ABOUT THE COLLECTION

Gloria Steinem was born in Toledo in 1934 and became one of the leading voices on issues of equality. In 2014, The Steinem Sisters Collective, a grassroots group of Toledo-area feminists, created a lending library of feminist publications to recognize the noted journalist and social activist’s 80th birthday and named it the Steinem Sisters’ Library and Resource Center. The library was housed at People Called Women, a feminist bookstore owned by one of the Collective’s founding members. When the store was sold in 2017, the Collective’s original set of feminist works was donated to the Toledo Lucas County Public Library and renamed the Steinem Sisters Collection. The Toledo Library is the only public library in the United States with a special feminist collection.

The Steinem Sisters Collection champions women’s historical, cultural, and political contributions and strives to provide a welcoming space for women from all walks of life to share their truths. It is composed of “feminist materials,” intersectional works that uphold human and women’s rights and interests in defining and promoting political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes, races, classes, sexual orientations, and genders. The Steinem Sisters Collection has grown to over 900 titles in the ten years since its inception. Regular programming, including book discussion groups and talking circles, aims to highlight the collection and build community.

Books on Tap x Steinem Sisters Collection

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

(W) March 19 | 7:30 — 8:30 p.m. | Library in the Community

Talk books, socialize, and relax with a cold one at Patron Saints Brewery, located at 4730 W Bancroft St #8, Toledo, OH 43615. 21 and over only.

Full - join waitlist

Film Screening: My Name Is Andrea

Steinem Sisters Collection Special Event

(W) March 26 | 6 — 8 p.m. | Main Library

Film Screening of My Name is Andrea, a documentary about the life and work of Andrea Dworkin.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

Andrea Dworkin

(M) April 7 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

(M) May 5 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Feminism 101: Intergenerational Feminisms

(W) May 14 | 6:30 — 8 p.m. | Washington

Join us for a discussion of what feminism means to each of us and how we can work together to listen, support, and respect each other.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck

(M) June 2 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

Believing by Anita Hill

(M) July 7 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

Educated by Tara Westover

(M) August 4 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow

(M) October 6 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

(M) November 3 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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Steinem Sisters Collection Book Club

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

(M) December 1 | 7 — 8 p.m. | Sanger

A discussion group dedicated to feminist reading from the Library's Steinem Sisters Collection.

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