Contact person: Larisa Fedorova, co-Chairwoman of Strategic Board
Òåë./fax: 7 (095) 241-69-22

The Center for Expert and Informational Support to Social Initiatives (CEISSI)/ Women's Resourse Center since 1996 has been a successor of the subproject "Library", which is an integral part of the Women's Information Project "Archives. Data Base. Library" (ADL) initiated by a group of women in 1993.

The Women's Information Project is a resource and information center intended for the activity of regional organizations. Besides its main directions associated with archives, data base and library the ADL also accumulated information from various sources and transferred it into regions and backwards as well as it run educational activity in regional women's non-profit organizations. The Project has been developing, mainly, as an infrastructure for research, educational and informational activity of different women's groups. The Women's Resurse Center possesses a unique library incorporating more than 2000 books about women, written by women, UN documents. Our Center is not only library but documentation center too. Further development of the library is one of the directions of the Center.Unlike usual public libraries, our library was being founded as library oriented to achieving social goals of the women's movement.

Larissa Fedorova (sitting) and Dina Utesheva

During 5 years we collected 1900 information materials, among them 1600 books and 300 various documents related to the conferences, seminars, women's organizations, governmental decisions, new laws and bills, international and UN documents depicting women's position. The electronic catalogue has been developed for the library and major informational materials. Its further refinement is being carried out.

Several programs were initiated in 1998, among which there are: - project on monitoring of gender equality policy carried out in the framework of the post-Beijing obligations of Russia being fulfilled together with the project "Gender Expert Examination" of the Moscow Center for Gender Studies, Consortium of women's non-governmental alliances and the Independent Women's Forum. The work is being carried out as an integral part of the international monitoring of the WEDO organization-Women Environment and Development Organization (United Nations Populations Fund); - issue of the bulletin "Legislation and Women's Rights" together with the project "Gender Expert Examination" of the Moscow Center for Gender Studies; - a series of monthly seminars "Gender and Culture" (together with the Association of journalists with Nina Gabrielian as coordinator). The Center regularly renders services consulting women's groups on managing non-profit organizations.

Larissa Fedorova