Library & Research
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Research Library
The Research Library at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame was started in 1975 in Hereford, Texas, and moved to Fort Worth in 1993 with the museum. The collection includes materials focusing on women of the American West and their accomplishments and contributions; honoree diaries, biographies and historical recollections; literature that depicts the movement Westward in America’s discovery and exploration; cowgirl/cowboy and rodeo history and culture; and ranching and popular culture, both past and present. The collection consists of books, videos, archives and oral histories relating to Hall of Fame honorees and the American cowgirl.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Archives is central to the museum’s ability to tell the story of the remarkable women of the West. Archival materials include manuscripts, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, personal memoirs, maps and newspaper clippings. The collection includes materials donated by and about women who have been inducted and nominated to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame has established an archive of oral history interviews conducted over the past three years with more than 70 women. The archive of tapes, DVDs, and transcripts is housed in the library at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, where it will be available to the public for purposes of education and research. A finding aid with descriptions and indexes of each interview is in the process of being prepared to facilitate the use of the archive.
The library is non-circulating and materials may only be used at the National Cowgirl Museum library. The library is located on the second floor of the museum in the administrative offices. The collections are available for study to qualified researchers and scholars, by appointment only. The library is open weekdays. Appointments may be made by calling 817-336-4475 or by e-mailing Diana Vela, Ph.D. at dvela@cowgirl.net.
The Research Library is a member of the Cultural District Library Consortium (CDLC), a group of libraries in the Fort Worth Cultural District whose goal is to introduce technology in innovative and efficient ways for improving internal and external access to the unique resources of each institution.
About the Cultural District Library Consortium
The CDLC, based in Fort Worth, Texas, was formed in 1996 by the Amon Carter Museum, Kimbell Art Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. CDLC's newest member, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, joined the consortium in 2003. The CDLC catalog is achieved through a partnership with Texas Christian University, also in Fort Worth.
CDLC's non-circulating collections represent subject areas corresponding to each museum's collection. The Carter specializes in American art, history, and photography; the Kimbell in European, Egyptian, Asian, Meso-American, African, Pre-Columbian, Oceanic, and Middle Eastern art; the Modern in American and European modern and contemporary art; and the Cowgirl in the history of women in the West.
Click on the link below to access the CDLC.
