Topic Selection
Throughout history, libraries have had an impact on culture and society. As they've developed, they have served to bring equity to many cultures. In the United States in the 1960's the American Library Association formed a unit to officially deal with social issues within the library world, called the Social Responsibilities Round Table. One of the earliest issues that the SRRT took on was fighting discrimination against the homosexual community. The history and development of services and collections for and library involvement in the GLBTQ community is an important aspect of library history and an example of the role libraries play in society and how that role evolves over time.
Problem Statement or Research Questions
On this website I aim to answer the following research questions.
- What were some of the establishing events in the libraries history with the GLBTQ rights movement?
- How have libraries roles in the GLBTQ community evolved over time?
- How do library events align with other events in the GLBTQ rights movement?
- What is the current status and potential future of the library in the GLBTQ community?
Need for Study
In my initial research I found limited information on the role libraries have played in the GLBTQ rights movement despite a few strong appearances in the early 1970s. More recent articles frequently focus on collection development for teens, a big leap from the early days of the GLBTQ rights movement. I feel it is important to explore the timeline of events that have brought us to where we are today, as well as to consider where things may go in the future.
Strengths and Limitations of Approach
One strength of this project is that the GLBTQ movement as we know it is fairly recent, so information should be more readily available, including primary resources. Photographs, videos, and first hand accounts are realistic sources to expect. There are limitations, however, in that the field of study is quite narrow and sources seem to be scarce because of this. Hopefully this website will help to identify resources for others in the future.
Process
The process for creating this website consisted of the following:
- Investigation of primary sources, including photos and first hand accounts
- Research of library specific secondary sources, including journal and magazine articles
- Comparison to other non-library specific sources relevant to the GLBTQ rights movement