Rita Rubinstein Heller Collection on the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry

The Rita Rubenstein Heller collection on the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry contains material from the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry. The collection contains materials from 1921-1938, from when the school was in operation.

The collection is divided into two boxes. Box 1 contains material pertaining to the students of the SSWWI. Box 2 contains material related to the faculty of the SSWWI.

Box 1 is divided into three subseries: “Student Rosters and Applications,” “Student Writings and Publications,” and “Student Interviews and Miscellaneous Biographical Materials.” “Student Rosters and Applications” includes the applications of both accepted and rejected students, as well as a faculty/student roster. “Student Writings and Publications” contains various student writings, such as student magazines, songbooks, and an unemployment history written by a student. “Student Interviews and Miscellaneous Biographical Materials” contains a number of interviews conducted by Heller with alumnae about their experiences in the Summer School. These interviews are arranged in alphabetical order. Biographical information is available for some interviewees. Box 2 is divided into four subseries: “Faculty Interviews and Miscellaneous Material,” “Information on Related Programs on Other Institutions,” “Program and Course Related Materials,” and “Miscellaneous Materials.” The first subseries, “Faculty Interviews,” contains interviews conducted by Heller with faculty members about their experiences teaching in the Summer School. These interviews are arranged in alphabetical order. Biographical information is available for some interviewees, including obituaries, articles about the interviewee, and CVs. “Information on Related Programs at Other Institutions” includes financial information, school documents, and a curriculum. “Program and Course Related Materials” includes syllabi, a reading list, and a curriculum. “Miscellaneous Materials” includes a recollection of the Bryn Mawr Summer School by Eleanor Roosevelt, a standardized test, and materials from the Industrial Labor Relations School at Cornell.

The Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry was a two-month program on the Bryn Mawr campus designed to instruct one hundred women workers each year in English composition, economics, science, history, psychology, literature, and music appreciation. Heller produced an award-winning documentary on the school, entitled “Women of Summer: A History of the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, 1921-1935.” Her collection of materials provides insight into the inner workings of the school, and the experiences of its faculty and staff. It would be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the SSWWI.