Society of Women Engineers Collection

Organizational Records, 1949-present
(Predominantly 1951-1998)
Approx. 300 linear feet

History

Scope & Contents

Throughout its history, the Society’s major thrust has been on career guidance, using conferences, scholarships, awards and other programs to encourage women to enter or return to the engineering profession and to attain high levels of educational and professional achievement; it has sought to publicize the role of women in engineering, to place them in engineering jobs and to promote them in industry and professional circles; it has served as a center of information on women in engineering; and it has allied itself with other organizations to promote equal opportunities and equal rights for women.

The Society of Women Engineers Collection includes correspondence, minutes, reports, organizational publications, statistics, conference material, speeches, biographies, articles and clippings and other material documenting the history of SWE and women in engineering. Records were first deposited at the Reuther Library in 1994 and currently, organizational records are transferred from SWE Headquarters to the Reuther Library on an annual basis. SWE continues to own copyright on all collection materials.

Subjects

Discrimination in Employment—United States
Equal pay for equal work—United States
Engineering
Engineering—Societies, etc.
Engineering—Vocational guidance
Engineering students—United States
Engineers
ERA—United States
Federation of Organizations for Professional Women
International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists
Women—Employment—United States
Women—Societies and Clubs—United States
Women engineering students
Women engineers
Women in engineering

Transferred

Audiovisual materials, including photographs and digital copies of samples from the 2002 SWE Exhibit “Petticoats and Slide Rules” have been transferred to the Archives Audiovisual Department.

Related Collections

American Society of Women Engineers and Architects (link to guide)
Originally transferred with SWE records, this 1 box collection documents the early efforts of female engineers to organize a national professional society for women engineers and architects. Many of these women also founded/joined SWE.

SWE: Emma Barth Diaries, 1939-1975 (link to guide)
Approximately 100 diaries, compiled monthly by Pittsburgh engineer and longtime SWE member Emma Barth.

Profiles of SWE Pioneers: SWE Oral History Collection (link to brochure)
Original 1-2 hour transcribed interviews with early SWE members and award recipients.

Contents

SWE Organizational Records document the operations, entities, programs and activities of the Society of Women Engineers, from 1950 to the present. Organizational records are divided into Series and Subseries, and are arranged (unless otherwise noted) chronologically by fiscal year.

	Series 1 SWE Founding Records and Incorporation
		Correspondence and records related to early SWE Sections, SWE’s founding meeting in 1950 and incorporation. Vital records also include official tax-exempt status id number as well. *photos of SWE’s founding meeting are available in the Archives Audiovisual Department

	Series 2 SWE Governance
		Board of Directors/Executive Committee, Council of Section Representatives/Council of Representatives, By-Laws, Procedures Manuals, Policy and Interpretation, Membership Meeting. *By-Laws and Procedures records for Sections, Student Sections, and Committees are filed in series 8 and 9

	Series 3 SWE Officers
		Correspondence and reports generated by SWE officers NOT CONSECUTIVE/ALL INCLUSIVE

	Series 4 SWE Headquarters
		HQ Files, Annual Reports, Special SWE Programs or affiliations, Corporate Membership, Executive Secretary/Executive Director’s Office, and SWE Development/Fundraising, and SWE Editorial Operations (including annual/semi annual publications) *First edition signed copy of Lillian Moller Gilbreth’s Quest of the One Best Way, copyright owned by SWE, is in the Reuther Library Vault.

	Series 5 SWE Board of Trustees
		Records of the Trustees and SWE endowed funds, arranged chronologically and by type of fund.

	Series 6 SWE Membership
		Historic Membership Records, Membership Rosters/Directories, and other files related to general SWE membership (annual membership meeting minutes are filed under Series 2: SWE Governance). Historic Membership Files may be searched by last name and/or SWE membership number—see “SWE Membership Database” at Reference Desk. *Active membership records are managed electronically at SWE HQ, and are not scheduled to be sent to the Archives

	Series 7 SWE Conventions and Conferences
		Annual Convention/Conference programs, proceedings and related materials for SWE’s annual national conferences.

	Series 8 SWE Committees
		Correspondence, procedures, reports, and other materials relating to SWE committees. This series also includes any materials generated and saved from the SWE Editorial Board, and special committees and councils such as the “SWE Communications Council”

	Series 9 SWE Regions, Sections, Student Sections
		Charters and Petitions for SOME but not ALL Sections and Student Sections, procedures manuals and other materials related to SWE Regions and Sections, including information on SWE’s Regionalization restructuring in 1983-84.

	Series 10 SWE Awards and Recognition
		Scholarship files, records related to SWE’s many award programs, some nomination packets *the Archives does not necessarily include nomination packets for every SWE award recipient; if biographical information cannot be found in this series, please see also the biographical files in Series 12.

	Series 11 History of SWE
		Materials written and collected over the years by SWE members on the history of SWE; information on SWE 50th anniversary materials/activities; copies of anniversary booklets and materials relating to the 2002 exhibit “Petticoats and Slide Rules”

	Series 12 Women in Engineering
		Biographical files, clippings, articles and speeches, publications, statistics and surveys, non-SWE conferences, and library materials that fall into the general category, “women in engineering.” Includes materials on women in engineering that were once maintained at SWE Headquarters as the “SWE Reference Library” (library materials are non-circulating). Materials are divided into sub-series. Also included in this series are the historical records and proceedings for ICWES, the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, first sponsored by SWE and held in New York City in 1964, and the predecessor to today’s “International Network of Women Scientists and Engineers (INWES).”