Scope
Although we assume that almost every repository in North America has some lesbian
and gay material, this guide describes significant collections, as well as repositories
that focus exclusively on collecting LBGT material. For the purposes of the
survey, the term "significant" refers to collections containing significant
LBGT subject content, not just the papers of an individual who is known to be
gay. This information was included in the letter ( Appendix
A ) that accompanied the survey. Respondents were left to judge the significance
of their own collections; we provided no further guidance.
The LAGAR Directory Committee limited the survey to non-circulating
collections. Most of the entries relate only to unique, primary source
materials (i.e. original documents including letters, minutes, journals,
photographs, etc., from individuals and organizations). Collections of
ephemera (flyers, posters, and objects generally not created for a long
life) and substantive non-circulating book collections were also included.
The 56 repositories listed in this directory include community-based
and state historical societies, religious archives, college and university
libraries, and public libraries. Some of the repositories focus solely
on collecting LBGT materials; for others this is only one facet of a much
broader collecting policy. Some of the repositories have extensive facilities
and services, while others are quite small and may not have research rooms
or copying facilities. In order to be included in the guide, however, there
must be provisions for researcher access. Collections that are known to
exist but are inaccessible to researchers are not included.
Considerable effort has been made to assure the accuracy and completeness
of each repository entry. Because the data is subject to change and many
repositories operate on volunteer help or small staffs, please call or
write before visiting to verify hours and the availability of collections.
When writing or calling with a reference inquiry, please give the repository
as much lead time as possible.
Methodology
In the spring of 1996, the LAGAR Directory Committee members made introductory
telephone calls to each repository that appeared on a preliminary list. During
that summer and fall, project members sent a survey (see Appendix
A ) to each of approximately 140 repositories that still existed and continued
to hold or collect LBGT materials. During the spring of 1997, we entered records
into a database and followed up with those repositories that did not return
the initial survey. Repositories that were defunct, or that did not respond
to the survey or follow-up phone calls are not included in the guide. Based
upon the response to our survey, those repositories that did not fall within
the scope of the guide as outlined above were omitted.
Arrangement
Entries in the guide are arranged geographically, first by country
and then alphabetically by province or state. Within a given state or province,
entries are arranged alphabetically by institution name. Each entry begins
with basic information about the repository, including location, mailing
address, contact information, internet addresses/URLs, hours of operation,
and wheelchair accessibility. This general information is followed by a
brief history of the repository and information about its LBGT holdings.
Because survey respondents were given the option of summarizing or
itemizing collections, the guide uses two different formats for displaying
collection information. The "Information about Holdings" section contains
data about the size of a repository's holdings, listed by type of material
(manuscripts, organizational records, ephemera, etc.). Within each category
the amount of LBGT material is noted, either in number of items or in the
number of linear feet of shelf space it fills (abbreviated simply as "ft.").
These quantities are followed by specific information under the headings
"Time periods/geographical regions documented" and "Significant people/organizations/subjects
documented." Some repositories elected to provide a "Holdings Summary"
instead of using the categories just described. This summary consists of
a few paragraphs that outline the repository's LBGT holdings and include
information about the amount, time periods and topics covered, and significant
people documented by LBGT material in the listed collections.
The survey asked whether organizations were willing and able to accept
curatorial responsibility for additional materials. For those that answered
in the affirmative, the guide contains a "collecting interests" section
with information about the repository's collecting policies or goals. Under
"Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions," some repositories noted
they put "MARC" records in databases. MARC is the name of a database record
format that is used by national and international online catalogs such
as OCLC (Online Computer Library Catalog), which is available at many public
libraries, and RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network), which is
available in many university libraries. Other repositories noted they describe
their holdings in NUCMC (the National Union Catalog for Manuscript Collections),
which is available at many libraries. New NUCMC descriptions appear on
the web ( http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
). Finally, each LAGAR guide entry includes sections detailing use requirements,
services available, and how news about holdings is announced.
In the event that a repository left a survey question blank and follow-up
calls to the repository were unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary information,
the corresponding section in repository's guide entry was omitted. Thus,
the lack of a particular section in an entry, such as "services," may indicate
that a repository does not offer any services, or it may indicate that
the repository did not respond to that survey question.
In a few cases, supplementary information was added by a LAGAR member.
These comments appear in the text within square brackets. We made no attempt
to standardize the terms repositories used to label LBGT material.
Updates
This guide represents only a small portion of the documentary resources in repositories
that document LBGT communities in North America. LAGAR's intention is to update
this guide as the need arises when additional resources become available or
are reported to us. We hope that the publication of this guide in printed and
online versions creates an opportunity to develop an improved guide for the
future. Please send new and updated information to LAGAR, c/o Human Sexuality
Collection, RMC, 2B Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5302.
In addition, check the LAGAR web site, available via the SAA home page under
"units" or "sections and roundtables," for the online guide and additional information
( http://www.archivists.org ).
History and Acknowledgments
The compilation of this guide was aided by several earlier attempts to collect
data about LBGT collections. Elizabeth Knowlton's groundbreaking survey, reported
in her article "Documenting the Gay Rights Movement" (Provenance, Society of
Georgia Archivists, v. 5, no. 1, 1987), was the first serious effort to locate
resources in mainstream archives and publicize them. The International Association
of Lesbian and Gay Archives and Libraries (IALGAL) produced a list in 1987 that
included many of the community-run lesbian and gay history projects. Since numerous
community-organized initiatives to preserve lesbian and gay history were short-lived
or changed addresses, just keeping track of them continues to be a challenge.
In recent years, a number of individuals and organizations have mounted lists
of LBGT archives on the web and have attempted to keep the contact information
current. 3
The directory project was suggested at the first informal meeting of
the Roundtable in Atlanta in 1988. Its successful completion is truly a
credit to the creativity and tenacity of many individuals. The LAGAR Directory
Committee would first like to thank long-time LAGAR member Douglas Haller
for his solitary effort in keeping the informal list updated and available
to the committee. This document served as a crucial foundation for the
project. A number of other LAGAR members and LAGAR co-chairs contributed
their energies and leadership over time. Those people include: Steven Wheeler,
Deborah Shelby, Stephen Nonack, Scott Andrew Bartley, Brenda Marston, Brent
Sverdloff, Mark Martin, and Paula Jabloner. We appreciate both the form
and focus that Brenda Marston, LAGAR Co-Chair 1991-1995, gave us. She organized
a strategy session in 1994 that resulted in LAGAR mobilizing to work on
the directory as our first priority, and she formed the committee structure
that contributed to our successful completion of the project. Our sincere
thanks to Kim Brookes who took up the reins as Directory Committee chair
in 1996. She created the database for entering survey results, kept track
of the project overall, and masterfully kept the committee members, from
Boston to Honolulu, focused on our tasks. We must also tip our hats to
electronic mail, whose widespread use greatly facilitated collaborative
work among the members spread so far apart.
This guide is being distributed thanks to the administrative support
of the Society of American Archivists. We would like to thank the following
institutions for production support: Cornell University (Rare and Manuscript
Collections, and the LBG Studies Program), the Gay and Lesbian Historical
Society of Northern California, Salem State College (Massachusetts), and
T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library Archives. We greatly appreciate their support
of our work to bring LBGT historical sources to the attention of a wide
audience. We extend our thanks to Jeff Sitzlar for designing the cover
for this guide.
Finally, we thank all the archivists and activists involved in preserving
the documents of LBGT history. Too many LBGT people have been separated
from their history. Too many graduate students have been discouraged by
advisors saying there are not adequate sources for the study of LBGT history.
Too many histories written have been incomplete, missing the perspective
that could have been offered by the sources described in this guide. Our
deepest thanks go to all the people who have played a role in preserving
our rich and varied lavender legacies
Members of the Directory Committee, 1996-1998
Kim Brookes, Scott Andrew Bartley, Mimi Bowling, James Cartwright,
John Paul Deley, Susan Edwards, Paula Jabloner, Brenda Marston,
Mark Martin, Stephen Novack, Nancy Richard,
Susan von Salis, Rich Wandel
1 The abbreviation LBGT is used as an inclusive term meaning lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgendered and others who breach socially sanctioned boundaries of gender or sexuality. Our historical concern embraces bisexuality, cross-dressing, transsexuality, homosexuality, and other such sexual and affectional interests, whether self-identified or not. We expect lesbians and gay men to continue their long tradition of self-labeling, and we are and will be interested in the history of bulldykes, queens, gay women, lesbian feminists, faeries, queers, and people with identities we have not heard of yet.
2 LAGAR was formed in 1989 by Society of American Archivists members concerned about the recovery, preservation, and understanding of the history of lesbians, gay men, and their institutions.
3 As of March 1999, several sites that do this are:
Lesbian History Project (http://www-lib.usc.edu/~retter/main.html
); and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (http://www.clga.ca/archives
).
Public Archives of Nova
Scotia
Location: 6016 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3H 1W4
Phone: (902) 424-6060 Fax: (902) 424-0628
Contact: Lois K. Yorke, Head Mss. Division
Hours: Tue, Thu, Fri: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm; Wed: 8:30 am - 9:30
pm; Sat: 9 am-5 pm; Sun: 1-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Established by Provincial statute in 1989; intermittent collecting
from earlier years.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Nova Scotia, 1970 to present.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE), Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA); Gaiezette
Newspaper.
Collecting interests
All media (except three-dimensional) concerning organizations or individuals
related to Nova Scotia.
Use requirements
Open, except for holdings governed by Freedom of Information/Protection
of Privacy Legislation.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, and telephone reference.
Other services/notes:
Written inquiry service.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
In-house catalogs and finding aids.
News about collections
Annual report includes news of acquisitions.
Archives Gaies du Quebec
Location: 4067 boul. St-Laurent, suite 202
Montreal, QC H2W 1Y7
Address: C.P. 395, succursale Place du Parc
Montreal, QC H2W 2N9
Phone: (514) 287-9987
Contact: J. Prince
Email: c2220@er.ugam.ca
Internet address: http://www.cglbrd.com/entries/215.html
Hours: Thu: 7:30-9:30 pm and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
AGQ was founded in 1983 by Ross Higgins and Jacques Prince. The aims
of the AGQ are to conserve, process and provide access to documents related
to homosexuality and sexuality in general. While our collections are world-wide
in scope, our primary focus is on material concerning lesbians and gays
in Quebec. It is not associated with any other institution or organization.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 25+ collections
Organizational records: 15+ collections
Printed material: 600 books; 1000 periodical titles (300 ft.)
Clippings/vertical files: 8 ft. (500 vertical files)
Objects/ephemera: ca.500 items
Film/Video/Sound: 60 8 mm films, 30 videos, 200 sound tapes
Photographs: 40,000
Other holdings/notes: 2000 posters
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Quebec and world wide since 1869, but the overwhelming majority of
the collection is post-WW II.
Collecting interests
In any time period concerning queer history of Quebec. Kinds of materials:
books, news clippings, magazine articles, periodicals, newsletters, pamphlets,
flyers, etc.; archives of gay groups (minutes and other internal documents)
and personal papers (student papers, literary drafts, correspondence, etc.);
photographs, posters, drawings, films, videos, audio tapes, and records;
buttons, match-book covers, banners, T-shirts, etc.
Use requirements
Anyone may view the collection during our open hours.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements
for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
There are copying services near by.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are finding aids to some of the manuscript and photo collections.
We have notebooks with written descriptions of our periodical holdings.
There is a guide to the collections in progress.
News about collections
There is an annual newsletter.
Saskatchewan Archives Board, Saskatoon
Location: Rm. 91, Murray Building
University of Saskatchewan
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4 Canada
Phone: (306) 933-5832 Fax: (306) 933-7305
Contact: Nadine Small
Internet address: http://www.gov.sk.ca/govt/archives/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10 am -5 pm; reference retrieval hours: 10 am
- 12 pm, 1-4 pm.
Wheelchair Access: Call ahead
History
The archives of the Province of Saskatchewan.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Other holdings/notes: 13 meters
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Saskatchewan, 1964 to present.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Early gay rights activity in Saskatchewan is documented in the papers
of Doug Wilson and of Neil Richards.
Collecting interests
All materials that have historical significance that we can care for
properly pertaining to LGBT people in Saskatchewan.
Use requirements
Open to all subject to access restriction on individual collections.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids available; copies available on request.
News about collections
New releases sent out for large accruals, but not on a regular basis.
AIDS History Project
Location: University of California San Francisco Library
and Center for Knowledge Management
Archives and Special Collections
AIDS History Project
530 Parnassus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94123-0840
Phone: (415) 476-8112
Contact: Robin Chandler, Head of Archives and Special Collections
Email: chandler@library.ucsf.edu
Internet address: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/sc/index.html
Hours: Tue-Wed, by appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The AIDS History Project (AHP) is a collaboration of historians, archivists,
AIDS activists, and others, to preserve the history of the AIDS epidemic
in San Francisco. The current phase is sponsored by the University of California,
Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections.
Cooperating partners in the project include the San Francisco Public Library
and the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California. These
institutions, along with UCSF, will preserve and maintain the materials
collected as a result of this phase of the project.
The primary objective of this phase of the AIDS History Project is
to secure documentation of the response to the AIDS crisis in the city
of San Francisco during the first thirteen years, particularly the development
and effect of community based organizations and activist coalitions. It
is our intent to acquire, arrange, and describe the most fertile and most
vulnerable records from these agencies, and deposit them in local cooperating
repositories open to all researchers. In addition, AHP encourages preservation
of records that cannot be accessioned during the project's lifetime.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: 132.5 cubic ft. including items marked above.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The AIDS History Project spans the first 13 years of the AIDS epidemic,
ca.1981-1994, within the San Francisco Bay Area.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Organizations: San Francisco Department of Public Health, AIDS Office
(at SFPL), AIDS Treatment News, AIDS Service Providers Association, Bay
Area HIV Support & Education Services, GAPA Community HIV Project,
Healing Alternatives Foundation, Mobilization Against AIDS, Multicultural
Training Resource Center, National Lawyers Guild, National Task Force on
AIDS Prevention, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco General Hospital
AIDS Program, Third World AIDS Advisory Task Force, Women's AIDS Network,
AIDS/ARC Vigil Records (at GLHS), AIDS Healing Alliance (at GLHS), and
ACT-UP San Francisco (at GLHS).
Individuals (indirectly documented): Sandra Hernandez, M.D.; Paul Volberding,
M.D.; Constance Woofsy, M.D.; and John Ziegler, M. D.
Collecting interests
Additional phases of the AIDS History Project are currently being considered.
A natural area in which the AIDS History Project could expand is documentation
of the community research effort.
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Comments about access/use:
Certain categories of documentation carry restrictions on access. Certain
researchers are required to pay reading room and other fees.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan
agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Special services associated with the reproduction and use of rare and
unique materials.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids exist for all of the AIDS History Project Collections
and are available in the department and online through our web site. MARC
records available in the UCSF catalog and MELVYL (UC system-wide catalog).
News about collections
Collection updates will be available on the web site.
The Bisexual Archives
Address: c/o Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of San Diego
P.O. Box 40389
San Diego, CA 92164
Phone: (619) 260-1522 Fax: (619) 260-1522
Contact: Sharon Parker, Board President; Dennis Fiordaliso,
Board Treasurer
Internet address: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~clgoyne/lghssd/bisexualarch.html
Hours: Sun: 11 am - 3 pm, and by appointment. Closed holiday
weekends.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded by Fritz Klein and Regina Reinhardt in 1996, the Bisexual Archives
is housed and mentored by the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San
Diego.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 2 ft.
Organizational records: 1 ft.
Printed material: 5 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 1 ft.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Regina Reinhardt (Collection #96-1), Fritz Klein (Collection #96-2).
Collecting interests
Any period or region.
Use requirements
Unrestricted.
Services
Research space, copying, and audiovisual facilities.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There is a collection list.
News about collections
Newsletter of the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San Diego.
California State University, Northridge
Location: Special Collections/Archives
University Library
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Phone: (818) 677-2597 Fax: (818) 677-2676
Contact: Tony Gardner
Email: tony.gardner@csun.edu
Internet address: http://library.csun.edu/spcoll/bullough.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 4:30 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Human Sexuality Collection was established in 1973 with the acquisition
of the Vern and Bonnie Bullough Collection on Human Sexuality by the University
Library. It supports the research and instructional interests of students
and faculty and the activities of the Center for Sex Research on campus.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 500 titles
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
All time periods and geographical regions.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Periodicals from the 1960s and 1970s.
Collecting interests
For all subject areas, time periods, and geographical areas for printed
and manuscript materials.
Use requirements
Processed and cataloged material open to all researchers.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All processed materials are cataloged online through OCLC.
Gay and Lesbian Historical Society
of Northern California
Location: 973 Market St. #400
San Francisco, CA 94103
Address: P.O. Box 424280
San Francisco, CA 94142
Phone: (415) 777-5455 Fax: (415) 777-5576
Contact: Archivist: Willie Walker
Email: GLHSNC@aol.com
Internet address: http://www.glhs.org/glhsothr.htm
Hours: Sat, Sun: 2-5 pm, and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
GLHS was founded in 1985 by members of the San Francisco Lesbian and
Gay History Project. GLHS was founded by historians, librarians and others
interested in preserving the SF queer history that no one was collecting
at the time. A limited number of processed manuscript collections are on
deposit at the San Francisco Public Library to allow greater researcher
access.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 80+ collections
Organizational records: 40+ collections
Printed material: 150 volumes (reference only); 2,300 periodical titles.
Clippings/vertical files: 6 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 1,000s
Film/Video/Sound: 15 ft.
Photographs: 50 ft.
Microfilm: 108 reels
Other holdings/notes: Gowns and costumes, t-shirts, and banners
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Northern California, all time periods, but the vast majority is post-WWII.
The collections are especially rich in material from the San Francisco
Bay Area.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Council on Religion and the Homosexual,
Daughters of Bilitis, Community United Against Violence, Alan Berube, San
Francisco Women's Building, Louis Sullivan, Leonard Matlovich, Crawford
Barton Photographs, many small collections documenting AIDS activism and
other queer activism. This is just a sampling of the many collections available
at GLHS.
Collecting interests
Organizational records, personal papers, ephemera, and periodicals
relating to the queer history of Northern California.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Paid reference and research available.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are finding aids to a limited number of manuscript collections.
An incomplete annotated guide to manuscript collections is available. There
is a comprehensive database to periodical holdings.
News about collections
There is an occasionally published newsletter highlighting collections
and articles on queer history, especially of Northern California.
Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of San Diego
Address: P.O. Box 40389
San Diego, CA 92164
Phone: (619) 260-1522 Fax: (619) 260-1522
Contact: Sharon Parker, Board President; Dennis Fiordaliso,
Board Treasurer
Internet:
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~clgoyne/lghssd/homepage.html
Hours: Sun: 11 am - 3 pm, and by appointment. Closed holiday
weekends.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The society was founded in December of 1987 by Jess Jessop and other
San Diego gay and lesbian activists as the Lesbian and Gay Archives. There
were no known predecessors in San Diego, and it is not associated with
any other institutions or organizations.
Holdings summary
The holdings mostly document the San Diego region (there is some material
from Baja California), 1960 to the present. Some material dates from the
1940s and 1950s.
Military: Bridge Wilson (5 ft.), Perry Watkins (.5 ft.), Jim Woodward
(3 ft.), and Gary Rees (.33 ft.).
Politics: Chris Kehoe (11 ft.), and Neil Goode (2 ft.).
Organizations: Save Our Teachers - No on 64 (.5 ft.), AIDS Project
(96.5 ft), Gay Academic Union [through 1984] (14 ft.), The [Gay and Lesbian]
Center (1.5 ft.), Lesbian and Gay Historical Society (4 ft.).
Local and Miscellaneous: Jess Jessop (5 ft.), Bernie Michels (3 ft.),
Bruce Kamerling (.33 ft.), Albert Bell (4 ft.), and Steven Zeeland (1.5
ft.).
The breakdown by format is: 55 ft. of manuscripts, 37 ft. of organizational
records, 100 ft. of printed material (59 ft. non-local, 40 ft. local),
12 ft. of vertical files, thousands of ephemeral items, 16 ft. of video,
13 ft. of audio, and 14 ft. of photographs.
Collecting interests
Books, periodicals, ephemera, archival photographs, audio/visual, objects/artifacts,
erotica, and electronic files especially relating to the lesbian and gay
community of San Diego County.
Use requirements
Open to the public; a few collections have restrictions.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Only minimal A/V and phone reference is available. Mostly only copies
are allowed out for exhibit loan.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Lists of books, periodicals, and manuscript collections are available.
Clippings and vertical files are organized by our own authority list. Finding
aids available to a small number of manuscript collections. Video and flat
files are currently being cataloged.
News about collections
The newsletter lists recent donations.
June L. Mazer Lesbian Collection
Location: 626 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: (310) 659-2478 Fax: (310) 659-2478
Contact: Degania Golove or Irene Wolt
Email: mazeriw@pacificnet.net
Internet address: http://www.lesbian.org/mazer
Hours: Sun: 12-4 pm; Tue: 11 am - 3 pm; Wed: 6-9 pm; and by
appointment.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
The collection was founded in 1981 in Oakland as the West Coast Lesbian
Collections. In 1987 the collection moved to Southern California, under
the auspices of the Connexxus Women's Center-Centro de Mujeres, and was
subsequently named for its first coordinator's partner: community activist
and collection supporter June L. Mazer. Since the dissolution of Connexxus
in 1990, the Mazer Collection has not been associated with any other institution
or organization.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 151 ft. personal and organizational papers
Printed material: 4,000 books; 1,000 periodical titles
Clippings/vertical files: 20 4-drawer filing cabinets (clippings, fliers,
etc.)
Objects/ephemera: 4 small boxes (games, matchbook covers, etc.), and
mugs, small statues, etc. on display
Film/Video/Sound: 24 ft. videos; 24 ft. records; 200 audiotapes
Photographs: 4 ft.
Other holdings/notes: 40 1940s-60s baseball/softball uniforms; ca.200
posters and other art objects; 18.5 ft. boxes of t-shirts; 20 frames (mostly
12"x16") of buttons.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily United States, 1940s to the present, with a major emphasis
on the West Coast.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Feminist and lesbian-feminist material; Feminist Economic Network;
Diana Press; other lesbian/women's publications such as Broomstick, and
Telewoman; OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change).
Collecting interests
Anything lesbian-related, with an emphasis on letters, diaries/journals,
unpublished personal and organizational papers, photos, home movies, periodicals,
Lesbian ephemera, and pre-1970 books from the western United States.
Use requirements
On-site use only.
Comments about access/use:
Access to some material is restricted due to donor request or fragility
of the material. Visitors should call to confirm they are open.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Web page, off-site exhibits at events, cultural/educational programs
and events, slide shows, speakers, and newsletter.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
In the process of choosing cataloging (MARC-compatible) software that
will make information available online. The majority of books, records
and tapes are cataloged in a database. The periodicals are listed, by issue,
in notebooks.
News about collections
Semi-annual newsletter and web page.
Oakland Museum of California
Location: 1000 Oak St.
Oakland, CA 94607-4892
Phone: (510) 238-3842 Fax: (510) 238-6579
Contact: Inez Brooks-Myers, Marcia Eymann
Internet address: http://www.museumca.org
Hours: Thu: 1-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: Museum: yes; Museum on Line section (archives, 2nd
floor): no.
History
The Oakland Public Museum was founded in 1910 and joined with the Snow
Museum and Municipal Art Gallery to form the Oakland Museum in 1969. The
name changed ca.1994 to the Oakland Museum of California.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 16 items
Objects/ephemera: 6 items
Film/Video/Sound: 1 sound recording; 1 video.
Photographs: 1 photo
Other holdings/notes: 24 garments and accessories re: [drag] performances
of Jose Sarria and Lester Lamont, 6 posters, 2 comic books.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
San Francisco Bay Area, 1930s to 1990s.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Jose Sarria, Lester Lamont.
Collecting interests
We are willing to add additional material about California.
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collections on Museum's database: ARGUS.
News about collections
No information is sent out; however, new material appears on our ARGUS
system.
San Francisco Public Library
James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center
Location: 100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 557-4499; (415) 557-4567 Fax: (415) 437-4831
Contact: Jim E. Van Buskirk, Program Manager; Susan Goldstein,
City Archivist
Email: jimv@sfpl.lib.ca.us
Internet: http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/glcenter/home.htm
Hours: Manuscript collections are accessible through the San
Francisco History Room: Tue, Wed, Thu: 10 am - 6 pm; Fri: 11 am - 5 pm;
Sat: 9 am - 5 pm; Sun: 12-5 pm. Access to other materials at the Gay and
Lesbian Center is during regular library hours: Mon.: 10 am - 6 pm; Tue,
Wed, Thu: 9 am - 8 pm; Fri: 11 am - 5 pm; Sat: 9 am - 5 pm;
Sun: 12 - 5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Announced in October 1991 the Gay and Lesbian Center opened to the
public on April 18, 1996, as part of the main San Francisco Public Library.
It maintains a collection of books, periodicals, videos, sound recordings,
photographs, posters, ephemera, memorabilia, and manuscript collections.
In addition to actively soliciting donations of personal papers and organizational
records it is also the physical repository for selected manuscript collections
belonging to the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 460 cubic ft.
Organizational records: 60 cubic ft.
Printed material: 850 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 10 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 10 ft.
Film/Video/Sound: 100 ft.
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: 50 ft.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
All time periods, with a concentration on post-1969. Manuscript materials
specifically related to Northern California. Published materials international
in scope, with an attempt to be comprehensive for Northern California.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities in Northern California
including Aaron Fricke, Lynn Lonidier, Harvey Milk, Paul Reed , and Randy
Shilts. Archival holdings include: Monica Kehoe, Lynn Lonidier, Marvin
Liebman, Harvey Milk, Federation of Gay Games, Kiki Gallery, Alice B. Toklas
Collection - Letters to Donald H. Frank, and selections from the Gay and
Lesbian
Historical Society of Northern California: Louis Graydon Sullivan,
Jackie Winnow, Robert G. DeSantis, Arthur Lazere, Leonard Matlovich, Golden
Gate Business Association, Lesbian Agenda for Action, Len Evans Papers,
Charles Thorpe, People's Fund, Committee to Form Gay/Lesbian Sierrans,
Thousand Fingers Cooperative Crafts Gallery, Scott Bishop, Libertarians
for Gay Lesbian Concerns, Joseph Rose-Azevedo, GLAAD/SFBA, and Old Wives'
Tale Bookstore..
Collecting interests
The center will collect at a research level both published and unpublished
materials focusing on topics reflecting the gay/lesbian experience in the
Bay Area and Northern California. Nationally and internationally significant
collections will be considered for inclusion.
Use requirements
Open to the public for on-site reference
Comments about access/use:
Archival collections available through the San Francisco History Room.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
No materials may be borrowed.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Published materials are available via the SFPL online catalog. Collection
level descriptions of manuscript materials are cataloged in MARC and available
in the SFPL catalog and OCLC. Finding aids to selected collections are
available on-site.
News about collections
There are periodic updates in the online catalog.
Stanford University, Green Library
Department of Special Collections
Location: Cecil H Green Library
[East Wing, Third floor]
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
Phone: (415) 752-1022 Fax: (415) 723-8690
Email: speccoll@sulmain.stanford.edu
Internet address: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Department of Special Collections is the principal repository for
Stanford's historical research collections in all formats including printed
books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and prints. The department's holdings
comprise more than 200,000 books and 20 million manuscript items. Strengths
of the department's collections are modern literature, the history and
art of the book, the history of science, continental history and literature,
classical literature and philosophy, children's literature, Mexican American
history, and the history of the Stanford community.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Most collections relevant to LGBT archives deal with Stanford University
or alumni, 1972 to the present.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Gay and Lesbian Alliance at Stanford and other collections dealing
with gay and lesbian history at Stanford University, Kerrigan Black Papers
1963-1993, Gerard Koskovich - AIDS Activism publications, and Newton "Bud"
Flounders collection of gay literature (over 3,000 volumes).
Collecting interests
Continuation of collections concerning the gay and lesbian history
of Stanford and from alumni.
Use requirements
Open to scholars and researchers regardless of institutional affiliation.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan
agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collection level descriptions are available on Socrates, the Stanford
University catalog, and RLIN. Finding aids and a card catalog are also
available, as is information on the UNICORN web site.
University of California, Los Angeles,
Department of Special Collections
Location: University Research Library
Room A1713
Address: Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Phone: (310) 825-4988 Fax: (310) 206-1864
Internet address: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9 am - 5 pm, except certain intersession days
and during some special events.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Department of Special Collections was founded in 1946.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 500 ft.
Printed material: thousands
Clippings/vertical files: 20 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 200 items
Film/Video/Sound: 250 items
Photographs: thousands
Microfilm: minimal
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily the Los Angeles area, but printed materials cover the entire
range of world history.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
There are published and manuscript materials pertaining to hundreds
of prominent LGBT figures including J. A. Symonds, Gertrude Stein, H. H.
Monro, Denton Welch, Claude McKay, Harry Hay, Morris Kight, Terri de la
Pena, Christopher Isherwood, Don Bachardy, John Rechy, Yannis Tsarouchis,
Stathis Orphanos, Ivy Compton Burnett, Norman Douglas, William Plomer,
Anais Nin, William Beckford, Arthur Rimbaud, Ronald Firbank, George Santayana,
Glenway Wescott, Tennessee Williams, Virginia Woolf, T. H. White, A.E.
Housman, Gerald Heard, Eloise Klein Healy, Paul Monette, Michael Nava,
Edouard Roditi, and Howard Moss. Local minor figures are represented by
writers Rudy Thomas Foley and Dan Luckenbill. The Rudi Gernreich papers
contain a small amount of material pertaining to the first meetings of
the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles. Most of these papers are from literary
figures, but for those such as Paul Monette's, other community activist
concerns are documented. The papers of Morris Kight give insight into the
many Los Angeles and international LGBT organizations and activities, although
the papers at UCLA do not document these in a systematic way.
All important areas are documented to some extent, including psychology.
Many of these studies were begun at UCLA with prominent figures such as
Evelyn Hooker. Early work in transgender studies is documented in the papers
of UCLA psychiatrist Robert Stoller. Special collections also has works
of popular psychology wherein many 20th century works on homosexuality
were published, for example Homo Hill (1963), Homosexuality: The International
Disease (1965). Particularly important in the UCLA holdings are local imprints
that contain hundreds of books in wrappers on popular journalism and psychology
and local travel guides and other guides invaluable to LGBT history, and
hundreds of titles in all genres of popular literature, particularly detective
fiction and erotica.
The history of photography collection contain works by Von Gloeden
(in publications) and works by various photographers: Bernice Abbott, Carl
van Vechten, Stathis Orphanos, etc. UCLA Special Collections also has collections
in the areas of the arts and entertainment, including the gallery records
of the Rex Evans Gallery, owned by Rex Evans and James Weatherford (with
documentation and correspondence pertaining to Cecil Beaton, Don Bachardy,
Louis Fox, Sheila Ross, etc.).
Collecting interests
LGBT materials primarily in support of long-standing collecting areas:
local imprints, literature, and culture, etc.
Use requirements
Users must have valid UCLA library cards. Library cards may be obtained
on presentation of photo identification. Priority of service is given to
researchers formally affiliated with UCLA or with the UC system. There
are fees for telephone and mail requests by researchers not affiliated
with the university.
Comments about access/use:
No appointment is needed but some materials require 24 hours to retrieve
from off-site storage.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Manuscripts have card indices until about 1979, with subject and name
added entries, then collection level computer entries. Most manuscript
collections have at least box level descriptions, many have folder level
and some item level descriptions in finding aids. Some finding aids are
available on the web.
Women's Resource Center
Location: University of California
250 Golden Bear Center
Berkeley, CA 94720-2440
Phone: (510) 642-4786 Fax: (510) 642-9078
Contact: Dorothy Lazard
Internet address: http://www.aad.berkeley.edu/uga/osl/wrc/
Hours: Mon-Thu: 9 am - 5 pm; Fri: 9 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Women's Resource Center Library was founded in 1972. Information
about LGBT culture and history has always been a part of the WRC collection;
the Constance Barker Collection includes early lesbian history and literature
and was incorporated into the WRC collection in the 1980s.
Holdings summary
The WRC Library has always maintained information about the GLB community
in its collection. The pamphlet file collection (2 file drawers) covers
topical areas such as the gay movement, gay/lesbian culture, legal and
political issues, parenting, coming out stories, gays in the military,
homophobia, employment issues, etc. These files also contain organizational
newsletters and brochures, newspaper and magazine articles, monographs,
bibliographies, and journal articles. Journals such as Sinister Wisdom,
Off Our Backs, and the defunct Outlook are part of the Periodicals Collection.
Historical journals such as The Ladder, various grassroots women's newspapers
of the 1970s, as well as the Constance Barker Collection (early lesbian
histories and literature) are part of the Reference Collection. Altogether,
the printed volumes number over 350.
Use requirements
Anyone may use the collection during business hours.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference,
and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Borrowing privileges of books are reserved only for books and are limited
to Berkeley students, staff and faculty.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Author/Title and Subject card catalog; pamphlet file index (for searching
topical files); periodicals are listed alphabetically by title.
News about collections
Occasional acquisition lists are compiled and may be picked up at the
WRC. They may be included on our web site in the future.
Colorado Historical Society
Address: The Colorado History Museum
1300 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 866-4603 Fax: (303) 866-5739
Contact: Stan Oliner, Curator Books and Manuscripts
Hours: Tue-Sat: 10 am - 4:30 pm; closed Sun and Mon.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The museum has been a state government agency since 1879.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 16 collections
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: hundreds, including posters and banners
Film/Video/Sound: Denver TV newsfilms, 1958 - present
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: gay and lesbian newspapers
Other holdings/notes: Oral history cassettes
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Colorado, 1958 to the present.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Evans v. Romer (US Supreme Court, 1996), 1990 - present; Metropolitan
Church of the Rockies; and AIDS in Colorado, 1981 - present. There is an
extensive periodical collection on microfilm, several manuscript collections,
and oral history interviews on file; see guide and card catalog for holdings.
Collecting interests
Any material related to Evans v. Romer [Amendment 2 challenge] or to
Colorado; any material related to current holdings.
Use requirements
Any person can use the collection's materials on-site.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Records in OCLC.
Stonewall Library and Archives
Location: 1164 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 300
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334
Phone: (954) 561-1982
Contact: John C. Graves, President
2500 E. Las Olas Blvd., #1006
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-523-8035
Hours: Weekday evenings, Saturday afternoons
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded as the Stonewall Library in 1973 by Mark Silber, the library
joined with the Southern Gay Archives (founded by Joel Starkey) in 1990,
and reincorporated as Stonewall Library and Archives. The organization
has 501c3 status; by-laws, statement of purpose and mission statement are
available on request.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 6300 books, est. 250 ft. of periodicals
Other holdings/notes: There are approximately 490 ft. of material in
cartons, consisting of organizational records, personal papers, ephemera,
periodicals, artifacts, photographs and clipping files. Based on sampling,
approximately half of this material consists of periodicals; the remaining
categories of material have not been quantified.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Southeast US (east of Houston, south of Washington) generally, and
Florida/South Florida in particular, from the 1950s to the present.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
People: Mark Silber and Joel Starkey. Organizations: Dolphin Democratic
Club, Sunshine Athletic Association, and Anita Bryant campaign (1977).
The Southern Gay Archives collection documents gay and lesbian organizations
and gay rights movement in the Southeastern US in the 1970s. Regional periodicals
and bar rags chronicle gay and lesbian social life, particularly in South
Florida.
Collecting interests
Personal papers, organizational records, photographs, ephemera, especially
from Southeastern US.
Use requirements
Archival collections are open to the public under supervision; membership
is required to check out books.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Copying service is nearby; exhibits are occasional; books and some
audiovisual material may be borrowed.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All books are catalogued on a local computer system. There are no archival
finding aids.
News about collections
Newsletter (The Legacy) every two months.
Atlanta History Center
Location: 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
Phone: (404) 814-4000 Fax: (404) 814-8146
Contact: Tammy Galloway
Email: tgalloway@atlhist.org
Internet address: http://www.atlhist.org
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10 am - 5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing was founded ca.1991 by members
of the lesbian and gay community of Atlanta to collect materials from the
community and deposit them at the Atlanta Historical Society.
Holdings summary
The Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, 1957-1994, includes 48.25
cubic feet of gay and lesbian publications from throughout the Southeast,
business and organization papers pertaining to gay rights and AIDS, and
various personal papers of gay and lesbian activists in Georgia. The collection
documents the gay and lesbian community in Atlanta, including such figures
as Ray Kluka and Maria Helena Dolan, such organizations as the First Tuesday
Association (Ga.), and the Atlanta Gay Center.
The center also has the records of the Atlanta branch of Black and
White Men Together, which are unprocessed and so require an appointment
in order to use.
Collecting interests
Material that documents Atlanta history.
Use requirements
Complete a patron form and show photo ID.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collection is described in the card catalog and one record in OCLC.
A folder-level finding aid is also available.
News about collections
None published, but new acquisitions arrive regularly.
Charles Deering Library of Special Collections
Location: Northwestern University Library
1935 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-2355
Phone: (847) 491-2895 Fax: (847) 491-8306
Contact: Scott Krafft
Email: spec@nwu.edu
Internet address: http://www.library.nwu.edu/spec
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 5 pm; Sat: 8:30 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes, but requires some assistance
History
Part of Northwestern University.
Holdings summary
The collections' strength is primarily published lesbian materials
and ephemera. These are part of a more general feminist collection documenting
the women's movement worldwide from the 1960s to the present. There is
some gay male material, chiefly periodicals documenting the gay liberation
movement of the 1960s and 70s. Holdings also include some audiovisual material.
Collecting interests
Particularly lesbian materials.
Use requirements
No special requirements.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements
for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Exhibit loans are rare.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are in-house guides to the Women's Ephemera Files and to special
single-subject issues of journals, and thematic guides to many of the women's
journals generally. Monograph and serial holdings are cataloged on Northwestern's
online catalog, NCAT.
News about collections
A Women's Collection Newsletter is published sporadically.
Gerber/Hart Gay and Lesbian
Library and Archives
Location: 1127 West Granville St.
Chicago, IL 60660-2012
Phone: (773) 883-3003 Fax: (773) 883-3078
Contact: Russell Kracke
Email: info@gerberhart.org
Internet address: http://www.gerberhart.org
Hours: Mon-Tue: 6-9 pm; Fri-Sun: 12-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Gerber/Hart Library was brought into existence in January 1981
as a joint project of the Gay Academic Union-Chicago Chapter, Gay Horizons,
and the Chicago Gay and Lesbian History Project. The organization, spearheaded
by Gregory Sprague, achieved independent status on November 20, 1981. First
christened "The Midwest Gay and Lesbian Archive and Library," in April
1981 the library changed its name to "The Henry Gerber-Pearl M. Hart Library"
in honor of two gay activists from the 1920s.
Mission statement: The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives believes knowledge
is key to dispelling homophobia. A lesbian and gay library, archives, and
cultural center, G/H is dedicated to meeting the information needs of its
unique community in a safe atmosphere that promotes research, exploration,
and discovery. G/H's programming policies reflect the diversity and rich
history of the lesbian and gay community. A permanent institution, G/H
is committed to the sound management of its resources.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: approx. 14 cubic ft.
Organizational records: approx. 44 cubic ft.
Printed material: 843 linear ft. and approx. 106 cubic ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 25 linear ft. and approx. 27 cubic ft.
Objects/ephemera: 12 cubic ft.
Film/Video/Sound: 17 cubic ft.
Photographs: 2 cubic ft.
Microfilm: 11 units
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
G/H's monograph stacks contain materials pre- and post-Stonewall. The
periodical collections limit themselves to Chicago, Illinois, the Midwest
(Ill., Ind., Ohio, Ky., Mo., Kans., Nebr., S.Dak., N.Dak., Minn., Iowa,
Wis., Mich.) and international publications.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Organizational materials include mostly Chicago-based organizations.
Manuscripts appear to be the records of Chicagoans.
Collecting interests
With the hiring of a professional archivist in 1996, the policies are
being reviewed. The focus so far has been on a wide variety of materials
that document gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual communities in the
Midwest (Ill., Ind., Ohio, Ky., Mo., Kans., Nebr., S.Dak., N.Dak., Minn.,
Iowa, Wis., Mich.), especially from Chicago and Illinois.
Use requirements
Anyone can use library materials in the library, but circulating materials
may only borrowed with the purchase of a membership.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
loan agreements for exhibits, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Books, videos, and cassettes from the circulating stacks can be borrowed.
Check-out length is 2 weeks, 10 books max. Periodicals and archival materials
do not circulate.
G/H sponsors educational programs including: 3 well-established book
discussion groups; an annual "Day Without History" with the Chicago Historical
Society, to commemorate the loss to the world's history due to the AIDS
pandemic; and presentations to school groups, meetings of organizations,
and conferences. G/H played a leading role in organizing the 1994 Lesbian,
Gay & Bisexual History Month. G/H participates in Chicago area community
festivals and pride rallies.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
GH uses the Columbia Online Catalog to access its circulating books,
which includes two categories, Fiction and Non-Fiction. Records are downloaded
into Columbia from OCLC records. Special Collections and Archival materials
have no reference guides up to this point, but SPC books from this point
forth will be cataloged in Columbia. GH is hiring an archivist for 6 months
to create finding aids for archival/manuscript materials. Periodicals are
not cataloged or indexed.
News about collections
Newsletter and web site.
Leather Archives & Museum
Location: 5007 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: Archives: (773) 275-1570; research inquiries: (773) 878-6360
Internet address: http://www.leatherarchives.org
Hours: Regular hours are about to be expanded; please call for
details.
History
The Leather Archives & Museum is dedicated to preserving a record
of the Leather/SM/Fetish Community: our lifestyles, our communities, our
achievements, our history. In 1992, Chuck Renslow (creator of the nation's
first leather bar, Chicago's Gold Coast, and the Executive Producer of
the International Mr. Leather Contest) asked several leather men and women
to join him in forming the Leather Archives & Museum. First in 1993,
and again in 1994 and 1995, LA&M presented an exhibition of Leather
artifacts in a conference room at the Congress Hotel during the International
Mr. Leather Weekend. In November of 1996 the LA&M moved into new headquarters
and opened its first permanent public exhibit space. The new space also
houses the archival and research collections, making them accessible to
serious students. Leatherman Joseph W. Bean arrived in the summer of 1997
to become the first official curator of the LA&M.
Holdings summary
There is a rapidly growing collection of artifacts and memorabilia,
as well as archival materials from individuals and organizations. It is
almost exclusively a post-World War II collection.
Collecting interests
The LA&M actively seeks additional material relating to the worldwide
tribe of Leatherfolk.
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Comments about access/use:
Access conditions are about to be expanded; please call for details.
The Chris Gonzalez Library
and Archives
Location: 1112 Southeastern Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Address: Diversity Center
P.O. Box 441473
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 639-4297
Contact: Michael A. Bohr, Director
Internet address: http://www.gayindy.org
Hours: Tue: 5:30-8:30 pm; Sat: 12-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
The library began as Michael Bohr's private collection and became available
to the community in 1992. It opened in its present location in the Diversity
Center in 1995. The center provides no direct financial assistance to the
library.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 2,254 books, many periodicals
Film/Video/Sound: 30 videotapes of local & national gay interest
Photographs: 50 promo shots of local female impersonators
Other holdings/notes: Original artwork by local artists
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The collection focuses on Central Indiana.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Complete runs of Indianapolis gay and lesbian publications, including
The Screamer (1966-67), The Works (1980-1992), The Mirror (1985-1990),
Heartland (1990-91), Fever (1991-92), and The Word (1991 - present).
Collecting interests
Accept new acquisitions.
Use requirements
Open to the general public.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference,
and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Borrowing is restricted to certain books.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
On-site database of book collection with many access points, including
subject, author, and title. Cataloging of archival material has just begun.
The Kinsey Institute for Research
in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
Location: Morrison 313
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: (812) 855-7686 Fax: (812) 855-8277
Contact: Margaret Harter
Email: libknsy@indiana.edu
Internet address: http://www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/colldesc.htm
Hours: Appointment required. Regular hours are Mon-Fri: 1-5
pm. Collections may be used Mon-Fri: 8 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The institute was founded in 1947 by Dr. Alfred Kinsey. The institute
is affiliated with Indiana University.
Information about holdings
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
20th Century United States with some Western European materials. Most
of the collection is post-WWII.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
The photography collection includes works of Wilhelm von Gloeden, George
Platt Lynes, and Pavel Tchelichev. Only a portion of the collection documents
gay and lesbian history; materials are part of a larger collection documenting
sexual practices and attitudes.
Collecting interests
Acquisitions are limited to material about sexual behaviors, attitudes,
and lifestyles. There are no limitations of time period or geographical
area. The photography collection is particularly interested in acquiring
Victorian-era photography and contemporary fine arts photography.
Use requirements
Use restricted to qualified researchers. Not open to the general public.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Other services/notes:
Internet and telephone reference services are limited, as are available
audiovisual facilities.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Online public access catalog (KICAT) to library's holdings (incomplete).
No online catalog for archival or art/photography materials.
Williams-Nichols Institute
Address: P.O. Box 4264
Louisville, KY 40204
Phone: (502) 636-0935 Fax: (502) 635-6469
Contact: David Williams, Director
Email: willnich@aol.com
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: yes, assistance available
History
The Williams-Nichols Institute, operator of the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian
Library and Archives, was founded by David Williams in November of 1982.
It is not associated with any other organizations.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: One file drawer, one storage box
Organizational records: approx. 3 file drawers
Printed material: 305 periodical titles; 1,100 books
Clippings/vertical files: 15 4-drawer file cabinets
Objects/ephemera: 200+ items
Film/Video/Sound: 300 items
Photographs: 300
Other holdings/notes: 50 protest banners, posters, autographs
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Post-1950s with an emphasis on Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Community Health Trust (1984 - present), Fairness Campaign (1991 -
present), Gays and Lesbians United for Equality (1982 - present), Dignity-Louisville,
local AIDS organizations, LAMBDA Louisville, Louisville P-FLAG; many other
Kentucky-based groups. Also Jeffery Wasson files (1992) and David Williams
Papers (1963 - present).
Collecting interests
No subject, time, or geographical restrictions, but main focus is on
Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference
(email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
List of books (by author) and periodicals, videotapes, audio material,
clippings files, and photo envelope titles. The clothing and other apparel
list includes context in which it was worn, purchased, or donated.
News about collections
Publicizes acquisitions of major importance in the statewide gay and
lesbian newspaper, The Letter.
National Library of Medicine,
History of Medicine Division
Location: 8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Phone: (800) 272-4787 Fax: (301) 402-0872
Contact: Margaret Kaiser, Elizabeth Tunis, Stephen Greenberg
Email: hmdref@nlm.nih.gov
Internet address: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hmd.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: yes
Other holdings/notes: International collection of AIDS posters.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Pre-1914 printed works; modern manuscripts.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Information and posters on AIDS; the Index-catalogue of the Library
of the Surgeon-General's Office (NLM's 19th Century and earlier printed
catalog) has various sub-headings under the subject "sexual instinct."
Use requirements
Open to the public.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Various printed catalogs; entries in CATLINE, SERLINE, and AVLINE databases;
NLM's MEDLARS system; via Internet through LOCATOR (telnet to locator.nlm.nih.gov
and enter locator at the login prompt).
Amherst College Library
and Marshall Bloom Collection
Location: Amherst College
Amherst, MA 01002
Address: Box 2256
Amherst College
P.O. Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
Phone: (413) 542-2068
Contact: John Lancaster
Email: jlancaster@amherst.edu
Internet address: http://www.amherst.edu/~library
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 12 pm, 1-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Amherst College was founded in 1821. Marshall Bloom graduated in 1966,
and shortly thereafter, he founded the Liberation News Service. The Bloom
Alternative Press collection consists primarily of the archival copies
of underground newspapers from LNS (they required all subscribers to send
copies of publications using LNS material; the collection is therefore
national in scope).
Information about holdings
Printed material: Library: 1700 volumes, 20 periodical titles; Bloom:
110 periodical titles; Special Collections: 20 periodical titles, 400 paperbacks.
Film/Video/Sound: Library: 50 videos, 20 sound recordings
Other holdings/notes: Archives: 6 theses
Collecting interests
Additions of similar material not already held (i.e., new underground
titles and missing issues from titles already held).
Use requirements
Archives/Special Collections materials must be used in the Archives
and Special Collections reading room.
Comments about access/use:
The underground newspapers are stored in a remote facility and must
be requested at least one day prior to use.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Research space: only while actively using materials in our collection
(i.e., not general study space or places where people can store their books
from one day to the next).
Copying: we will make photocopies of anything that a) can physically
tolerate it without damage and b) can legally be copied.
Borrowing: Special Collections and Archives materials do not circulate;
books from the main library collection do circulate.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Guide: DeSantis, John, and Jaquith, Matthew V., compilers. Gay and
Lesbian Materials in the Amherst College Library: A Bibliography. Amherst,
Mass., 1994.
Archive Project
Address: P.O. Box 202
Hadley, MA 01035
Phone: (413) 585-0369
Contact: Phil Gauthier, archivist
Email: gokey@titan.oit.umass.edu
Internet address: http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~gokey
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: site is not accessible, but archivist will
bring materials to an accessible site by request.
History
The Archive Project started ca.1991 as an outgrowth of the two local
ACT UP and Queer Nation chapters. Initially, it held organizational and
subject files related to these two groups. As both organizations grew in
size, the archive expanded its purpose by collecting materials relating
to local gay organizations and the Northampton Pride March. A news photocopy
archive was set up for local gay events, and HIV/AIDS-related information
and organizations. Eventually folks in the community started donating items,
such as national periodicals, gay men's erotica, buttons, T-shirts and
organizational files of groups that disbanded.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 4 standard file drawers
Organizational records: 7 standard file drawers
Printed material: approx. 300 books; 7 large boxes gay men's erotica;
10 large boxes periodicals.
Clippings/vertical files: 2 boxes AIDS journals/reports; 2 large boxes
unsorted clippings (1990-present); 3 ft. photocopies of newsclippings.
Objects/ephemera: 200 buttons; 8 t-shirts.
Film/Video/Sound: 6-10 videos
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1969-present, mostly post-1988. Pioneer Valley of Western Mass, especially
Northampton-Amherst area. Some general northeastern U.S.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
People: Phil Gauthier (1980-present), Sam Gianneli. Organizations:
ACT UP Western Mass. (1990-94), Queer Nation (ca.1990-94), Pride March
Committee (1981-96), Pioneer Valley GLB Youth (1991-present), PWA Coalition
of W. Mass. (1989-1990), Dignilife (an AIDS organization, 1987-ca.1990),
and Valley Gay Alliance.
Subjects: local gay events, HIV/AIDS. As an outgrowth of the archivist's
personal interest, subject files relating to Radical Faeries and Needle
Exchange are extensive.
Periodicals include: Metroline, Gay Community News, Outweek, Advocate,
Valley Women's Voice, Outlook, VWV, Outright families, Queer Noho, Lesbian
Calendar, Gay Men's Calendar, VGA Gayzette, RFD, Faeriegram, and Draghead.
Collecting interests
Materials relating to the growth of the gay communities of Western
Mass. and community and institutional responses to the AIDS crisis. Also
materials documenting Radical Faerie community in the U.S., and local periodicals,
especially missing issues of above mentioned titles.
Use requirements
Call ahead to arrange to view the collection.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, Internet reference (email/web), and borrowing privileges
for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Copying services must be arranged; VCR and tape deck available. Internships
are available.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collection is not indexed, although filing is by subject. Some
periodicals are cataloged.
The History Project:
Documenting Lesbian and Gay Boston
Address: c/o Cambridge Women's Center
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 557-1082 Fax: (617) 354-8807
Contact: Libby Bouvier (phone/fax); Nancy Richard
Email: info@historyproject.org
Internet address: http://www.historyproject.org
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: First floor is wheelchair accessible. Materials
housed on upper floors can be brought downstairs.
History
Founded February 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts. Incorporated July 1981.
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 16 cubic ft. (10 of BALGHP/OBHEF; 6 of other
Boston-area groups/orgs.)
Printed material: 250+ titles; reference only
Clippings/vertical files: 3 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 1000 items
Film/Video/Sound: 3 ft.
Photographs: 6 ft; also slides
Other holdings/notes: Computer disks of exhibit: "Public Faces/Private
Lives"
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1940s to the present in the greater Boston area.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbians and gay men pre-Stonewall era (oral histories and photos);
history of gay men and lesbians in Boston and beginnings of lesbian and
gay scholarship; bar culture; passing women; early homophile organizations
(1950s-1974); extensive database of post-1968 lesbian and gay groups/organizations.
Collecting interests
In the process of locating permanent storage space, which will enable
us to accept new acquisitions.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference,
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Exhibit "Public Faces/Private Lives" available for rental or loan.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Entries for all collections currently housed in the Cambridge Women's
Center are currently being entered into NUCMC. A finding aid for the Records
of the Boston Area Lesbian and Gay History Project is available at the
Cambridge Women's Center, 46 Pleasant St., Cambridge.
News about collections
New collections are listed in the Women's Center newsletter, including
materials on temporary deposit. Also, Our Boston Heritage distributes press
releases.
Northeastern University Library
Archives and Special Collections Department
Location: 92 Snell Library
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: (617) 373-2351
Fax: (617) 373-5409
Contact: Joan Krizack
E-mail: j.krizack@nunet.neu.edu
Web page: http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives
Wheelchair Access: Yes
Information about holdings
The collection contains organizational records, clippings, objects
and ephemera, film, video, sound, photographs, and microfilm from the 1970's
- 1990's.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented
Aids Action Committee
Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus
Bromfield St. Education Foundation
Gay Community News
Outwrite Writers Conference
The Prisoner's Project
Student Homophile League and other partial collections of early homophile
organizations.
Collecting interests
Northeastern is actively collecting lgbt organizational records.
Comments about access/use
Restrictions may be set by donors, otherwise not restricted.
Access is the same as for non-lgbt collections.
Services
Research space, copying, audivisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are mounted on the web when they are complete.
News about collections
News releases on website
Schlesinger Library
on the History of Women in America
Location: Radcliffe College
10 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 495-8647 Fax: (617) 496-8340
Email: slref@radcliffe.edu
Internet address: http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm. Some evening hours. Call for current
schedule.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Schlesinger Library was founded as the Women's Archives in 1943,
when Radcliffe alumna Maud Wood Park (1898) donated her papers relating
to the woman suffrage movement. In 1967 the library was renamed the Arthur
and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America to
honor historians Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger. The library's collections
have grown to over 50,000 books and hundreds of periodical titles, as well
as thousands of shelf feet of manuscript collections.
Holdings summary
The library holds mostly 19th and 20th century books, periodicals,
and manuscript collections; LGBT-related manuscript materials cover ca.1930
- present.
Note: the following collections (ca.180 linear ft.) include papers
of self-identified lesbians and women whose primary relationships seem
to have been with other women, as well as papers of others that contain
LGBT-related materials.
Lura Beam: 2 ft. (1900-1969)
Susan Bolotin: .5 ft. (1982-1983), unknown amount of LBGT-related materials.
Louise Bosworth: 4 ft. (1881-1982)
Lesbian activist Charlotte Bunch: 7 ft. (1950-1988)
Labor education expert Eleanor Coit: 1.5 ft. (1894-1971)
COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics): ca.40 folders of LBGT-related
materials (1962-1989)
Daughters of Bilitis Cambridge (Mass.): 1 ft. (1974-1986); temporarily
closed.
Lesbian writer and activist Barbara Deming: 30 ft. (1908-1985)
Birth control advocate Mary Ware Dennett: 4 folders of LBGT-related
material (1894-1948)
Advisor to F.D.R. Molly Dewson, and Polly Porter: 1 ft. and 3 reels
microfilm (1861-1962)
Sculptor Harriet Hosmer: 2.5 ft. (1830-1908)
Photographer Bettye Lane: 58 LBGT-related photographs (1969-1981)
Robin Ruth Linden: .25 ft. and 9 videotapes (1978-1983)
Frieda S. Miller: 6.5 ft. (1909-1973). See also Pauline Newman.
Letters to Ms. Magazine: 4 folders of LBGT-related materials (1972-1980)
Mass. Society for Social Health: 2 folders of LBGT-related materials
(1947-1956)
Writer, lawyer, activist for African American and women's rights, Episcopal
Priest Pauli Murray: 59 ft. (1827-1985)
N.O.W. (National Organization for Women): 42 folders, 6 videotapes,
and 7 audiotapes of LBGT-related materials (1975-1988)
Singer/songwriter Holly Near: 10 ft. (1974-1991)
Advocate for the rights of women workers Pauline Newman: 6 ft. (1903-1982).
See also Frieda S. Miller.
Lesbian writer Adrienne Rich: 12 ft. (1933-1984)
Sharonah Robinson: 2 folders of LBGT-related materials (1956-1985)
Activist Rochelle Ruthchild: 1.5 ft. (1966-1980)
Flora Belle Surles: .25 ft. (1917-1973)
Alice B. Toklas: 1 folder (1934-1954)
Prison reformer Miriam Van Waters: 27 ft. (1861-1971). See also Anna
Gladding collection.
"Visible for a Change" exhibit records: 1 ft.
Winnifred Wygal: .25 ft. (1916-1972), unknown amount of LBGT-related
materials.
Collecting interests
Anything that falls into our collecting scope will be considered: U.S.
women (primarily 19th and 20th century), social activism, social welfare
and reform, employment, the professions, suffrage, labor, women's rights,
government, politics, education, medicine/health, and the family.
Use requirements
Open to the public; photo ID and registration required.
Comments about access/use:
Noncirculating.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All holdings are cataloged in HOLLIS (Harvard's online public access
catalog); manuscripts are cataloged in RLIN; finding aids for some collections
are in National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS); finding aids for
all collections are available from the library (fee charged for photocopying
and postage). Books on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues are also listed
in a bibliography available on the web site or from the library.
News about collections
Newsletter mentions notable acquisitions on all topics.
Sexual Minorities Archives
/New Alexandria Lesbian Library
Location: Private home
Address: P.O. Box 402, Florence Station
Northampton, MA 01060-0402
Phone: (413) 584-7616
Contact: Bet Power
Hours: By appointment only on week nights and weekends. Call
or write a week in advance.
Wheelchair Access: yes, by request
History
Founded as New Alexandria Lesbian Library in Chicago, Ill., on July
12, 1974, as part of the lesbian Feminist Center there, by J. R. Roberts
(a.k.a. Barbara Henry). In 1977 Bet Power became the curator; she moved
the collection to western Massachusetts in 1979. On January 1, 1992, the
collection was expanded and renamed the Sexual Minorities Archives.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: ca.50 collections
Organizational records: ca.100 boxes
Printed material: 3,000 items (660 periodicals sets; 200 signed volumes,
first editions, or rare books)
Clippings/vertical files: 10 4-drawer file cabinets
Objects/ephemera: ca.1,000
Film/Video/Sound: several hundred titles
Photographs: thousands
Other holdings/notes: approx. 100 pieces of art; 300 comic books.
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Early 1900s to present; bulk is 1930s to present. Covers entire USA,
with some international materials. Strongest regions represented: Chicago,
IL and Northampton, MA.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Documents the lives of all sexual minorities (lesbians, bisexuals,
gay men, transgendered people, S/M leatherfolk, fetishists). Significant
holdings: 1970s lesbian organizations in Chicago and NY; Black lesbians;
S/M; and transgendered people.
Collecting interests
All sexual minorities, especially (but not exclusively) US; individuals
and organizations.
Use requirements
Free access to all sexual minority individuals and supporters.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, and telephone
reference.
Other services/notes:
Also video rental service. Copying is done overnight by staff only.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Card catalog for basic collection; some indices to lesbian periodicals
(The Ladder and Lesbian Periodicals Index); indices to portions of the
collection (e.g., Black lesbians and lesbian separatism). All indices in
print format.
Smith College Archives
Location: Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Address: Alumnae Gym of William Allen Nielson Library
Phone: 413-585-2970 Fax: 413-585-2886
Internet address: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/ca/home.htm
Hours: M-F: 9 am - 5 pm; some Sundays during academic year (summer
hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm). Reading room and exhibits, M-F: 8:30 am - 5
pm (summer hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm).
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
In 1921 Smith College officially appointed its first archivist , although
the college had been collecting records as early as 1908. The holdings
grew into a "college history collection," consisting in large part of the
materials that students created while they attended Smith, and, in much
lesser amounts, official records of the college. In the 1980s the archives
began a records program to bring in college office records, while continuing
to collect student material and faculty papers.
Holdings summary
LBGT-related material, in broad categories, 1860s to the present:
- student letters (written home to family and friends) and journals/diaries
describe crushes/smashes, female friendships, LBGT activity on campus (scattered
over 100 sets of letters and journals);
- student publications include articles about crushes/smashes, female
friendships, LBGT activity on campus (scattered);
- student organization records (e.g. Lesbian Bisexual Alliance), ca.3
ft.;
- faculty papers document female friendships, Boston marriages, and
lesbian relationships (scattered through ca.5-10 collections of papers);
- administrative records and college publications document administration
policies, practices, and public relations toward LBGT issues (scattered);
and
- alumnae publications: includes articles in Smith Alumnae Quarterly
and LBGT alumnae group newsletters.
Formats include manuscripts, organizational records, printed material,
vertical files, audiovisual material, photographs, and microfilm.
Collecting interests
Official records of the college; records of student, faculty, and other
college-related organizations; records of alumnae; faculty and major administrators'
papers; papers of alumnae (from their student days only); other records
which record or describe college activities and events. Full Acquisitions
Policy available from the archivist.
Use requirements
Open to all interested users who fill out the registration form and
agree to follow the rules.
Comments about access/use:
Some portions of some collections are closed due to donation agreements,
college policy, or state or federal law; this may include LBGT material.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), loan agreements for
exhibits, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Other services/notes:
Borrowing is non-circulating, and is generally available to administrative
staff only. Copying services are limited.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Shelflist; selected finding aids to faculty papers, student letters
and diaries lists; selected indices; and card catalog.
News about collections
The Smith College Libraries' newsletter reports on specific additions.
The annual report is not a public document.
Sophia Smith Collection
Location: Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Phone: (413) 585-2970 Fax: (413) 585-2886
Email: ssc-wmhist@smith.edu
Internet address: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/ssc/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; some Sundays (summer, Mon-Fri:
9:30 am - 4:30 pm). Reading room and exhibits, Mon-Fri: 8:30 am -5 pm (summer
hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm).
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded in 1942 as a collection of works by women writers, the scope
was expanded to document the lives and activities of women. The collection
was renamed in honor of the founder of Smith College, in 1946.
Holdings summary
As a whole, the Sophia Smith Collection documents the U.S., especially
New England, 1863-1994.
Note: the following collections (204 ft.) include avowed lesbians and
women who are known to have lived their lives in the companionship of other
women, in some cases one lifelong companion.
Lura Beam (1885-1956) 7 ft.: a social welfare and public health specialist;
includes excerpts of letters Beam received from Louise Stevens Bryant,
a copy of Beam's biography of Bryant, and related correspondence.
Noel Phyllis Birkby (ca. 1930s-90s) 72 ft.: architect, artist, and
lesbian feminist activist.
Eleanor Coit (1913-74) 13 ft.: workers' education specialist and writer.
Florence Hollis (1863-1987) 25 ft.: social worker; collection includes
her papers and the papers of her life companion, Rosemary Reynolds.
Rhoda McCulloch (1880s-1978): Y.W.C.A. worker and editor; collection
includes papers of her longtime companion, Henrietta Roelofs.
Ruth Mellor (1927-70) 1 ft.: social worker; collection contains personal
correspondence referring to her relationships with women, ca. 1928-29.
Unprocessed.
Vida Scudder (1884-1979) 1 ft.: author, editor, and social settlement
worker. Includes papers of Florence Converse, who lived with Scudder from
1919 until Scudder's death.
Grace Spofford (1917-1991) 11 ft.: music educator; includes papers
of Elizabeth Coulson.
Ellen Gates Starr (1806-1991) 11 ft.: co-founder of Hull House; includes
letters from Jane Addams to Starr.
Alice Morgan Wright (1880s-1978) 6 ft.: sculptor and suffragist and
advocate of animal welfare, women's rights, and peace. Collection includes
papers of Wright's companion, Edith Goode.
Mary Van Kleeck (1883-1984) 56 ft.: social researcher and industrial
sociologist. Her companion was Mary Fledderus. Mostly professional papers.
The Sophia Smith Collection also holds the following organizational
records and vertical files.
The Lesbian Calendar (ca.1985-1994) 6 ft.: office files of the Northampton-based
newsletter, subject files, periodicals, clippings re: lesbian/gay-related
interests, posters, flyers, and files of LOGS (Lesbians of Greater Springfield)
newsletter (ca.1985-86). Unprocessed.
Ms. Magazine (ca. 1970-1987; not all GLBT-related) 243 ft.: editorial
files include letters, article submissions, fiction, and special issues
re: lesbian and gay issues. Unprocessed.
Vertical files (51+ ft; not all GLBT-related)
Homosexuality collection: (ca. 1984-present) 1 ft.: clippings, articles,
pamphlets, memorabilia, and selected issues of periodicals
Women's liberation collection (ca.1950s-80s; not all GLBT-related)
ca. 50 ft.: printed material, biographical material, memorabilia, and selected
records of lesbian and feminist organizations and activities.
See also periodical collection, including Amazon Quarterly, The Ladder,
The Furies, Sinister Wisdom, and others; also secondary sources in reference
collection.
Collecting interests
Papers of individuals and records of organizations, U.S., any time
period, all types of materials.
Use requirements
Photo ID.
Comments about access/use:
Non-circulating.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
Research appointments, class presentations.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are available for all collections described above; in
some cases box lists only are available. Holdings gradually being made
available in the Five College online catalog; OCLC; older collections in
NUCMC. Published catalogs also available.
News about collections
Important additions listed in Sophia Smith Collection Annual Report
and Smith College Libraries' newsletter.
Women's Movement Archives
Location: Cambridge Women's Center
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 354-8807
Contact: Libby Bouvier; Betty Furdon
Hours: By appointment.
Wheelchair Access: First floor is wheelchair accessible. Materials
housed on upper floors can be brought downstairs.
History
Founded in 1981 to preserve the records of grass-roots Boston area
feminist organizations and groups, the Women's Movement Archives is part
of the Women's Education Center, Inc. (Women's Center).
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 25+ collections
Printed material: 3000+ titles
Clippings/vertical files: 15 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 500+ items
Film/Video/Sound: 25+ items
Photographs: 4 ft, also slides
Other holdings/notes: 400+ reel-to-reel tapes
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1968-present; primarily greater Boston area.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
The archival collection includes records of Bread and Roses; Female
Liberation; The Abortion Action Coalition; Sister Courage; Somerville (Mass.)
Women's Center; The Boston Women's Music Collective; The Cambridge Women's
Center and affiliated projects (the Women's School, Lesbian Liberation,
Women Against Violence Against Women); and papers of many women who have
been active locally (as well as nationally) in feminist and lesbian-feminist
movements. Significant number of women in these groups are self-identified
lesbians and there is material throughout all of the collections documenting
lesbians and bisexual women.
The (non-circulating) library holds books on such topics as feminist
theory, women's history, poetry, women of color, fiction, autobiographies,
and biographies. There is also a collection of 400 volumes on lesbian and
gay history and culture. Periodical collection includes such titles as:
Sojourner, Sister Courage, Signs, Conditions, Sinister Wisdom, and Off
Our Backs, as well as newsletters from community women's groups, rape crisis
centers, political action groups, women's centers, and battered women's
shelters. The vertical file collection consists of flyers, brochures, articles,
position papers, and newspaper clippings on subjects ranging from abortion
struggles to women in revolution.
Collecting interests
Materials that document women's lives/activities/organizations. Any
time period, though focus is 1960-present. Geographical concentration is
Boston area.
Use requirements
By appointment.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Other services/notes:
No audio equipment; have VCR. Copying facilities are limited.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids to most of the collections available for use in the archives
and copies can be reproduced for researchers. Entries for all archival
collections currently being entered into NUCMC.
News about collections
Women's Center quarterly newsletter and annual reports include summaries
of archives activities (including new acquisitions, number of researchers,
etc.)
Michigan State University Libraries
Special Collections,
Location: East Lansing, MI 48824-1048
Phone: (517) 355-3770 Fax: (517) 353-5069
Contact: Anne Tracy, GLBT Bibliographer
Email: 20676AXT@MSU.edu
Internet address: http://www.lib.msu.edu/coll/main/spec_col/
Hours: M-F 9 am - 5 pm; Sat. 10 am - 2 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Gay and Lesbian materials were first collected in 1971, as part of
MSU's American Radicalism Collection.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 1 box
Organizational records: 10 boxes
Printed material: 1,500 books; 350 journal titles
Clippings/vertical files: 37 ft. of vertical files
Film/Video/Sound: 6 videos, 24 sound
Other holdings/notes: over 100+ comic books related to GLBT; uncat.
TV/TS; volumes: 100
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily 1950-present; national with some international holdings.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Dignity, MSU Gay/Lesbian Taskforce, GLBT Journals, Gay men in the men's
movement; Gay comics, AIDS comics, NAMBLA, religious right, Transvestite
fiction, and Gay-Lesbian pulp fiction.
See guides on The Comic Art Collection, The Russel B. Nye Popular Culture
Collections, and the American Radicalism Collections. Also, in the MSU
Library Microfilm Collection: San Francisco Bay Area gay and lesbian serial
microfilm collection.
Collecting interests
As mentioned above.
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Comments about access/use:
Materials do not circulate; there are very limited photocopy services
via inter-library loan.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference
assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web),
and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There is a printed index only for comic art holdings; access to cataloged
materials is through a local database (MAGIC) and there are records in
OCLC.
Minnesota Historical Society
Address: 345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 296-2143 (reference)
E-mail: refinfo@mnhs.org (reference)
Contact: Mark Greene
Phone: (651) 296-2620
E-mail: mark.greene@mnhs.org
Internet address:
http://www.mnhs.org/library/about/index.html
Hours: Mon., Wed-Sat., 9-5; Thursday, 9-9
Wheelchair access: Yes
History:
The Historical Society was chartered in 1849 as the second act of the
Territorial Legislature. The Society is not part of the state government,
but an independent non-profit educational institution with a self-perpetuating
board of directors. Its mission is to document the human history
of Minnesota. The Society's main facility, which houses museum galleries
and a research library, is open without charge to the public. There
is no charge for access to the research collections but charges do apply
for reproductions.
Holdings Summary:
This is a summary of the Society's holdings by its major collection
divisions. Please note that the Society uses GLBT rather than LGBT
as its abbreviation for the collection.
Government Records
In 1971 the Society was given the responsibility for administering
the State Archives - the official records of state, county, municipal and
township governments. Among the record series that are richest in
documents and data on GLBT citizens in Minnesota are those of the State
Department of Human Rights (1955-80) and Minneapolis Department of Civil
Rights (1947-79). other important series include: correspondence
and subject files of the Governor's Office, the records and case files
of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, and the subject files of Minneapolis
mayor Don Fraser. Extensive records of the Governor's Task Force
on Lesbian and Gay Minnesotans (1990-91) are included in the manuscript
collection of Leo Treadway (see below), vice chair of the Task Force.
Manuscript Collections
The manuscript collections include the papers (letters, diaries, scrapbooks,
etc) of individuals and the records (minutes, reports, financial documents,
etc.) of organizations and businesses. Among the Society's most important
GLBT manuscript collections are the papers of: elected official and
AIDS victim Brian Coyle (1965-91); the papers of Leo Treadway (1971-95)
- documenting his work with secular and religious organizations advancing
gay rights and human justice issues; activist and organizer Thom Higgins
(1950-94) - including documentation of the famous 1977 incident in which
he hit Anita Bryant with a pie; Wallace Swan (1975-94) - reflecting his
work as a public administrator and active role in in the Minneapolis gay
community as a parent, church member, patron of the arts, and civil rights
advocate. Organizational records that document the GLBT community
include: The Women's Coffeehouse Collective (1975-90) - a "chemically-free
meeting place for all women which supports and nurtures the social, cultural,
and political life of the Twin Cities lesbian community"; Lesbian and Gay
Interfaith Council of Minnesota (1978-87), composed of several religious
groups ministering to the gay community; Northland Business Association
(1985-88) "gay and lesbian business and professional people...joined together
for educational and humanitarian purposes and mutual support"; Out and
About Theater (1977-82) - a Minneapolis Theater "committed to a forthright
and earnest exploration of diverse expressions of alternative lifestyles";
GAMMA (1978-96) - a social and athletic organization for gay men in the
Twin Cities; Minnesota Committee for Gay Rights (1974-84) - documenting
its work to pass local ordinances and state laws guaranteeing rights for
gays, to combat homophobia and violence against gays, and to educate the
public and legislature about GLBT issues generally.
Oral Histories
The Society holds two major oral history projects related to the GLBT
community. "Twin Cities Gay and Lesbian Community Oral History Project,
1993," contains interviews with people connected with the local gay/lesbian
community from the 1940s to the advent of AIDS in the early 1980s.
Narrators recount early impressions of what they thought homosexuality
was, personal expreiences of how they came to terms with their sexuality
and the social environment they experienced in the Twin Cities. Interviewees:
Richard Bosard, Dennis E. Miller, Koreen Phelps, Ashley Ann Rukes, Allan
Spear, Leo Treadway, Jean-Nicholas Tretter, Kerry Woodward. "Not
Waiting for a Cure Oral History Project, 1994-1995," documents Minnesota's
response to AIDS from personal and sociopolitical perspectives, through
the memory of those working in and lost to the epidemic. Interviewees:
Grace Arrington, Kiran Belani, Sharon Day, Cindy Hawkins, Agnes Leitheiser,
Sister Joannes Lucid, William Main, Cynthia Mayeda, Steve Moore, Frank
S. Rhame, Roy Schmidt, Rev. Vincent Schwahn, Patrick Scully, David Swarthout,
Pat Thayer, Robert E. Tracy, Violetta, John Weiser, Shirley Wilson.
Library
The Library holds and continues to collect magazines and newspapers
published by and for the GLBT community - for example, Equal Time (1984-94),
Infront Directory (1995-present), Lavender (1995-present), Official Pride
Guide (1989-present), Twin Cities Gayzette/The Free Voice/The Uptown Voice
(1971-72), Bi the Way (1993-98), The GLC Voice (1979-88), Minnesota positive:
HIV monthly newsletter (1993-present), GAB Skinny (1995-present), Twin
Cities Gaze (1985-92). The Society holds microfilm editions of virtually
every English-language newspaper printed in Minnesota - an unparalleled
resource for the study of any community. Researchers will also find
many reports, such as the 1975 HumanRights Issues: Fair Employment for
Gay People...by the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions, and Northstar
Project: Out and Counted: A Survey of the Twin Cities Gay and
Lesbian Community, 1988, by the Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council.
Among the books related to Minnesota GLBT people are Kurt Chandler's Passages
of Pride: Lesbian and Gay Youth Come of Age (1995), Mary Borhek's
My Son Eric (1979), David Brudnoy's memoir Life is Not a Rehearsal (1997),
Reclaiming the Heartland: Lesbian and Gay Voiced from the Midwest (1996).
The Society documents the cultural life of the state, including fiction
by GLBT authors. Ellen Hart's award-winning Jane Lawless mysteries
are just one example.
Art Collection
The Society's collection of more than 6,000 paintings, prints, and
drawings includes works by GLBT artists, such as Mark O'Leary (1953-93),
an accomplished painter who contracted AIDS in his thirties and found it
necessary to work on a small scale with colored pencil on paper as his
illness progressed. Several of his works are in the Art Collection,
and his papers are in the Society's manuscript collection.
Sound and Visual Collections
The Sound and Visual collection at the History Center holds hundreds
of photographs relating to GLBT people in the state of Minnesota.
These include portraits of individuals and scenes of group activity.
Portraits are indexed by name of the person, and other photographs are
arranged by subject category. In addition, the separately cataloged
Thom Higgins Photo Collection contains a wealth of images of the Twin Cities
GLBT community, and the Brian Coyle manuscript collection (see above) contains
a large number of photographs as well. The Society also collects
sound recordings and moving images such as Stay With Me - Ellen Anthony's
documentary on state legislator Karen Clark.
Museum Artifacts
The Museum Collections department at the Society documents GLBT Minnesotans
through acquiring and cataloging three-dimensional artifacts. These
artifacts reflect "famous" events and people, but even more the ordinary
lives of ordinary people. Objects relating to the LGBT community
range from a guerilla theater costume used in a Twin Cities demonstration
against a meeting of the Beran League in the 1980's to a business card
from the local office of ACT UP, with the tag-line "Where is Your Anger?"
Other objects include dozens of buttons - those promoting political campaigns
and causes (supporting Alan Spear and Al Oertwig campaigns, and opposing
the 1978 referendum to repeal the St. Paul Human Rights ordinance) and
those commemorating events (Gay Pride festivals, Out and About Theater's
first production, "Minnesota Leather Encounter '91"). There are banners
here (one that hung in the Women's Coffeehouse Collective, and one carried
by Gay & Lesbian Youth Together in Pride parades) flyers ("FTM-A Transsexual
Journey from Female to Male" st the Minnesota Fringe Festivalin 1995 is
just one), even a deck of cards - a souvenir of the 1969 New year's celebration
at the Happy Hour Bar. The collections include the announcement for
the wedding of David Fey and Michael Putnam in Minneapolis, and the commemorative
"stone wall" erected at the state capitol in 1989 during the "St. Paul:
Celebrating the Struggle" rally. These and other objects are available
for research by appointment. Call the department at 651-296-8071,
Monday through Friday.
Collecting interests:
Materials relating directly to Minnesota
Use requirements:
Open to the public. Users must provide a picture ID for registration
purposes and agree to abide by the general use policies of the Society.
Some specific collections may have access restrictions imposed by the donor.
Services:
Research space, reference assistance on site, copying services, telephone
reference, audiovisual facilities, internet reference, exhibition loan
agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All published collection material (with the important exception of
newspaper titles) is cataloged in OCLC and the regional OPAC PALS (accessible
on the web via the Society's web site). All manuscript and state
archives collections are cataloged in RLIN/NUCMC and in PALS. Each
collection also has a paper finding aid available in the research library
(some of these finding aids are linked to their respective PALS records).
The photo collections are accessible through an in-house card catalog;
this catalog is currently being converted to electronic form, and is accessible
through the Society's web page. The artifact collection is cataloged
on an in-house database, available by appointment; some of the artifacts
are also cataloged in PALS.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Address: James L. Dickinson Library, Special Collections
Box 457010
Las Vegas, NV 89154-7010
Phone: (702) 895-3954 Fax: (702) 895-1078
Contact: Carol A. Corbett, Archivist
Email: corbett@nevada.edu
Internet address: http://library.nevada.edu/speccol/index.html
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Tue,Thu: 9 am - 9 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Special Collections Department was founded in 1965 to combine rare
books, Nevada collections, and gaming collections. The Lesbian and Gay
Archives was acquired in 1986 (not a separate facility, only a focus for
collecting).
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 51 ft.
Organizational records: .5 ft.
Printed material: 18 ft. periodicals
Objects/ephemera: 20
Film/Video/Sound: 1 ft.
Other holdings/notes: posters
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Nevada: manuscripts and some periodicals, 1955-1997; National: some
periodicals, 1974-1997.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
AIDS, bars--Las Vegas, business, child molesting, drag, entertainers,
First Desert States Gay/Lesbian Conference, Las Vegas Gay Archives, Lesbian
Gay Academic Union, Lesbian & Gay Pride Coalition, Metropolitan Community
Church, mormons--gay, Nevada Gay Times, Nevadans for Human Rights, politics--gay--Nevada,
pornography, prostitution, religion, and social events--gay.
Collecting interests
Any materials (except ephemera) pertaining to Nevada.
Use requirements
Anyone may use the collections during regular hours.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance
on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan
agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aid to manuscript collection, typed inventory alphabetically
by subject.
Rutgers Special Collections
and University Archives
Location: Rutgers University Libraries
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Phone: (908) 932-7006 Fax: (908) 932-7012
Contact: Edward Skipworth
Email: edskip@rci.rutgers.edu
Internet Address: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/spcol/spcol.htm
Hours: During regular school year: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat:
1-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded as a manuscript and rare books repository in the 1940s, the
division for Rutgers University Records began in 1962 and has expanded
into collecting New Jersey materials generally.
Information about holdings
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
New Jersey, 1969-1989.
Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Rutgers University Lesbian and Gay Alliance (13 ft.); New Jersey Lesbian
and Gay Coalition (3.5 ft.).
Collecting interests
Papers of New Jersey individuals and organizations.
Use requirements
Materials are open to the public.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site,
telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements
for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Card catalogs, typed finding aids, most manuscript records are in RLIN.
News about collections
New acquisitions are noted in the Journal of Rutgers University Libraries,
published twice a year.
Human Sexuality Collection
Location: Rare and Manuscript Collections
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-5302
Phone: 607-255-3530 Fax: 607-255-9524
Contact: Brenda J. Marston
Email: bjm4@cornell.edu
Internet address: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm all year; Sat: 1-5 pm when classes
are in session during the fall and spring semesters. Out of town visitors
should verify hours before they visit by calling or emailing rareref@cornell.edu.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Human Sexuality Collection's mission is to build and promote the
use of an extensive collection of primary sources on social and political
aspects of human sexuality. We document lbgt politics and lives and the
politics of pornography on a national level. Our collecting is guided by
an interest in how definitions of sexual identity shift over time and the
way in which personal choices and public discourse about sexuality evolve.
We pay particular attention to under-documented people and issues, in the
interests of making the historical record more complete, and we welcome
input from activists and researchers about issues that need to be documented.
The HSC aims to work in cooperation with other repositories and people
to promote interest in preserving the history of sexuality and to identify
and find appropriate archival homes for important primary sources.
The collection began with Bruce Voeller's 1988 gift of the Mariposa
Education and Research Foundation archives and an endowment from David
B. Goodstein (Cornell '54). Cornell University's Board of Trustees approved
the library's commitment to the new program. The mission and history are
described in a printed brochure and on our web site.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 88 collections
Organizational records: 22 collections; with manuscripts, 637.6 cubic
ft. total.
Printed material: over 5,000 books; 200 non-U.S. periodicals; 1,150
U.S. periodicals.
Clippings/vertical files: only as part of manuscript collections and
organizational records
Objects/ephemera: art and ephemera are cataloged as manuscript collections
(e.g. RLIN records: NYCV89-A124, NYCV94-A200 through A206; NYCV95-A111)
Film/Video/Sound: 99 videos; 29 films; 90 tapes; plus items contained
within manuscript collections and organizational records.
Photographs: contained within manuscript collections and o