The Vere Harmsworth Library’s latest book display explores the life of Frances Perkins, the US Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 and the first female member of the US presidential cabinet. She is known for her work on the New Deal and for upholding workers’ rights.

The display features two works by Perkins herself: The Roosevelt I knew, and People at work. Readers will also find biographies including Madam Secretary, Frances Perkins and Frances Perkins : a member of the Cabinet, and contextualising works such as Nothing to fear : FDR’s inner circle and the hundred days that created modern America, Challenge and change : a brief history [of the U.S. Department of Labor, 1913-1963, and For the many : American feminists and the global fight for democratic equality.

Library staff have also selected online resources which may be of interest to those wanting to learn more about Perkins’ life and legacy. The Library of Congress research guide and the Frances Perkins Center website both provide biographical information and links to a range of other resources for further research. Readers may also be interested in Time magazine’s August 1933 article, Labor: Truce at a Crisis, which discusses her appointment as Secretary of Labor, or in chapter 3 of U.S. Department of Labor: the first seventy-five years, which discusses the period 1933-1945 during which Perkins served in that role.

The book display can be found on the ground floor of the Vere Harmsworth Library by the comfy chairs towards the back of the room. Books are labelled as loanable or for library use only, and links to ebooks are given where the Bodleian has ebook access.

If you have any questions about working in the Vere Harmsworth Library, please email vhl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.