1. Centre for Women’s Development
Studies (CWDS)
Presented by,
Vishnumaya, R. S.
MLISc-S4
DLIS, University of Kerala

2. Centre for Women’s Development Studies
(CWDS) : An Overview
• CWDS was established on 19th April 1980, in the
middle of the International Women’s Decade.
• Preparation of the first ever comprehensive
government report on the ‘Status of Women in
India’ entitled Towards Equality.
• Later associated with the Women’s Studies
Programme of the ICSSR.

3. • The CWDS was registered under the
Societies’ Registration Act, 1860 in New
Delhi (under the leadership of late Prof. J.P.
Naik).
• Started functioning since May 1980, with a
small financial grant from the Vikram
Sarabhai Foundation.

4. Objectives
• Undertakes, promotes and coordinates both
fundamental and applied research on women
and development;
• Organizes and assists training programmes
for scholars, planners, administrators,
members of women’s organizations/
cooperatives etc.;

5. Objectives…
• Promotes and collaborates with academic
institutions, grass root level organizations
and individuals engaged in allied activities;
• Provides advisory and consultancy services
on allied issues to institutions and
organizations;

6. Objectives…
• Develops and promotes educational training
and action programmes for women,
especially under-privileged women;
• Undertakes activities that are consistent with
the objectives of CWDS and helps to bring
about attitudinal and other changes for
effective participation of women from all
levels of society.

7. CWDS Library
• A specialized research resource centre for a
comprehensive collection of published and
unpublished material relating to Indian
women.
• The Library through its collection aims to
provide an overall perspective regarding the
situational analysis, current issues,
development policies, etc.

8. Collection Development
• The library purchases published material on
a regular basis by going through a variety of
book selection tools.
• Its collection of institutional reports/ papers
is developed primarily through networking at
the local, regional, national, and
international levels.

9. Collection Development…
• The thrust subject areas over the last few
years have been :
Feminist theory/ feminism
Girl child
Child rights
Child labour
Rural women

10. Collection Development…
New economic policy
Structural adjustment
Financial institutions and credit
Panchayati raj

11. Collection Development…
Environment
Health
Violence against women

12. Collection Development…
Reproductive health
Women’s reservation
Empowerment
Domestic Violence
Education……..

13. Major Collections
• Reference Collection
• Books and Monographs
• Conference Papers
• Periodicals
• Audio Visuals
• e-Library

14. Library In-House Databases
1) Mahila Database (Catalogue)
2) Articles Index Database
3) Chitra: Audio-Visual Database
4) Periodicals Database
5) Institutional Database

15. Information Services
• Current Awareness Bulletin
• Current Contents of Journals (fortnightly)
• Database Search – OPAC

16. • Electronic Databases
• Reprographic Services
• CWDS Reading Lists Series
• Bibliographies

17. Publications

18. Publications
• Disability studies in India:
Global Discourses, Local Realities
(Routledge, 2012)
• Moving with the times:
Gender, Status and Migration of Nurses in
India (Routledge, 2012)

19. Publications…
• Towards equality:
Report of the Committee on the Status of
Women in India (Pearson, 2012)
• Women's studies in India : A reader
(Penguin Books, New Delhi, 2008)

20. Publications…
• Education, Equality And Development
Persistent Paradoxes in Indian Women's
History (Pearson, 2012)
• Crimes Against Women: Bondage and
Beyond (CWDS, 2002)

21. Publications…
• Indian Journal of Gender Studies
(SAGE Publications, 1994 ).

22. Publications…
• J.P. Naik Memorial Lecture

24. References
• www.cwds.org, Retrieved on 6 July, 2013.
• www.cwds.ac.in/library/library.htm, Retrieved
on 6 July, 2013.

25. “Any youngman who makes dowry a condition
for marriage discredits his education and his
country and dishonours womanhood…”
- Mahatma Gandhi