A Guide to Women's History Collections

Department of Administration

S1272
Secretary Adis M. Vila
Speeches, 1987-1989
1 cubic foot

Adis M. Vila, a Cuban-born American citizen, graduated from the University of Florida Law School and has held high-level positions with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State. She also worked in the White House Office of Public Liaison and was a practicing lawyer before her appointment as Secretary of the Florida Department of Administration. This series consists of speeches delivered while she was Secretary. Also included are background materials for the speeches.

Department of State

S1676
Office of Secretary of State
Outstanding Women Achievement
Awards Presentation Videotape, 1997
1 item

The Outstanding Women Achievement Awards recognize notable women who have enhanced the lives of Florida women and/or who have served as positive community role models. This series consists of a video cassette tape of Secretary of State Sandra B. Mortham’s presentation at the 1997 Outstanding Women Achievement Awards. Secretary Mortham introduced the recipients, and those recipients present made brief remarks following her introduction.

S1748
Office of Secretary of State
Secretary of State Sandra Mortham’s Correspondence, 1995-1999
8 cubic feet    

This series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence that illustrates Secretary Mortham's interests and activities during her tenure as Secretary of State.

S1750
Office of Secretary of State
Secretary of State Sandra Mortham’s Subject Files, 1994-1998
5.25 cubic feet

This series contains records, correspondence and video cassettes that illustrate the wide variety of activities and issues in which the Secretary of State is involved. Much of the series deals with the politics of Florida and the Secretary's involvement with campaign reform.

S1804
Office of Secretary of State
Secretary of State Katherine
Harris’s Correspondence, 1999-2002
13.25 cubic feet

This series contains correspondence to and from Secretary Harris. While it is mostly invitations to the Secretary with her responses, there is also other correspondence documenting some of the issues that were of importance to her during her tenure.

S1806
Office of Secretary of State
Secretary of State Katherine Harris’s
Subject Files, 1999-2003
10.25 cubic feet

Florida Folklife Program

S1712
Bureau of Florida Folklife Programs, Florida
Folklife Archive
“Women’s Contributions” Seminar Audio
Tapes and Logs, 1989
.33 cubic foot

This series contains 14 audio cassette tapes and supporting materials documenting presentations at a Florida Endowment for the Humanities seminar, "Folk Culture in the South: Women's Contributions," held September 29, 1989 at the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History. The seminar featured presentations by Bureau of Florida Folklife Programs staff and area specialists, discussing a variety of topics: the study of folk culture ; folk traditions in Florida ; women's occupational culture and lore ; and the folk culture and lore of Hispanic, Jewish and Black women, including customs, beliefs, family and social relations, folk tales and jokes, and musical traditions and styles.

S1723
Bureau of Florida Folklife Programs, Florida
Folklife Archive
Versiteers Award Ceremony Tapes and
Photographs, 1992
0.10 cubic foot

An award ceremony, held August 21, 1992 in Jacksonville, Florida, honored the Versiteers, a female gospel quartet group and 1992 Florida Folk Heritage Award winners. The series consists of audio cassette tapes, photographs and supporting materials documenting the event.

State Defense Council

S419
Subject Files, 1940-1946
31 cubic feet

The goal of this World War II era council was total defense preparedness for Florida. The Defense Council was involved in the war effort in areas such as material resources, labor, civil protection, education and morale. The series includes correspondence, scrapbooks, reports and publications that document the military service and civilian defense activities of Florida women.

S506
Minutes, 1941-1945
.25 cubic foot

This series consists of the minutes of Defense Council meetings. The minutes document the role of numerous women as leaders on the Council as well as the military service and civilian defense activities of Florida women.

S1205
Posters, 1942-1944
100 items

Among the posters in this series are many regarding women and the war effort. These include military recruitment posters targeting women and posters outlining other opportunities for women to contribute to the war effort on the home front.

Library and Historical Commission

S1508
State Librarian Dorothy Dodd
Correspondence, 1952-1965
3.5 cubic feet

Dorothy Dodd served as Florida’s first State Archivist and second State Librarian. She also worked as a reporter and teacher and wrote extensively on Florida history. This series documents Dodd’s duties as administrator of the State Library and includes reference requests and references to sources of Floridiana. It also documents the Library's efforts to support local libraries in Florida, general administrative duties of the State Librarian and her participation in the Florida Library Association.

State Library Board

S1507
State Archivist Dorothy Dodd
Papers, 1941-1952
1 cubic foot

Dorothy Dodd served as Florida’s first State Archivist and second State Librarian. She also worked as a reporter and teacher and wrote extensively on Florida history. This series consists of Dodd’s correspondence and subject files that document the collection of historical materials related to Florida and include reference requests as well as references to sources of Floridiana.

Division of Employment Security

S428
Division of Employment Security
Equal Employment Opportunity Office
Administrative Files, 1965-1976
6 cubic feet

This series documents the administration of equal employment opportunity policies and programs, and the investigation of reports of job discrimination in Florida. Records include correspondence, reports, reference materials and program data.

Office of the Commissioner of Education

S1355
Department of Education
Commissioner of Education Betty Castor
Administrative Files, 1987-1991
67 cubic feet

Betty Castor, as Commissioner of Education, was the first woman elected to the Florida Cabinet. She served from 1987 to 1994, when she resigned to become President of the University of South Florida. She also served as a state senator. This series documents Castor's role as a Cabinet member and as the chief educational officer of Florida. The files consist of memoranda, correspondence, clippings, reports and other materials.

Board of Regents

S1
Minutes, 1905-1997
50 volumes

The Board of Regents presided over the Division of Universities in the Department of Education, overseeing Florida's public university system from 1965 to 2000. Included in the minutes of this period is information regarding Florida State College for Women.

Board of Regents, Office of the Chancellor

S1196  
Chancellor Barbara Newell
Trip Files, 1982-1985
16 cubic feet

S1199
Chancellor Barbara Newell
Subject Files, 1979-1985
51 cubic feet

Barbara Newell was the first female chancellor of the State University System in Florida and in the United States. These two series relate to her travels as Chancellor, her duties as the chief administrator of the Board of Regents, and as administrator of the State University System of Florida. The series includes reports, agendas, subject files and correspondence.

State University System of Florida

S758
Office of Personnel, Faculty Relations
Reference Files, 1965-1978
52 cubic feet

The responsibilities of the Office of Personnel of the State University System include equal opportunity employment programs. These files document employment status and opportunities for women and minorities within the Florida Public University System.

S999
Office of Personnel
Reference Files, 1970-1980
31 cubic feet

The subjects covered in these files include affirmative action and equal employment opportunity programs for women and minorities. Records include correspondence, legal papers, reports and studies.  

S1110
Office of Equal Educational Opportunity
Programs
Title IX University Self-Evaluation
Reports, 1972-1978
1 cubic foot

This series consists of self-evaluations by Florida universities regarding sexual discrimination in admissions, athletic programs, scholarships and employment. In addition to the evaluations, the series also includes correspondence, memoranda, follow-up reports and suggestions.

S1268
Office of Equal Educational Opportunity Programs
University Visitation Files, 1983-1986
2 cubic feet

This series consists of the files of Delores Auzenne, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Equal Education Opportunity Programs. The files relate to visits to Florida universities, including reports, recommendations, university responses, and plans and actions of universities to enhance affirmative action and equal educational opportunities.

Department of Public Instruction

S163
Scholarship Files, 1923-1927
1.5 cubic feet

The Department of Public Instruction was the predecessor agency to the Department of Education. This series includes scholarship applications to Florida State College for Women and the correspondence of College business manager, John G. Kellum.

S249
Superintendent of Public Instruction Correspondence, 1882-1922
2.25 cubic feet

This series contains correspondence reflecting the Superintendent's involvement in all matters pertaining to public instruction. The Superintendent was a member of the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions that oversaw the state's hospitals, child training schools and correctional institutions. The records contain information about the Florida Industrial School for Girls and Florida State College for Women.

Board of Commissioners of State Institutions

S431
Minutes, 1869-1991
37 volumes, 2 cubic feet

The Board of Commissioners of State Institutions controlled state hospitals, correctional institutions, the construction of public buildings, the ownership of Seminole Indian reservation lands, the Governor's Mansion Commission, and the buildings in the Capitol Center Complex (except the Capitol). This series contains bound volumes of meeting minutes documenting the topics of discussion, decisions made, and actions taken by the Board. The records reflect the Board's involvement in managing the facilities of various state institutions, including the Florida Industrial School for Girls.

Division of Child Training Schools

S436
Subject Files, 1952-1967
13.75 cubic feet

The Division of Child Training Schools had supervisory and protective care, custody and control over all minor offenders and the buildings, grounds and matters concerning the state's juvenile correctional and training institutions. This series contains operating files, financial records and correspondence relating to operations of the various state-administered schools for juvenile offenders, including the Florida School for Girls campuses in Ocala and Forest Hills.

Board of Control

The Board of Control was the predecessor body to the Board of Regents. These minutes document the sale of 20 acres of James D. Westcott's estate to Florida State College for Women.

Florida Construction Program

S546
Publicity Records, 1936-1937
.5 cubic foot

The Florida Construction Program, a Public Works Administration program, included work on both the Florida Industrial School for Girls and Florida State College for Women. This collection consists of records relating to the publicity of that project, including newspaper articles and letters of solicitation for advertisements.

Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services

S2682
Florida Social Service
Research Materials, 1977
1.25 cubic feet

This series contains research notes relating to the development of social services in Florida. It includes subject files on people interviewed and topics directed toward workers and clients, as well as taped interviews with people reflecting on their personal experiences in the social service field in Florida.

Department of Health

S1785
Florida Division of Family Health
Sexual Violence Prevention Program
Records, 1983-1995
4 cubic feet

The Sexual Violence Prevention Program aimed to eliminate sexual violence and addressed the needs of victims through raising awareness and providing proper training for sexual violence victim treatment providers. This series contains records that document these objectives.

S2671
Sexual Violence Prevention Program
Records, 1999-2006
1.75 cubic feet

This series documents the development and implementation of programs designed to raise awareness about sexual violence, and to properly train sexual violence victim treatment providers. The programs include Safe Dates, Talk About It and Get the Facts. The records consist of handouts, evaluations of speakers, and correspondence pertaining to the development of conferences for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence and training seminars.

Department of Children and Families

S2267
Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence
Meeting Files, 1998-2000
1 cubic foot

This series documents the participation of the Department of Children and Families as a state agency liaison at meetings of the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence. The records document the variety of issues discussed at the meetings, such as the status of domestic violence legislative proposals, domestic violence in the justice system, domestic violence education and law enforcement training; domestic violence grant programs, domestic violence intervention and response, and the background and past initiatives and accomplishments of the Task Force.

Commission on Human Relations

S382
Commission on Human Relations
Records, 1969-1976
1 cubic foot

The Florida Commission on Human Relations promotes fair treatment and equal opportunity for all persons in Florida and seeks resolution of claims of discriminatory treatment, including sexual discrimination. This series consists of program proposals, meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, press releases, and other materials documenting the Commission’s position on, and activities in, civil rights matters, including affirmative action, equal opportunity employment and job discrimination.

State Board of Health

S904
Midwife Program Files 1924-1975
5.5 cubic feet

The State Board of Health was the predecessor agency to the Division of Health under the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (later the Department of Health). The State Board of Health initiated the midwife licensing program in 1931. This series contains manuals, legislative reports, essays, correspondence, photographs, midwife summaries (the record of midwives licensed by county), and midwife record cards that document a midwife's yearly health checkups, race, literacy and education levels, and consulting physicians.

S1481
Bureau of Narcotics
Applications for Certificate of Registration for Healing Arts, 1928-1955
35 microfilm reels

This series includes the forms of those applying for registration as certified midwives. The applications include such information as name, address, race, date and place of birth, length of Florida residency, and county of residency.