans/tap/tap.html

Includes several bibliographies, calls for papers, employment resources, fellowships and grant information, announcements, a “photo gallery” of women in computing, and pointers to other Web sites, gophers, etc.

Truong, Hoia-An, et al. “Gender Issues in Online Communications.” In conjunction with BAWit (Bay Area Women in Telecommunications), version 4.3, 1993. URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/bawit.cfp93

VIRTUAL SISTERHOOD. URL: http://www.igc.apc.org/vsister/
This “global women’s electronic support network” is committed to promoting feminist organizing through “electronic communications use within the global women’s movement.” The Web site includes a directory of international women’s electronic resources, information on a Web development team to help those moving toward an online presence, and a newsletter (see separate entry for SEA CHANGE).

Wagstaff, Kiri, comp. “Women Undergrads in Computer Science.” URL: http://wwwscience.html.unimelb.edu.au/cielle/women/wucs.html
Some current information on internships in industry, organizations, email lists, conferences, and other resources of interest to women in computer science.

We, Gladys. “Cross-Gender Communication in Cyberspace.” THE ARACHNET ELECTRONIC JOURNAL ON VIRTUAL CULTURE online serial] v.2, no.3 (July 26, 1994). URL: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/we_cross_gender or ftp://byrd.mu.wvnet.edu/publejvc/WE.V2N3

WEBGRRLS. URL: http://www.webgrrls.com/
This “networking group for women interested in new media” includes local chapters in addition to its electronic interface, hoping to help women with job leads, instruction in using new technologies, mentoring, and more.

“Women and Information Technology: An Annotated Bibliography.” Urbana, IL: Women, Information Technology, and Scholarship Colloquium, Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois-Champain/Urbana, 1996. URL: http://gertrude.art.uiuc.edu/wits/bibliography1.html
This broad-ranging bibliography, while frustrating to retrieve, includes insightful annotations on works covering a variety of issues, from “the impact of new technology on women’s employment” to “feminist assessments of technology, case studies of women’s on-line databases and networks,” and “studies that document the gender gap in computer use” (introduction).

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORY. URL: http://www.sdsu.edu/wit
A new but growing listing of women working in various information technology fields. Directory is alphabetical, entries including email address, field, company/university, areas of expertise, projects, date of entry, and more.

“Women Undergraduate Enrollment in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT.” January 3, 1995. URL: http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~hal/women-enrollment-comm/final-report.html
A substantial report (a summary is also available) examining the imbalance in male and female undergraduate enrollment in electrical engineering/computer science at MIT, looking at possible causes, and suggesting steps for addressing the imbalance.

“Women’s Voices: Herstory Lesson: Fourteen Forums that Explore Social and Personal Issues Affecting Women.” NETGUIDE online serial] no.203 (March 1, 1995): 136. URL: http://techweb.cmp.com/net/cybergui/default2.html and enter the search term “herstory.”