Social Work Archives

It's late and I feel as though I need a hot shower...maybe a "virtual" hot shower, as I have been digging through virtual cobwebs most of this evening for the blog. My friend and colleague Andrew Cicchetti, check the Mutual Aid Based Group Work link in the left column, peaked my interest in archives and I wondered just how many archives there could be for social work. I would suggest that you start with his site. It is primarily concerned with group work but there are some great oral history links dating back to the 1850's and maybe earlier and links directly to the University of Minnesota. I will be adding links to all that I found in a new section "Archival Resources" that will be on the left side of this blog along with all the others.
There are two other main links that I would suggest any student take a look at, not just social work students. The first I had to shut down quickly, had I not I would've been lost in there for days, even weeks. The University of Liverpool. Never in a million years would it have occurred to me to type those four words into a search box, but yet there I was about to fall into an abyss from which I would never return. While the social work collections are extensive, it was the links for their other collections that started my fall. Gypsey Lore Collections, Medieval & Later Manuscripts, Shipping & slave trade papers, Spanish Civil War Collections, Incunabula and Early books...OMG!
The Social Work Archives in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. Anyone interested in Southern History should not miss a pass through of this collection. The Black Women's Oral History Project, the oral histories of 66 black women, most born before 1910 and who have made significant impact on their communities through volunteerism or work. Correct me if I am wrong, I could not get the finding aid link to work, but this collection must be where Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech is housed.
Such reverence I felt being allowed to visit the site and peruse to my hearts content.
ok, that's it for this evening...will get started adding the links tomorrow after mass. Will also continue to dig. :-)