Hearing and being heard: LGBTQIA+ cross-disciplinary collection development

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share how informal cross-disciplinary outreach methods can increase the development, awareness, investment and circulation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) collection in an academic library. The authors believe the methods shown here may be used to develop any collection, as well as increase awareness and use of a collection. Design/methodology/approach Through five different low-stakes outreach strategies, the authors connected directly with campus faculty and students across disciplines to ask for suggested items to develop an endowed LGBTQIA+ collection. Outreach was performed via email to faculty and student clubs, and by attending campus facilities, events and committees. Assessment reviewed the collection’s item count and circulation reports before and after outreach. Findings Purchasing items to develop a collection does not always need to be the result of one librarian’s research. Engaging the campus community in the expansion of the endowed LGBTQIA+ collection resulted in substantial growth of items in the collection, as well as substantial growth in the collection’s circulation. Involving faculty and students from multiple disciplines in the suggestion process is one way to build and ensure a collection is relevant to a variety of interests, with an added result of increased circulation. Originality/value This approach is a unique example of how to use low-stakes engagement to discover items to purchase for a large endowment while increasing interest and circulation of the collection. The case study also explores how to embark on collection development in ways that effectively and sustainably reach beyond one academic discipline. Yet, the authors believe this study’s examples could also be used successfully within a single discipline.

Diversifying STEM Collections: Where We are Now and Future Considerations

“…For example, there have been articles about how library workers have assessed the diversity of authors in architecture trade publications and play script collections (Mathews, 2022;Stone, 2020). Other audits focus on diversity of content, such as Asian American law collections or LGBTQIA+ collections (Cheney et al, 2022;Pavenick & Martinez, 2021;Proctor, 2020). Another approach used by librarians to diversify the content of their collections is to seek out books that have won diversity-related awards (Kristick, 2020;Monroe-Gulick & Morris, 2023;Proctor, 2020).…”

New horizons for academic library collection development: Creating a community curated collection through student empowerment

“…Very little room is left for student input and needs. Yet from the literature, we can see this paradigm shifting to focus on active student engagement and success through collection development (Ayton and Capraro 2021;Pavenick and Martinez 2022).…”

“What is a wave but 1000 drops working together?”: The role of public libraries in addressing LGBTQIA+ health information disparities

“…Public libraries serve as contested sites for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) [1] individuals due to larger sociopolitical forces that limit their ability to provide affirming resources and services. Examples include political figures attempting to ban and criminalize drag story times (Floegel et al , 2020; Rojas et al , 2023; Wexelbaum, 2016), backlash by conservative organizations against libraries engaging in explicitly pro-LGBTQIA+ events (Jaeger et al , 2022; Ellis, 2022) and book bans that pathologize LGBTQIA+-themed books and materials as obscene (Pavenick and Martinez, 2022). Unfortunately, these forces can lead to exclusionary practices that create barriers to community engagement within library walls.…”

“…LGBTQIAþ-themed books and materials as obscene (Pavenick and Martinez, 2022). Unfortunately, these forces can lead to exclusionary practices that create barriers to community engagement within library walls.…”