IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner shows a world map indicating the 140 countries that have so far participated in Global Vision Discussions.

Emphasis on Inclusion: Day Two of IFLA WLIC

August 22, 2017

The theme of inclusion was pervasive on the second day of the conference, with presenters sharing research and case studies framing ways that library professionals can improve access to information, services, and safe spaces—especially for marginalized users, including indigenous populations, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. Cataloging key to access For many, inclusion starts … Continue reading Emphasis on Inclusion: Day Two of IFLA WLIC


The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Welcoming Schools and the National Education Association organized national I Am Jazz school and community readings in May. Photo: Human Rights Campaign

Standing Up for Our Communities

June 21, 2017

Underserved communities need libraries now more than ever, and among the most vulnerable communities are youth who identify as LGBTQ+. Unfortunately, library services to this group are, at the moment, “woefully inadequate,” despite the social and legal progress the community has made over the past several years. Yet libraries must take on and live up … Continue reading Standing Up for Our Communities


Primary Sources for Pride Month

June 13, 2017

Gale’s Archives of Sexuality & Gender, the largest collection of resources available to support the study of gender and sexuality, was introduced to address this dearth of information. LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Part II expands the breadth of unique, fully searchable primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues—and provides extensive coverage of underrepresented LGBTQ … Continue reading Primary Sources for Pride Month


Megan Roberts

Inclusive Storytimes

June 1, 2017

The month of June, which is both Pride Month and the American Library Association’s (ALA) GLBT Book Month, is a perfect time to celebrate the voices and experiences of the LGBTQ community. I founded Family Storytime at the LGBT Center of Raleigh (N.C.) Library with Director Erin Iannacchione in 2012, after noticing there were few … Continue reading Inclusive Storytimes


ALA logo

ALA Protests Rollback of Transgender Protections

February 24, 2017

Today American Library Association (ALA) President Julie B. Todaro released the following statement strongly protesting the rollback of protections for transgender students in our nation’s public schools. “ALA, its members, all librarians, and library professionals are committed to diversity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect for all human beings, and we will work tirelessly to ensure full … Continue reading ALA Protests Rollback of Transgender Protections



ALSC National Institute cancelled

ALSC Board Votes to Cancel National Institute in Charlotte

April 18, 2016

The cancellation is a response to the passage last month of North Carolina’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (House Bill 2), which repealed all LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances across the state. The law contradicts the core values, purpose, and diversity work of ALSC and undermines civil rights and the fundamental principles upon which libraries are founded. … Continue reading ALSC Board Votes to Cancel National Institute in Charlotte


2015 Year in Review

2015: Year in Review

January 4, 2016

  Librarian of Congress Moves On James H. Billington (left) retired as Librarian of Congress after 28 years. During his tenure, LC launched the National Digital Library and National Book Festival, among other accomplishments. Billington’s decision came after the Government Accountability Office issued a report identifying weaknesses in LC’s information technology planning.       … Continue reading 2015: Year in Review


Portland (Oreg.) Community College includes single-stall gender-neutral restrooms in all of its libraries and new campus buildings.

Libraries Create Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

October 30, 2015

“When we have restrooms that are segregated according to gender, some customers may feel uncomfortable using them because other people may not perceive that they’re allowed to use that restroom,” says Peter Coyl, a district manager at Dallas Public Library and chair of ALA’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. “It can make using … Continue reading Libraries Create Gender-Neutral Bathrooms


Counterclockwise from top right: Keith Lu, bookmobile driver and library tech, waves a rainbow flag from the SFPL bookmobile; collections management assistant Alan Wong (center) and collections librarian Erin Dubois (right) strike a pose while waiting for the parade to begin; adult services librarian and bookmobile librarian Connie Porciuncula wears a pink wig in front of the TechMobile; Annemarie Dompe, student at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, holds a sign for Radclyffe Hall’s 1928 book The Well of Loneliness in front of the bookmobile; SFPL city librarian Luis Herrera rides a balloon-covered bike, and SFPL deputy city librarian Michael Lambert rides a skateboard ahead of SFPL’s marchers. (Photos: San Francisco Public Library)

Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride

July 14, 2015

Counterclockwise from top right: Keith Lu, bookmobile driver and library tech, waves a rainbow flag from the SFPL bookmobile; collections management assistant Alan Wong (center) and collections librarian Erin Dubois (right) strike a pose while waiting for the parade to begin; adult services librarian and bookmobile librarian Connie Porciuncula wears a pink wig in front … Continue reading Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride


Roberta Kaplan

Roberta Kaplan Opens ALA Annual with Celebration of Pride

June 27, 2015

Kaplan, a litigator and partner with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison, and an adjunct professor of law at Columbia University School of Law, rose to prominence with the 2013 case United States v. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court ruled Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. In an exclusive interview with … Continue reading Roberta Kaplan Opens ALA Annual with Celebration of Pride


By Ann K. Symons and John "Mack" Freeman

Serving Everyone

June 24, 2015

LGBT librarians and the LGBT community are not responsible for making excellent library services happen. It is the responsibility of all of us who hold strong the values of librarianship: access, equity, intellectual freedom, and diversity. LGBT patrons and their allies want their privacy protected from prying eyes (which libraries already do well); the ability … Continue reading Serving Everyone