The Institute of Women’s Studies (IWS) Library is one of the main specialized resource centers on women and gender studies in the West Bank. Its Arabic and English-language holdings cover a diverse range of subjects related to women, gender and development across various disciplines, including sociology and the social sciences more broadly. The Library also carries unpublished materials, such as pamphlets, a variety of documents and some personal archives, as well as a significant collection of policy studies and statistical reports. In total, the Library's collection comprises over 10,000 books, 50 academic journals, and a collection of audiovisual resources. The Library serves undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and researchers in Birzeit University, and is open to students and researchers at other universities locally, regionally, and internationally.
IWS Library has an area for individual study and a computer lab of six computers. The lab is available for use by MA, PhD, and PAS students and visiting researchers. The main electronic holdings of the main library and the IWS Library's online resources and databases can be accessed here. BZU students, faculty and researchers can access online resources when outside the university campus here. The LIbrary also provides access to the BZU's other specialized libraries – including the Law Center’s Library and the Said Khoury Development Studies Library.
All IWS research and publications can be accessed here and all issues of its academic journal The Review of Women's Studies here.
The IWS Library is open Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. It is located on the bottom floor of the Bahrain building, room no.120 located at the north end of the Birzeit University campus.
The Library employs a full-time librarian and one assistant. Other support is provided by part-time student volunteers.
Librarian: Samar Anton Kassis
E-mail: skassis@birzeit.edu and IWS.library@birzeit.edu
Office phone: +972-2-298-2013, extension 5052