Aging and Ageism
Overview
Aging and Ageism are issues that touch on Schlesinger Library’s intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. The term ageism was initially introduced in 1969 by physician, gerontologist, and psychiatrist Robert N. Butler, who served as the first Director of the National Institute of Aging. Although Butler, and many other social scientists, community groups, and individuals have generated greater awareness that a person's talents and abilities should not be restricted by age, long held biases and presumptions continue to shape societal views about aging. Like many libraries and archival repositories, Schlesinger Library contains legacy finding aids and other public facing documents with outdated terminology, including those that describe older adults. Fortunately, as a special collections repository that actively promotes women’s history, our holdings also include the papers of women who sought ways to counteract ageism, which is documented in firsthand accounts, material support, and advocacy. 1
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