Collection SWA - Scottish Women's Aid Collection

Identity area

Reference code

GB 1534 SWA

Title

Scottish Women's Aid Collection

Date(s)

  • 1973 - (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

17.5 metres (43 archival boxes) containing graphic, textual and audio-visual material.

Context area

Name of creator

(1976-)

Administrative history

Founded in 1976, Scottish Women's Aid was established to provide a national voice for regional Women's Aid groups around Scotland. The first women's aid groups were established in 1973, beginning in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as grassroots feminist organizations providing support and temporary housing for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Since the 1970s, many more women's aid groups have been founded and continue to operate throughout Scotland.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The majority of the materials were deposited at Glasgow Women's Library in one donation. Prior to this, they were in the custody of Scottish Women's Aid. Some materials have been donated by individuals involved in Women's Aid in various capacities over the years and added into the existing collection.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

This collection consists of records created by Scottish Women's Aid and local women's aid groups, including annual reports, newsletters, organisational records, promotional material, publications, and other ephemera. There is also a large series of news cuttings included in the collection that were collected by workers at Scottish Women's Aid, primarily from the mid-1970s to early 1990s. The collection also includes informational materials from related organisations used by staff at Scottish Women's Aid.

This collection is currently undergoing processing as part of the Speaking Out: Recalling Women's Aid in Scotland project (2015-2017) and a number of oral histories have been collected and will be added into the archive in late 2017.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Further accruals are expected from both Scottish Women's Aid and local Women's Aid groups and will be added into the existing catalogue.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

A number of the audio files of the oral history interviews are closed. However, all interviews have transcripts that are open for research and accessible from the catalogue.

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Physical characteristics and technical requirements

    Finding aids

    While most items have entries in the catalogue, there are also detailed finding aids available from Archives staff. To view material in this collection please email the archivists to make an appointment: info@womenslibrary.org.uk.

    Allied materials area

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    Related descriptions

    Notes area

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Access points

    Place access points

    Name access points

    Genre access points

    Description control area

    Description identifier

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2000).

    Status

    Revised

    Level of detail

    Full

    Dates of creation revision deletion

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Accession area