Ariadne
Institutions
Ariadne
Ariadne is the women* and gender-specific information and documentation center of the Austrian National Library (ANL): starting back in 1992 Ariadne brought women*/gender research and feminist theories into the collection guidelines of the ANL and has since documented all thematically relevant holdings of the Austrian National Library, contemporary and historical: Ariadne compiles a “catalogue of articles” with abstracts and feminist subject indexing, focussing on component parts such as contributions in journals, compilations, conference papers etc. The historical holdings of the ANL are made visible via web portals with full-text resources, e.g. on the historical women’s movements in the geographic area of the Habsburg monarchy: „Frauen in Bewegung 1848-1938“ or „Women in motion“ (https://fraueninbewegung.onb.ac.at/) presents over 600 activists of the women’s movements, their more than 400 organizations and activities on the basis of their very own documents: due to the legal deposit, the ANL has a unique collection of women*historical documents such as historical women’s newspapers, publications and association documents of women’s assosciations, and Ariadne works on their indexing, evaluation and digitization. Supplemented by brief descriptions, references to secondary literature and links to full-text documents, the networks and topics of the activists become tangible in a virtual archive. Ariadne also offers reference services.
Good Practices
Fete della Musique
DROPPING THE FIRST ARTIST FOR OUR #FDLM LINE UP So excited that @oke__music will be performing on our CID stage on June 14 at 20h15!
Der Melaten-Friedhof
The Melaten Cemetery is an open history book that makes the 19th century understanding of roles and the role of women as mourners visible. The walk leads, among other things, to Laura von Oelbermann, whose wealth was proverbial in Cologne, to the “second female museum director in Germany” and to the monastery woman who successfully marketed her famous lemon balm spirit. The cemetery’s former function as an infirmary for lepers and changes in the current burial culture are also discussed.
Flush Festival
Imagine turning a historic feminist library into a three-day cultural festival – and having nearly 1,000 people show up. That’s exactly what Flush Festival in Bologna does. https://flushfestival.women.it/ Held every September in the cloister of the Biblioteca Italiana delle Donne, Flush is a festival of feminist and independent publishing, co-organized with local partners and full of life: A vibrant book fair with 20+ independent publishers Talks and panels with feminist thinkers and activists Workshops on publishing, media, and archives Guided tours through one of Europe’s largest feminist collections Experimental formats like bibliomancy – part literature, part magic But it’s more than just a festival. Flush reclaims public space, amplifies feminist voices, and turns the library into a living, breathing space for collective memory and future-makin
Blog Posts
Our name: ELENOR
The name ELENOR grew from years of dialogue across feminist archives. Not an acronym, but a real name – personal, memorable, and open to interpretation. Special thanks to Andrea Reisner (Ariadne) for her inspiring work and spirit in the naming process. Who is your ELENOR? Join us in shaping feminist memory — active, diverse, and […]
Sharing is caring 01-08-2025
Feminist archives and initiatives continue to shape conversations, challenge norms, and imagine new futures. From local memory work to global resistance, the landscape is vast, dynamic, and rich with stories worth sharing. We’ve gathered a new round of posts to highlight the diversity and depth of this work—across borders, languages, and generations. Take a moment […]
Podcast – The Power of networking
In May 2025 Elenors across Europe packed their bags to come together in Berlin. What a journey this has been. After 5 years of online-meetings, it all came together. We met. We founded the network ELENOR. We got to know each other way better than every only meeting could provide. We trespassed the digital border […]