No documents-No history : Mary Ritter Beard and the early history of women's archives

The 1930s marked an important moment in the history of the national preservation effort in the United States. While the establishment of the National Archives ensured the preservation of the public record, a quest to salvage the record of women's role in civilization was just beginning. Historian Mary Ritter Beard made a commitment to the promotion of women's archives throughout the next decades. After she failed to establish a World Center for Women's Archives at the dawn of the Second World War, Beard sought her dream in institutions of higher learning, inspiring many colleges and universities to collect source material by and about women. Smith College made the greatest commitment to support a women's archives on its campus. Beginning in the early 1940s, Mary Beard nurtured a close relationship with an ardent supporter of such an archives at Smith College, Margaret Storrs Grierson, the collection's director from 1942 through 1965. The tireless effort of these two women provided the foundation for what has evolved into one of the most widely recognized woman's collections in the United States.