Women's History Month at NYPL
The New York Public Library honors women past and present in celebration of Women's History Month this March. Explore our programs and events, resources, recommended reading, and more! Plus, learn about some of the women who have helped build NYPL.
Rhythm Is My Business: Women Who Shaped Jazz
On View Through June 13 | Library for the Performing Arts
Visit a new exhibition that sheds light on the extraordinary women who have made contributions to jazz. Learn about the diverse talents and groundbreaking work of female musicians through photographs, posters, video, audio, and other archival items in the collection of The New York Public Library’s Music and Recorded Sound Division.
More Events for Adults
Discover events across Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx to celebrate Women’s History Month. From author talks and book discussion groups to journaling workshops, film screenings, and performances, find out how you can get involved!
More Events for Kids & Teens
Programs for kids and teens include movie nights, mood-board-making, arts and crafts, trivia, a special career panel for teens, and much more!
Women’s History Month at the Center for Educators & Schools
Use the Library’s collections to explore stories of activism, self-expression, artistic freedom, and sisterhood. NYPL’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Center for Educators & Schools have produced two new curriculum guides to support students in the critical analysis of cultural objects—including poems, photographs, newspaper clips, and protest flyers—focused on Black women’s stories.
Foreword: Women Who Built NYPL
Learn about some of the extraordinary women from the Library’s history of over 125 years who have shaped NYPL and the fields of librarianship and curatorship. This year, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, we’re spotlighting Dorothy Williams, head curator of what was formerly the Schomburg Collection in 1948. Plus, discover the stories of other notable Schomburg women Catherine Allen Latimer and Jean Blackwell Hutson.
Teen Banned Book Club
Read with us! NYPL's Teen Banned Book Club shines a spotlight on young adult titles that have been the subject of bans or challenges. Our current pick is Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann, a graphic novel about a group of girls campaigning for a revolution on periods at a high school that puts football before menstrual health.
Treasures: Women Educating & Inspiring Generations
Aligning with the National Women’s History Alliance 2025 theme, discover items in the Polonsky Exhibition of the Library’s Treasures by and about women who have made an impact through education, mentorship, and leadership. Whether with art, writing, or activism, these women redefined what was possible and paved the way for others. Learn more with the Library’s digital guide on Bloomberg Connects.
Images, left to right: Bookplate designed for Margaret Sanger by Rockwell Kent; Knitting the Wind © María Berrío, courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro; Tenacious: Art & Writings by Women in Prison, no. 34.
Note: Bloomberg Connects is a third-party mobile app developed by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The app is not owned or operated by NYPL. See the Bloomberg Connects privacy policy for more information.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Luminary & Advocate
Listen to Paloma Celis Carbajal, Curator of Latin American, Iberian, and U.S. Latino Collections, discussing 17th-century Mexican writer and intellectual Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, whose Segundo Volumen is now on view at the Polonsky Exhibition. Sor Juana wrote both poetry and prose, and, in La Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz, defended the right of women to be intellectuals.
Treasures: Free Downloadable Activities for Kids
Celebrate Women’s History Month with this bilingual family-friendly exhibition treasure hunt from NYPL’s Center for Educators & Schools. Explore the Polonsky Exhibition to learn about American marine biologist, writer, and environmentalist Rachel Carson and Colombian visual artist María Berrío.
Celebra el Mes de la Historia de la Mujer con esta búsqueda del tesoro bilingüe del Centro para educadores y escuelas de la NYPL, apta para toda la familia. Explora la Exhibición Polonsky para aprender sobre la bióloga marina, escritora y ambientalista estadounidense Rachel Carson y la artista visual colombiana María Berrío.
Recommended Reading for Adults
- 15 New Nonfiction Reads for Women's History Month
- Undaunted: New Biographies & Memoirs of Inspiring Women
- Celebrating Trailblazing Women Who Have Made an Impact on Education
- Unveiling Hidden Links Between Women Composers
- Absorbing Fiction Based on the Fascinating Lives of Real Women from History
- Telling Our Stories, Shaping Our World: Books to Celebrate Women Storytellers
Recommended Reading for Kids & Teens
- Immersive YA Historical Fiction for Women's History Month
- Kids Books Celebrating Amazing Women Educators, Mentors, & Leaders
- Following Dreams and Changing the World: Stories of Inspiring Girls and Young Women
- Subject By Subject: Children's Books Celebrating Fearless Women
- Books for Women's History Month Recommended by Our Teen Ambassadors
Explore Women’s History Every Day in March Through NYPL's Collections
Find out how you can use the Library's Digital Collections, research guides, blog posts, events, and more to delve deeper into women's history.
Women at Work: Inspiring Research Projects Using NYPL's Collections
Get inspired by the writers, historians, and scholars who are using The New York Public Library's collections to research a wide range of fascinating topics related to women's history. Their areas of study include the role of women and feminism in mapmaking, women's participation in the electrification of Britain, women's relationship with marine ecology, and more.
Recommended Resources
Explore the Library's collections with these resources focused on feminism and notable women compiled by our expert staff and librarians.
Watch Now! Women’s History Month Conversations
Revisit these recorded conversations between notable writers, artists, and thinkers on topics ranging from imagination and aging to the history of patriarchy and Black feminist futurism.
NYPL’s Essential Reads on Feminism
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020, the Library created our Essential Reads on Feminism lists, featuring titles that trace the history of feminism and the suffrage movement, its impact on the complex push for gender equality, and the issues and challenges that many women face today.
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Multilingual Resources
The New York Public Library is here for everyone! At our 92 locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, we welcome speakers and readers of a wide range of languages. NYPL is committed to helping everyone navigate our free services and resources: get a library card, learn about Library offerings, search the catalog, and more in world languages.
Shop the Library
Support the Library and check out books, apparel, and more featuring famous women at the Library Shop.
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