Alvin M. Schrader

Challenging Silence, Challenging Censorship, Building Resilience: LGBTQ Services and Collections in Public, School, and Post-Secondary Libraries

How effectively are librarians in public, school, and academic libraries serving sexual minority communities, allies, and queer-positive people everywhere? What are our social responsibilities and legal obligations to library users who identify as LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, trans-identified, two-spirited, and queer or questioning individuals? Are there different mandates among the three publicly-funded library sectors? This presentation explores library policy issues surrounding services and access to print and Web resources for and about LGBTQ Canadians, especially Canadian youth with limited resources, and particularly those in rural areas and smaller urban centres. It also identifies some of the myths, stereotypes, and barriers to inclusive collections, and raises questions about what happens to Web access to information about sexual minorities when commercial filters are installed in libraries.