Gray Literature

Gray literature refers to all sorts of works not published through the publishing industry: for example, research reports, university papers, brochures, typoscripts, activity reports, project concepts, etc.

The STICHWORT Library has a relatively large amount of gray literature, presenting important documents from research and from the movement which otherwise might not be available or accessible.

Bright Pearls in the Treasure Chest

"Opening this ominous closet reveals the path from inception and internal reflection on women's issues to publication and contains early manifestos, program and working papers, United Nations' reports on the condition of women, protocols and reports of Austrian women's conferences and informational brochures from the national and international women's movement. Let us take university papers as an example of the junction that gray literature provides between our archives and our library. On the one hand they document the results of women’s studies research in Austria, on the other hand they provide sources for new research ... We are always pleased to have copies that are provided to us!"

(M. Hauser, Bunte Perlen im Schatzkästchen [Bright Pearls in the Treasure Chest], STICHWORT-Newsletter 4/1997)