LGBT
Genre Collection in a Public Library
Introduction
In
the most recent years there has been an influx of patrons going into libraries and
calling libraries requesting LGBT titles. Yet there are still many libraries
not been able to fulfill the requests of the patrons due to the lack of
materials in their collections. A public library is open to all race, creed or
color; no matter what their choice of religion or life style. Therefore the
library should - no must - have available materials that will satisfy the needs
of all people from all walks of life. It becomes incumbent of the library’s
professional staff to perform their duty as “advocates” of their various and
diverse communities to see that the needs of all of their patrons are met. It
is also crucial that libraries promote and materials and educate staff to be
aware of resources, vendors and bibliographies available to conduct efficient
RA services. This paper will discuss a brief time line of LGBT history, give
suggestions to promote and offer list of bibliographies, resources, and vendors.
Time line
Advocates of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender (LGBT) literature began promoting the need for a larger
representation of materials to be in the library in 1969. American Library
Association formed the Task Force on Gay Liberation in 1970 now known as GLBT
Round table and is the oldest LGBT professional organizations in the U.S. Not
agreeing with the then current classification of books about gay liberation
movement at Library of Congress they lobbied for the reclassification to be
Homosexuality Lesbianism-Gay Liberation Movement, Homophile Movement instead of
Abnormal Sexual Relations Including Sexual Crimes. This was done in 1972. Some
years later in 1981 Sanford Berman wrote a book “The Joy of cataloging” which
discussed accessing gay and lesbian books and information. In 1988 the Task
Force on Gay Liberation released the International thesaurus of gay and lesbian
index terms. The goal of this index was to establish standardized terms that
could be used when cataloging LGBT materials. It also made Library of Congress
Subject Headings more user friendly when being used by someone cataloging or
archiving LGBT materials. Now LGBT materials are closer to being made visible
and accessible in the library. In 1990 the first collection of Essays discussing
the needs of LGBT patrons, collection development, censorship, LC subject
heading, library exhibits and many more helpful things was published by Ellen
Greenblatt and Cal Gough; Gay and Lesbian library services (9780899505350). An
updated version entitled Serving LGBTIQ library and archives users: Essays on
outreach, service collection and access (9780786448944) was published in 2010.
The updated version offers information and discussion about Dewey Decimal
Classification of LGBTIQ, collection assessment and development, and needed
library services to be provided. In 2007 The Rainbow Project Task Force was
formed, also through ALA to promote LGBTIQ materials among juvenile and young
adult literature with library collections. In 2010 Over the Rainbow Committee
was formed by the GLBT Round Table. They create bibliographies for adults on an
annual basis to assist libraries in the selection of LGBT materials that will
be suitable for their library.
This time line offers a brief look
at how LGBT began to surface as literature, as a collection, as a genre in the
public library. It know needs a chance to be as inclusive as all other
collections/genres.
Promoting
Lesbian,
Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender literature has always been and to some degree
still is a hidden or non-existent collection/subject area or genre in the
public library. Very few libraries promotes LGBT materials as it should be done
due to intellection freedom and the ALA Library bill of rights. Although some library
administration, staff and patrons my still become offended and have their own
personal feelings about materials being displayed and available in the library;
the LGBT community and those outside the community have the right to have
available and accessible to them books, materials, and information that they
desire to read. It should also be known to the patrons through proper promotion
and advertisement that the library has a LGBT collection and kindly willing to
assist you in acquiring the materials needed and wanted. There are several was
of assuring this. Below are a few suggestion:
·
Libraries
should have displays that includes books, pathfinders and/or book list,
annotated bibliographies and book marks with hot pick of the month. This should
be a permanent display and all books and information should be kept up to date.
·
Library
web sites are always great areas for promoting collections, materials and
programs. An LGBT blog would offer visualization. It could include a book of
the week. The blog would also allow patrons feedback and suggestions.
·
Create
genre book clubs and have one for LGBT community.
·
Many
libraries offer programs for the different National holidays and ethnic
celebrations. In the same manner as those celebrations are done some could be
done to recognize Gay Pride month.
These are some suggestions that will
bring some attention to this hidden collection/genre.
Resources
Listed below are links
to different resources and bibliographies that are updated frequently and made
available for review and use to aid in building LGBT collections, creating and
updating bibliographies, suggested reading list and pathfinders or used for a
simple RA.
Bibliographies
GLBT News
GLBT News is the official
news outlet for the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Round Table of the American
Library Association.
GLBT
Reviews
GLBT Reviews are book and
media reviews from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table
(GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA). Our reviews are first
published in the GLBTRT Newsletter,
a quarterly publication of the GLBTRT. Each issue includes 15 to 20 reviews.
The reviews cover GLBT-themed fiction and nonfiction material for children,
young adults, and adults in a variety of genres and formats including: books,
films, comics, music, and websites.
GLBT
Religion & Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography
GLBT Religion &
Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography: 1950–2000
GLBT Religion &
Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography: 2001–2005
GLBT Religion &
Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography: 2006–2010
GLBT Religion &
Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography: 1950–2000
Resources
Over the Rainbow Books -
LGBT Books for Adult Readers
A Book List from Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library
Association
Final Bibliographies -
2014 Over the Rainbow List: 71 LGBT Books for Adult Readers
Rainbow Lists -
http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/rainbow-books-lists
The Rainbow Book List is
released every January. Books on the list are published within the assigned
calendar year or between July 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year.
Stonewall Book Awards
List 1971 – 2014
The first and most
enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the
American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round
Table. Since Isabel Miller's Patience and Sarah received the first award in
1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the
gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Vendors / Publishers
Lambda Literary
Lambda Literary believes
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer literature is fundamental to the
preservation of our culture, and that LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories
are written, published and read.
Lori L. Lake
Lori (at) LoriLLake (dot)
com
Publishing Links: Books,
E-Books, Print Journals, E-Journals
The list only includes
resources for which there is a web presence and its split into major
categories: e-books, print books, print journals, and e-journals. It indicate
which audience(s) each tends to publish. [G = gay, L =
lesbian, T = transgender/transexual, B =
bisexual, O = non-GLBT]
Publishers Archive – Directory of
book publishers
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender Book Publishers
Listing of
book publishers that publish gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender books.
Torquere Press Inc.
The mission of Torquere
Press was, and is, to provide readers who love a good story with great books,
and to promote gay and lesbian romance as a genre to be reckoned with. Torquere
Press has always been about the readers of LGBT romance, providing those
readers with great stories about men and women who truly care about each other.
The catalog has grown from those first five books released in September 2003 to
approximately two thousand titles and nearly two hundred authors.
Conclusion
LGBT is not only read
by the LGBT community. There are several people that enjoy the casual reading
of different genres. Therefore it is important that access to all genres are
made available. The library should not endorse particular
beliefs or views, nor the selection of any given book or other material
equivalent to endorsement of the viewpoint of the author expressed therein.
Within the frame work of the Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to read
Statement adopted by the American Library Association, it does provide
materials representing all approaches to public issues of a controversial
nature. Providing resources which allow patrons to freely examine many points
of view and make his own decisions and form its own opinion is one of the
indispensable purposes of the library.
References
Freedom to Read. (1997-2014). Retrieved from American Library Association:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomreadstatement
Freedom to view. (1997-2014). Retrieved from American Library Association.
Libraries and the LGBTQ community. (2015, March 4). In
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:24, March 6, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Libraries_and_the_LGBTQ_community&oldid=649901493
Library Bill of Rights. (1997-2014). Retrieved from American Library Association:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
