The significance of gender: a history of the status of women in librarianship special interest group, 1983-1990

Jinette de Gooijer - General Manager, Corporate Information Management, CSIRO

Abstract
The author was Convenor of the Library Association of Australia Status of Women in Librarianship Special Interest Group (SOWIL-SIG) from 1983 until 1988. She describes the activities of the group through a framework of perspectives that explores its structural, political, human and symbolic significance. The SOWIL-SIG came into being during a time of intense political and social awareness of women's issues, and in the library profession such awareness was spearheaded by the American Library Association's Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship. Within this context, the author explores the significance of a feminised profession becoming conscious of its own women's issues.