University of Illinois users have trial access to the reference resource Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles through the end of March.

This project describes itself as “a new kind of electronic resource: a history of women’s writing in Britain uniquely structured to be searchable and displayable in new ways.” With concise and exhaustively-cited biographies and works summaries, its nearly 1,300 entries range from Sappho to J.K. Rowling and everyone in between, including some male authors in addition to the content primarily having to do with women’s writing.

The project also includes several innovative features, including a tagging structure that helps indicate primary influences on women’s writings and lives, a wide and diverse range of subjects, and customizable chronological timelines that indicate major events in the history of women’s writing in a given period. There are also extensive bibliographies drawing on both popular and scholarly sources, in addition to a robust link structure connecting related entries via shared terms.

Take a look at Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles and please let us know if you find it useful!