LGBTQ+

Supporting LGBTQIA2S+ Teens & Allies (Part 3)

MEREDITH KOSTEK AT LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL, BOLEY LAW LIBRARY

Starting in February, Boley Law Library has been sponsoring student organizations/activities with virtual bookshelves and added information about the student organization. The virtual bookshelf is a simple libguide with a carousel of some of the books on our homepage (at the middle bottom).

This fairly simple project gives visibility to a student group, like OutLaw, and support for digging deeper into a subject. I’m happy to answer questions if there’s interest.

“OutLaw: Lewis & Clark OutLaw provides a forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning law students and their allies to meet, exchange ideas, share experiences, build community, and bring pertinent legal and political issues of the LGBTQ+ community to the L&C law campus via panels, social events, lectures, trainings, and forums. (Organization’s description)“

ERICKA BRUNSON AT DESCHUTES PUBLIC LIBRARY

Large events in Central Oregon this year are still virtual. At Deschutes Public Library, I created a resource list of links to booklists (for kids, teens and adults), local organizations, small events during Pride month, and partner information for the LGBTQIA+ communities and allies. It’s small (hopefully next year we can do more) but it’s something!

If you have any suggestions for additions, I would love to hear them.

MARILYN KEARNEY AT TILLAMOOK COUNTY LIBRARY

I’m the new teen librarian at Tillamook County Library, so I set up our first Pride display in years! I’m also working to increase the queer diversity of our collection, and, as an out nonbinary lesbian, I’m making them feel welcome just by being myself!

Supporting LGBTQIA2S+ Teens & Allies (Part 2)

JEAN GRITTER AT WEST ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY

I have been working hard at expanding LGBTQ representation in the West Albany High School Library collection. Our school Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) meets in the library (I am the advisor). This banner hangs behind the circulation desk, although I’m going to move it tomorrow to the PRIDE book display for the last couple weeks of school.

Supporting LGBTQIA2S+ Teens & Allies (Part 1)

SCOTT RICK AT SOUTH SALEM HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY

  • Hand out free queer memorabilia for pride month; rainbow stickers, pins, flags, etc…
  • Hang a progressive rainbow flag in your library year round.
  • Genrify your library and display the queer books section prominently.
  • Be bold in choosing books to display. In my high school library, for example, we always display Two Boys Kiss by David Levithan

KATIE ANDERSON AT WASHINGTON COUNTY COOPERATIVE LIBRARY SERVICES

As a County employee, I’m on the County’s LGBTQ+ Celebrations Committee. The celebration activities are primarily for employees, although some are open to the public. One activity is compiling resources and sharing them on our Intranet for all County employees.

I’m working with my colleagues in other County departments to create a series of resource lists, one of which is for LGBTQ+ families with tweens and teens. Some of my fellow committee members were pleasantly surprised to learn there are now sexual health and education books for children and teens that include all genders and sexual orientations as well as a few specifically for LGBTQ+ teens.

Creating Teen-Made Booklists

Guest writer: Danielle Jones

For the past six years, Portland Public Schools has hosted a summit for their schools Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA). and Straight and Gay Alliance (SAGA) groups. I have had the opportunity to attend most of these, and present a booktalking session with teen volunteers from my branch. After our first year presenting, we decided it would be great to curate a booklist to take to the event. One of the teens had the great idea to create multiple booklists, each focusing on a unique identity, and then we could print them in different colors to represent the rainbow flag.

We just presented our fourth iteration of the booklists, and each year, we hone our process on creating them. This is just one kind of content that the teens have created to have in the library. Having teen-created booklists facilitates a multitude of outcomes. I have often found that it is easier to sell a book to a teen if they know another teen recommends it, and staff at my branch have also appreciated having teen created book lists on hand when they are doing reader’s advisory for teens. For the teens creating the booklist, they get to create something for the community, get to be an expert, and learn collaboration skills.

Having teens create booklists for the library is a great way to get a new teen council or teen advisory group off the ground, as it can be a great icebreaker. It is also a way to get started in having other teen led activities at your library.

Our processes for our lists have varied, but generally there are three key components:

  • Brainstorming
  • Discussion
  • Ownership

Before brainstorming, we define our focus: what is our goal, who is the list for, and how will the list be used after we complete it. Then we do a wild brainstorm. Often teens will be googling other lists for inspiration. We know we might not use every title that gets mentioned, but it is good to have more content than not enough. For our LGBTQIAP lists, we have master lists of titles that would fit into different identities, and we move onto the next section – discussion.

During discussion, we have a variety of conversations. These have ranged from the importance of diversity, and how to prioritize titles that explore intersectionality to looking at problematic books, and how some titles haven’t aged well. Sometimes we have done this as a large group discussion, and sometimes they have broken up to groups. For each of the LGBTQIAP lists, if they have broken up into groups, there is importance placed on someone that identifies as one of the list’s focus is part of the group. They have been having great discussions to also try to have a variety of genres and formats for each list.

Keeping this as teen led is also important. Let them own the list and the process as much as possible. I am there as a gentle guide, but even more so as their secretary. It will often be on me to take the lists that they create to get published, so I need to confirm their selections and reasonings.

Here are this year’s LGBTQIAP book lists for teens. Please feel free to share, or inspire your library’s teens to create their own!

 

Danielle Jones is a Teen and Youth Librarian at Multnomah County Library’s Hollywood Branch.

2019 LGBTQIAP Booklists

The Teen Council at Multnomah County Library’s Hollywood Branch updated their LGBTQIAP booklists. These lists are created by teens and for teens, with one list for tweens.

Lesbian Characters in YA Books

Gay Characters YA Books

Bisexual Characters in YA Books

Transgender, Non-binary, and Genderqueer Characters in YA Books

Queer Anthologies and Nonfiction YA Books

Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Demisexual, or Pansexual Characters in YA Books

LGBTQ Characters/Families in Tween Books