LGBTQIA-R: Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Medical Collection at a Public Metropolitan University

Abstract

Information about the LGBTQIA population is difficult to collect because of the sensitive nature of the topic of sexual preference and gender identity. This paper examines our weeding project and collection development efforts to provide health care information for the LGBTQIA community at a Midwestern metropolitan university. The findings conclude that our collection was not providing sufficient, up-to-date health information for the personal and professional information needs of our patrons in the R-RZ Library of Congress range. The weeding process, strategies for working with department faculty, and the implications for an intersectional medical collection are discussed.

Developing a collection around transgender life-writing at Senate House Library, University of London

“…Another way to extend the project would have been to include an analysis of the library’s existing collections on the topic and a weeding project. Discussing their weeding project, Blackburn and Farooq explain how they “pulled titles that used derogatory language by today’s standards to be reviewed by faculty” (Blackburn and Farooq, 2019). A similar approach, which would have included consultation with faculty and staff, would have been valuable in updating the research collection.…”

“…Heidi Blackburn and Omer Farooq have detailed “a weeding project and collection development efforts to provide health care information for the LGBTQIA community at a Midwestern metropolitan university” (Blackburn and Farooq, 2019). They suggest that libraries may contain little material on these topics, as they have historically been censored due to an attempt to remain “neutral”.…”