Collection focus
Purpose
The Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives collects, preserves, and makes available for research, original and rare materials that capture the often overlooked and underrepresented stories of women and their communities in Purdue and Indiana's past.
Materials
Our collections include papers, photographs, audio-visual materials, digital media, rare books, and select artifacts documenting women faculty, staff, and students at Purdue University; organizations and programs at Purdue that support women; and significant women and women's organizations in Indiana.
Interest
We actively seek new collections that align with this focus, particularly those that represent women from diverse backgrounds, women of color, women in the LGBTQ+ community, and women who have challenged traditional gender roles.
Highlights
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers
Time and motion study engineers; Mother of Modern Management; first female engineering faculty in the U.S.
Helen Schleman papers
Unapologetic feminist; military officer; women’s rights activist; Purdue University Dean of Women
Kassandra Agee Chandler papers
Entrepreneur; Society of Minority Managers founder and first African American Homecoming Queen at Purdue
Helen Bass William papers
Civil rights activist and first Black faculty member at Purdue, integral in establishing Learning Center and organizations for Black faculty, staff, and students
WGSS Program records
Started to address women and gender studies; supported women's centers, organizations, and events on campus
History of the Women's Archives
The Purdue University Archives and Special Collections established the Women's Archives in 2006 after receiving a generous donation from Susan Bulkeley Butler, a 1965 alumna of the Krannert School of Management and first female partner of Anderson Consulting (now Accenture).
Butler’s decision to contribute to the development of a women's archives came after seeing University Archivist Sammie Morris speak about the importance of documenting the accomplishments of Purdue women and their absence in the Purdue Archives' collections. Butler’s donation enabled the Archives to hire an archivist to begin building women’s history collections and raising awareness of the Women’s Archives.
Due to the extensive task of developing a new archives, the Women’s Archives Development Council, comprised of alumnae and donors, was established in 2010 to assist in identifying and preserving the history of women in Purdue and Indiana history and raising funds to endow an archivist position.
In 2012, Purdue University President France A. Córdova provided funding to endow this position. This support enabled the Archives to hire an archivist dedicated exclusively to the Women’s Archives and completed the charge of the Women’s Archives Development Council.
Through the support of our donors, council members, alumnae, and others, the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women’s Archives now houses hundreds of collections documenting women’s roles, experiences, struggles, and successes in Purdue and Indiana’s past.
Contact
To donate materials to or for questions about the Women's Archives, please contact:
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Contact:
Katey Watson
France A. Córdova Archivist - Phone: 765-496-6770
- Email: watso217@purdue.edu
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Address:
Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections
504 West State St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2058
USA