Society of Women Journalists Database Updated

Laura Vorachek shares that her digital humanities project, The Society of Women Journalists, 1894-1914, an online database of the organization’s membership, has recently been updated!

The Society was established in 1894 to support women journalists at a time when most press clubs excluded women or admitted them only grudgingly. The database contains records for approximately 800 unique members during its first two decades and currently offers the ability to search by member name and leadership position. It also includes a list of Honorary Members—prominent (mostly) male journalists, editors, and proprietors who signaled their support for the SWJ through affiliation with the organization.

Created with the assistance of students and faculty in the Computer Science Department at the University of Dayton, the database draws primarily on the Society’s Annual Reports published between 1898 and 1915 for membership data. As these Annual Reports can be found at just four libraries worldwide and their individual collections are all incomplete, the database brings together membership data that is not currently available in a single location.

For membership in years with no or incomplete data in the Annual Reports, Laura is in the process of gleaning membership information from contemporary periodicals and other documents. Her long-term goal is to compile mini-biographies of members, highlighting their contributions to journalism at the turn of the twentieth century.

If there is a particular way the site might be of use to your research, please reach out to Laura and let her know! She will be working to add additional search functionalities in the future.

Thanks for sharing your exciting news, Laura!