Queer For Books

 The Williams Institute reports that analyses from the National Survey of Family Growth find that 4.1% of men and women aged 18-45 identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.  According to the Institute, if 4.1% of all adults identify as such, then an estimated 8.8 million adults are gay, lesbian, or bisexual in the United States.  - American Library Association

Statistics on LGBT people in America are difficult to determine. Conservative estimates put it at a little under 5% while others say that at least one in ten Americans are LGBT. Either estimate puts the LGBT population as a sizable minority group that deserves attention from librarians. Gay activists of the twentieth century led the charge on getting LGBT people out of the closet. This has changed many minds. Gay marriage is becoming legal in many states and the younger generation is overwhelmingly gay positive yet prejudice remains. Controversy can arise with even with innocuous children’s books. This shouldn’t deter librarians from their duty to serve the LGBT population.

LGBT people have been traditionally underrepresented in libraries because of social stigmas. This lack must be remedied especially when it comes to young adults. LGBT teens have the highest rates of suicide and bullying. Libraries should be a safe zone for all patrons who can feel comfortable and see representations of themselves. LGBT people come in all ages, races, nationalities, and economic backgrounds so keep diversity in mind when developing a collection. Because major publishers like St. Martin’s might publish only a scant few LGBT titles a year, independent LGBT publishers have been formed to fill that gap. Librarians should think outside the box and seek out LGBT presses to find materials for their patrons.

Some librarians might be unsure of how to go about making their libraries more queer friendly which is why this list of resources was assembled. The bibliography was collected for further reading to cover many eclectic subjects as either examples of  what other library professionals have done, ideas for outreach, or LGBT related library studies. Examples of LGBT collection policies, library outreach and university study guides were listed. The queer resources are to guide librarians to more information as well as to inform about different LGBT organizations for use in pathfinders and other LGBT-targeted outreach. This is by no means a complete listing of resources. It might seem like a lot of information but the queer community is like any other in its desire for representation. The usual outreach ideas can be modified such as queer book clubs or celebrating LGBT history month in October. Partnerships with local LGBT libraries and community centers can get the library more visibility in the queer community. But, in the end, representation begins on the bookshelf.

Bibliography

Ajamu, X. X., Campbell, T., & Stevens, M. (2009). Love and Lubrication in the Archives, or rukus!: A Black Queer Archive for the United Kingdom. Archivaria, (68), 271-294.

Alexander, L. B., & Miselis, S. D. (2007). Barriers to GLBTQ collection development and strategies for overcoming them.Young Adult Library Services: The Journal of the Young Adult Library Services Association, 5(3), 43-49.

Cart, M. (2002). Lives are at stake. Young Adult Library Services: The Journal of the Young Adult Library Services Association,1(1), 22-23.

Cooke, J. C. (2005). Gay and Lesbian Librarians and the “Need” for GLBT Library Organizations. Journal Of Information Ethics, 14(2), 32-49.

Fikar, C. R., & Keith, L. (2004). Information needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered health care professionals: results of an Internet survey. Journal Of The Medical Library Association, 92(1), 56-65.

GLQ: a Journal of Lesbian And Gay Studies. Yverdon, Switzerland: Gordon and Breach Publishers, 1993.

Goldthorp, J. (2007). A voice for the invisible?. Information Scotland, 5(1), 13-14.

Helton, R. (2010). Diversity Dispatch: Reaching out to LGBT library patrons. Kentucky Libraries, 74(2), 14-16.

Jennings, K. (2006). Librarians Make a Difference. Knowledge Quest, 34(5), 22.

Martin, H. J. (2006). A Library Outing: Serving Queer and Questioning Teens. Young Adult Library Services, 4(4), 38-39.

Mathson, S., & Hancks, J. (2006). Privacy please? A comparison between self-checkout and book checkout desk circulation rates for LGBT and other books. Journal of Access Services, 4(3-4), 27-37.

Mehra, B., & Braquet, D. (2007). Library and Information Science Professionals as Community Action Researchers in an Academic Setting: Top Ten Directions to Further Institutional Change for People of Diverse Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities.Library Trends, 56(2), 542-565.

Moss, E. (2008). An inductive evaluation of a public library GLBT collection. Collection Building, 27(4), 149-156.

Parris, B. (2005). Creating, Reconstructing, and Protecting Historical Narratives: Archives and the LBGT Community. Current Studies In Librarianship, 29(1/2), 5-25.

Taylor, J. (2002). Targeting the Information Needs of Transgender Individuals. Current Studies In Librarianship, 26(1/2), 85-110.

Seborg, L. (2005). Sharing the stories of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community: Providing library service to the GLBT patron. PNLA Quarterly, 69(4), 15-17.

Zieman, K. (2009). Youth Outreach Initiatives at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. Archivaria, (68), 311-317.

Libraries/Archives

• Gerber/Hart Library
• Wingspan Library
• CLGA – Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
• The One Institute
• Lesbian Herstory Archives
• June Mazer Lesbian Archives
• National Transgender Library and Archive
• LGBT Religious Archives Network
• The National Archive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender History
• Gay City Library
• Lesbian and Gay Archives and Libraries List (US) 

Public Library Programs/Outreach

• LGBT History at the Chicago Public Library 
• James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library
• LGBT@NYPL
• LGBT Community at the Pima County Library

Library Development Policies 

• Michigan State University
• New York University
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• ALA Policy 53.1.15 Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex, Gender, Identity, or Sexual Orientation
• ALA Policy 53.12  Threats to Library Materials Related to Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation
• ALA Policy 60.3  Combating Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination
• Collection Development Policies

University Study Guides

• Duke University
• University of Arizona
• UC Santa Barbara
• University of Louisville
• Princeton
• Yale

Library Sources

• Queering the Library
• LGBT Bookstores
• A Queer Perspective At Hack Library School
• Resources for Building A High School Library Program that Meets the Needs of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Students.
• Lavender Legacies Guide – Guide to Sources in North America
• ALA’s Outreach Services to LGBT People
• The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association (GLBTRT)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Health Science Librarians
• Classification Schemes for Lesbian/Gay Material
• Evaluating the Treatment of Gay Themes in Books for Children and Younger Adults
• GLBT Controlled Vocabularies and Classification Schemes

National Resources/Organizations

• ACLU
• Bisexual.org
• COLAGE
• CenterLink
• Deaf Queers
• GLAAD
• The Independent Gay Forum
• Just Say Yes
• The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
• LAMBDA
• Lambda Legal
• New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
• NGLTF
• PFLAG
• Queer Resources Directory
• Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)
• Conjure LGBT Link Directory
• Trans Youth Family Advocates
• National Transgender Advocacy Coalition
• TS Road Map
• National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
• National Minority AIDS Council
• National Center for Transgender Equality
• National Black Justice Coalition
• Out for Work
• Pride at Work
• Soulforce
• The Trevor Project
• Transgender Law Center
• The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association 
• Unity Coalition|Coalicion Unida
• Puerto Rico Para Tod@s *
• Immigration Equality
• Unid@s
• Center Link
• Bisexual Resource Center

International Resources/Organizations

• International Resource Network
• TransMentors International
• InterPride
• Planet Out
• Gayscape
• The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
• The International Lesbian and Gay Association
• International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Youth and Student Organization
• The International Federation of Black Prides
• GlobalGayz
• The International Foundation for Gender Education
• Listing of international LGBT organizations at Wikipedia
• Listing of international Transgender Organizations at Wikipedia.

• Queer Transmen
• J-Flag
• Salaam Canada
• Intersex Society of North America

*denotes a non-English resource.