| By Gale Staff | According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, 4 percent of America’s population identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. That is approximately thirteen million people—a minority far too large to ignore—and this vast community is at risk. The need for libraries to provide safe havens for LGBTQ persons is made clear by … Read more
Developing a strong LGBTQ collection is only the beginning. The library must seek out its audience and actively promote available resources, from print and digital resources to programming, education, and events. Bringing resources to those who need them is at the core of every library’s mission, but it is especially challenging with LGBTQ patrons, many … Read more
A passion shared by librarians is the belief that libraries should be welcoming, free, and open to all while providing equitable service to their communities. Librarians recognize that these communities are typically made up of smaller, ancillary groups and librarians strive to develop services and collections tailored to meet the special needs of these groups. … Read more
Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. Library Bill of Rights, Article I Libraries continue to face challenges from members of … Read more
A library’s print, eBook, and digital resource collection will always be the bedrock upon which service to a particular community is built. Developing a robust LGBTQ collection draws on the same core principles that define all aspects of collection development: 1. A collection plan/selection policy tailored to the needs of the community (both the larger … Read more
During LGBTQ Pride Month, we celebrate this community and the impact its members have had on local, national, and international history. Pride is celebrated each June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, which took place in 1969 in Manhattan. Ever since Pride began as a single-day commemoration in 1970, marches and parades have been part … Read more
| By Mary Kelly | When I use the term databases while helping students and non-specialists at the reference desk, there is always a moment when a patron unfamiliar with the availability and scope of modern primary source databases, looks a bit wary at my enthusiasm for these electronic collections. Of course, serious researchers understand … Read more
| By Traci Cothran | Last Sunday marked the very first Pride Parade in my small town here in Michigan—it’s a lovely place but one whose history is characterized more by exclusivity than acceptance. It’s wonderful to witness the changes that have occurred, and I was delighted to spy several local school teachers marching alongside … Read more
Join us Thursday, June 15 at 1 PM Central for a Booklist webinar on the importance of LGBTQ material in your library’s collection. During the webinar, Kristin Pekoll, assistant director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, will review how LGBTQ books can serve an underrepresented population and how to protect these titles from censorship, along with information about self-censorship and … Read more
The Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part I brings together approximately 1.5 million pages of primary source content on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world, including the gay rights movement, activism, the HIV/Aids crisis, and more. Documents are sourced from top libraries and archives like … Read more