Papers of Sheila Tobias, 1947-2018

The bulk of this collection relates to multiple aspects of Tobias's professional career, most notably her work on math anxiety and the reform of math and science education. Tobias's involvement in the feminist movement is also documented here; relatively little personal material is included. The collection consists of correspondence, abstracts and proposals for various projects, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, articles and speeches, reviews of Tobias's books, videotapes of lectures, audiotapes, compact discs, DVDs, phonograph records, and photographs. Some documents are in German or Dutch. The bulk of the folder headings were created by the processor; those created by Tobias appear in quotation marks. Additional material received (accession numbers 2005-M154, 2006-M67, 2006-M105A, 2007-M6, 2007-M31, 2007-M159, 2009-M24, 2009-M64, 2010-M128, 2011-M240, 2011-M76, 2012-M43, 2012-M78, 2013-M16, 2013-M222, 2014-M56, 2014-M181, 2015-M111, 2-15-M122, 2016-M147, and 2018-M45) were added to the collection in May 2018. These materials are housed in Series V (#16.1-23.14). Further material (accession number 2021-M52) was added to the collection in April 2021 and is housed in #24.1-24.7 and #E.6-E.7. All other files remain in the same order. Folders are listed in intellectual, not numerical, order.

Electronic records were received on a compact disc and a thumbdrive, which were imaged using FTK Imager and Duke Data Accessioner and 2 documents were converted to PDF/A format. Also included are Tobias's web sites, which are being captured periodically as part of Schlesinger Library's web archiving program.

Series I, Biographical and personal, 1947-2010, undated (#1.1-1.15, E.1) consists of articles about Tobias and her career, as well as some personal documents kept by her.

Series II, Correspondence, 1970-2004 (#1.16-2.12), consists of personal correspondence with Carl Tomizuka, her father Paul Tobias, and other family members and friends, and correspondence pertaining to Tobias's professional activities. Topics include upcoming conferences and lectures, her books, and other projects with which she was involved. Also included are two letters relating to Tobias's donation of her papers and books to the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women. Some letters are in German, and some overlap occurs between personal and general correspondence.

Series III, Professional (#3.1-15.13, FD.1, F+D.1-F+D.2, OD.1-OD.2, T-219.1 - T-219.2,Vt-77.1 - Vt-77.10), is divided into fourteen subseries, each focusing on a different aspect of Tobias's career. Each is arranged chronologically, except where noted.

Subseries A, Math anxiety, 1976-2004, undated (#3.1-4.4), consists of correspondence, articles by Tobias and others on the subject of math anxiety, reviews of Overcoming Math Anxiety, and talks which Tobias gave on this subject.

Subseries B, Peer perspectives, 1985-1996, undated (#4.5-4.18, Vt-77.1 - Vt-77.2), documents an experimental program Tobias developed in which non-science professors were taught science by their colleagues, and scientists attended poetry classes, with the goal of gaining insight into what makes science difficult for students in the humanities, and giving the professors a look at alternate methods of teaching. The subseries includes correspondence, reports on programs at various universities and colleges, and papers and articles on the project by Tobias and others. Commentary by the professors/students, in which they discuss their initial and final impressions of the classes, is also included.

Subseries C, Research Corporation, 1986-1997, undated (#4.19-6.7), documents the research Tobias did for this organization and the development of the three books she wrote or co-wrote under its funding. Included is correspondence covering goals and objectives for each book, and monthly progress reports, which describe meetings with elementary and secondary science teachers and program coordinators, and with professors at several universities. The first folders deal with the project as a whole and are followed by a series of folders on each individual book.

Subseries D, Science Master's degree program, 1994-2002, undated (#6.8-6.11, F+D.1), concerns Tobias's work to develop a professional master's degree in science, intended to better equip graduates for work in fields outside academia, such as commerce or research management. Included are articles, a report on the employability of professional M.S. degree recipients, correspondence, meeting programs and presentations, and an interview with Tobias.

Subseries E, Teaching, 1985-2002, undated (#6.12-8.4), includes exams, a syllabus, and course readings for gender studies and education courses taught by Tobias at Claremont College and the University of California at San Diego. The subseries also includes writings on education reform and extensive material on her work in the Netherlands, where she served as a lecturer and consultant to revitalize science education and attract more women to science, and to span the gap between programs in the social and natural sciences. Included are articles, case studies, workshop materials, correspondence, and photocopied lecture transparencies. Some of these documents are in Dutch.

Subseries F, Testing project, 1990-1997, undated (#8.5-8.9), relates to The Hidden Curriculum: Faculty-Made Tests in Science, a book co-written by Tobias which examines experimental approaches to teaching, and the experiences of teachers who adopted these techniques. The subseries includes promotional items, proposals and abstracts, presentations by Tobias, and an article about the project.

Subseries G, Veteran Feminists of America, 1982-2005, undated (#8.10-9.8), consists largely of correspondence regarding planning events and designating honorees. Newsletters and event programs and brochures are also included, as are committee reports and minutes. The first folders contain correspondence, with an emphasis on event planning; these are followed by folders on specific issues or events.

Subseries H, Other feminist organizations, 1971-2002, undated (#9.9-10.4), includes meeting minutes, correspondence and other material related to the Clarion, a feminist newspaper with which Tobias was involved. Material from other organizations on whose boards Tobias served is also included.

Subseries I, Feminism book, 1992-1998 (#10.5-11.4, FD.1), documents the book eventually published as Faces of Feminism: An Activist's Reflections on the Women's Movement. Included are outlines of earlier versions, chapter drafts, manuscript drafts with handwritten edits, and correspondence and comments on the various drafts, including the comments of a pre-publication review panel assembled by W.W. Norton & Company. Also included are advertisements for and reviews of the published book.

Subseries J, Vox Populi project, 1960-2000, undated (#11.5-11.8), concerns a proposed book on recreational singing in America and the published article which resulted from the project. Included are correspondence, photocopied programs from 1960s performances of the New York Choral Society, and the article on choral singing which Tobias ultimately co-wrote.

Subseries K, Articles and lectures, 1971-2005, undated (#11.9-14.3, F+D.1-F+D.2, OD.1-OD.2, Vt-77.3 - Vt-77.10), chronicles Tobias's numerous public speaking engagements, as well as articles she wrote or co-wrote. Included is Tobias's first article on math anxiety, articles on defense spending, math and science education reform, women's studies and the status of the women's movement. The subseries also includes the paper "What Really Happened to Rosie the Riveter?" and a subsequent essay titled "New Views of Rosie the Riveter," both co-written with Lisa Anderson. Several videotaped lectures can be found here, as are book reviews by Tobias, publicity materials concerning her lecture appearances and books, and articles about her lectures. Some overlap with other subseries exists. A few documents are in Dutch.

Subseries L, Conferences, 1992-1994 (#14.4-14.16), relates to conferences in the United States and overseas at which Tobias presented papers. Included are conference programs, some containing abstracts of lectures, and correspondence. Some items are in Dutch.

Subseries M, General professional, 1974-2003 (#14.17-15.7, T-219.1, T-219.2), relates to a number of Tobias's professional interests, including correspondence concerning Breaking the Science Barrier: How to Explore and Understand the Sciences, a book co-written by Tobias and Carl Tomizuka, a charter she wrote for women in astronomy, and audiotapes of an evaluation of an educational reform project at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and a radio program on the 25th anniversary of the 1963 Atmospheric Test Ban Treaty and the role of the women who formed Women Strike for Peace.

Subseries N, Awards and honors, 1987-2002 (#15.8-15.13), includes honorary degrees and other recognitions Tobias received for her work in the reform of science and mathematics education, in the feminist movement, and for her efforts to explain military issues to the public.

Series IV, Photographs, undated (#PD.1-PD.2), consists primarily of images of Tobias. Some photographs of friends and associates are included, as are participants in a Peer Perspectives exercise. The series also includes photographs of Tobias with school classmates.

Series V. Addenda, 1965-2018 (#16.1-26.10, F+D.3, T-219.3 - T-219.4, CD-35.1 - CD-35.21, Phon-48.1 - Phon-48.3, DVD-104.1 - DVD-104.9, E.2-E.7), consists of interview transcripts, correspondence, articles by and about Tobias, conference materials, audiotapes, DVDs, compacts discs, and phonograph records received by the Schlesinger Library between November 2005 and April 2021. The bulk of the series documents Tobias's life and work over that time period, including her continuing work on the PSM (Professional Science Master's degree) program, the project she developed on engineer-enhanced liberal education, and her involvement with Veteran Feminists of America. Some documents related to Tobias's earlier activities are also included, such as her extensive correspondence with her longtime literary agent Gloria Stern and her letters to Claudia Carlin, a friend since the mid-1960s. Items of note include transcripts of the 1969 conference on women which Tobias organized at Cornell University; material regarding the related conference on Vietnam held at Cornell in 2014 and Wesleyan University's conference on co-education; Tobias's writings regarding Harvard University president Lawrence Summers's comments on women's science and math aptitude; interviews and oral histories of Tobias (both transcripts and compact discs); and recordings of feminist music. The arrangement of the series mirrors the arrangement of the existing collection as closely as possible. Audiovisual material is arranged by format and thereunder chronologically. Additional material (accession number 2021-M52) was added to the series in April 2021 and is housed in #24.1-24.7 and #E.6-E.7. Material received with accession 2022-M27 was added to this series in September 2022 and is housed in #25.1-26.10. All other files remain in the same order. Folders are listed in intellectual, not numerical, order.