The following links offer general places to begin research about textiles.

• Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture
• Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
• Ruth Ketterer Harris Library
• Steenbock Memorial Library
• University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
• LinkCat (Madison Public Library)
• Badgerlink (Wisconsin Residents)
• Home Economics Archive (HEARTH)

Please share your thoughts and suggestions.  Thank You!

• "A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres together (felt)." (Retrieved from Wikipedia, February 24, 2010.)

• "Anything made by people from fibrous materials.  The term includes fabrics made of adhered fibers like felt, items made of relatively unmodified plant materials like baskets and mats, fabrics made of spun yarns such as knitted or woven cloth, and items made of synthetic linear elements such as nylon window screens" (Retrieved from The Textile Museum's publication, "An Introduction to Textile Terms", March 30, 2010.)

Here are some schools of thought regarding textiles:

• Textile Design
• Textile Science
• Textile Technology

Within those schools are various fields of study:

• Care and Preservation of Textiles
• Dyes and Dyeing (Color Systems)
• Fiber Types and Treatments
• Surface Design/Decoration
• Textile Marketing/Industry
• Textile Production

Related disciplines and professions:

• Anthropology
• Apparel and Fashion
• Art and Art History
• Decorative Arts
• Environmental Design
• Interior Design
• Performing Arts

Tara Genske is a recent graduate (MA '10) from the School of Library and Information Studies program at UW-Madison.  

Her work with the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and the Ruth Ketterer Harris Library served as a fitting inspiration for the creation of this LibGuide, which she created for her Field Project in Library and Information Agencies course work.